1. Gorbachev’s Policies Perestroika Glasnost Democratization
New thinking in foreign policy

2. Perestroika Economic restructuring
Introduce partial market reforms to a modernized socialist economy
Reform of a variety of ills of Soviet society beyond economic problems

3. Problems with Soviet Economy
Military spending, overcentralization, output indicators, anti-innovation, lack of quality consumer goods and consumer pressure, not ready for tech’l/information revolution
Soviet economy was NOT collapsing
Serious problems which had been building since 1960s
Much modified Stalinist system that was terribly out-of-date for 1980s and beyond
Fundamental reforms needed to remain a world superpower

4. Perestroika: Three Stages
1) “Acceleration”
2) Build hybrid socialist-capitalist economy
3) Adoption of Soviet-style capitalism

5. Perestroika: 1987-89 Introduction of small-scale private businesses
Reduce role of planning in economy – create half plan, half market economy
Reduce role of CPSU control over economy
Encourage Soviet state-owned enterprises to produce for state and free market

6. Perestroika:
Considerable success in dismantling command economy
Not enough time to construct new market mechanisms
Disruption of perestroika led to weakening of Soviet economy
Things got worse instead of getting better
Was reform of socialist economy even possible?

7. Perestroika,
Gorbachev considers adoption of full-blown market reforms with free prices, privatization, free trade, convertible currency
500-day Shatalin Plan
Gorbachev rejects as economy continues to deteriorate
Perestroika overtaken by disintegration of USSR

8. Glasnost Openness, truth-telling
Started out as a relaxation of censorship, ended up being close to freedom of speech and press
Gorbachev wanted to control the pace of glasnost, eventually lost control of it

9. Why Glasnost?
Perestroika/progress demands “truth” about Soviet past and present
Appeal to intelligentsia and educated population
Strengthen Gorbachev (the good tsar)
Public opinion to pressure party and bureaucrats who were opposing perestroika
Information for new information society

10. Glasnost
A “tool” to be used by Gorbachev to further his goals, especially perestroika
Openness not beyond certain limits, as defined by Gorbachev and CPSU
Eventually Gorbachev could not or did not enforce these limits
Approaching freedom of speech and press by 1989/90

11. “Destructive” Glasnost?
Glasnost allows media in republics to raise questions of nationalism and sovereignty/independence

12. Glasnost and the Soviet Collapse
Gorbachev took away the fear of speaking out
Took it away so much that people began to challenge (and eventually reject) the socialist system
Free speech and press helped to destroy USSR

13. Democratization
Gorbachev wants to create a reformist, liberal CPSU which will follow and support his policies
Slowly (1987, 1988?) he begins to realize that perestroika cannot proceed without fundamental changes in the structure of the CPSU
He views semi-competitive elections with a real legislature as the means to reform or replace the CPSU
Two-track policy: reform the party and go beyond the party (never quite chooses between them)

14. Democratization
Seems to be laying the groundwork for a multiparty system with Gorbachev heading a majority social democratic party (with some opposition parties)
That is Gorbachev’s explanation today
Difficult to see exactly how he was going to get there as long as he remained GenSec of CPSU
Democratization is considerable improvisation

15. Democratization Last of Gorbachev’s major reforms
Most damaging, democratization and decentralization lead to disintegration of USSR
Democratization brings impressive changes for a while, then political system begins to collapse
Gorbachev had truly unleashed forces he could not control

16. Democratization
1989 Congress of People’s Deputies is a new legislature with real powers with delegates to be chosen in semi-competitive elections (replaces old rubber-stamp Supreme Soviet)

17. Congress of People’s Deputies
1500/2250 seats chosen in semi-competitive elections
88% of delegates are CPSU members (conservative, moderate, liberal)
12% of delegates are NOT CPSU members
Functioning legislature based on partially democratic elections

18. Congress of People’s Deputies
First session of CPD in May 1989 is electrifying with 100 million citizens watching two week event
Gorbachev “the improviser and juggler”
Gorbachev is elected Chairman of CPD without opposition

19. Republic Legislatures
Congress of People’s Deputies are elected in each of fifteen republics in 1990
More democratic in certain republics
Nationalists do very well in Baltic republics, Georgia and elsewhere
In time Republic Legislatures will “do battle” with Moscow with declarations of sovereignty and movements toward independence

20. Republic Legislatures
Boris Yeltsin is elected chairman of Russian Congress of People’s Deputies in 1990
Gorbachev tries to prevent Yeltsin’s election
Yeltsin will use his leadership of Russia as a means to challenge Gorbachev and the continuation of USSR
Yeltsin embraces sovereignty for Russia and market reforms

21. Repeal of Article VI
Guiding role of CPSU is struck from Soviet Constitution by CPD in March 1990
Makes way for multi-party system in future
Multiple parties are forming as USSR is disintegrating
Gorbachev says that he was afraid what conservatives would try to do if he left his post as General Secretary

22. Executive Presidency
Spring 1990 Gorbachev is elected as President by CPD (500 negatives)
Trying to construct a powerful, executive presidency – free from CPSU control
Trying to create presidential institutions to replace Politburo
Still remains General Secretary of CPSU
Unwilling to leave CPSU but creating a non-CPSU presidency
Elected by CPD not by a vote of the Soviet people
Gorbachev probably could have won such an election, but perhaps not

23. Executive Presidency
Continues as General Secretary where he is subject to more and more criticism and opposition
Also trying to construct an Executive Presidency free of party control
One foot in “both camps”
Cannot make the final break with CPSU

24. Summer 1990
All fifteen republics have issued “declarations of sovereignty”
First step toward full-blown independence
War of Laws between Moscow/Federal Government and Russia and many other republics

25. Fall 1990
Under pressure, Gorbachev rejects Shatalin economic plan and brings more conservatives into leadership positions
Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze resigns while warning of “a coming dictatorship”
Gorbachev “turns to the right” under pressure from conservatives amid growing chaos (and possible threats to oust him)

26. Spring/Summer 1991
Gorbachev returns to the left and begins negotiations with Yeltsin and other republic leaders for new union treaty
Referendum to retain federal system supported by 76% of voters in nine participating republics

27. Spring/Summer 1991
New union treaty between nine republics (no Baltics, Georgia, Armenia, Moldova) will result in a transformed USSR with considerable power to republics and a central government in charge of defense, foreign policy and little else
Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics
Economic reforms are frozen and economy is imploding

28. Spring/Summer 1991
Gorbachev prepares to sign new union treaty on August 20 when ….

29. Conservative Coup
Conservatives within CPSU launch coup to remove Gorbachev and roll-back reforms
Following defeat of coup, USSR has four more months of life

30. New Thinking in Foreign Policy
Gorbachev needed to reduce Soviet military expenditures but went far beyond those limited goals
Gorbachev transformed Soviet relations with world

31. Why New Thinking? Cold War “breathing space” for domestic reforms
--- reduce massive military spending
--- counter opposition with tangible results
--- perestroika would enable USSR to retain superpower status
Gorbachev’s views
--- Brezhnev foreign policy at dead end
--- US will not attack USSR
--- fears of nuclear war
--- USSR join “modern world”

32. Why New Thinking? Exposure to West
--- realistic view of pros and cons of West
--- eventually aims for Soviet “social democracy”
--- adopting Western/humanistic values
Liberal foreign policy advisors
--- much new thinking discussed since 1960s
Cooperative US
--- Reagan/Bush work with Gorbachev
--- Gorbachev giving US much of what it wanted

33. New Thinking: Additional Points
Gorbachev controls foreign policy
Gorbachev has success in foreign policy
Gorbachev enjoys international fame
(Gorbachev probably spent too much time on foreign policy)

34. New Thinking
Ending the Cold War was NOT part of Gorbachev’s original plan
YET that is the logical conclusion of his reforms and his new thinking

35. What was New Thinking?
Fundamental re-orientation of the Soviet approach to international relations
Abandoning of the inevitable conflict of socialism and capitalism
Adoption of human values, no resort to force, freedom of choice for nations, globalization and interdependence, anti-nuclear war, reasonable sufficiency and defensive defense, cooperation over conflict

36. What was New Thinking? Ending the war in Afghanistan
Reducing aid to “allies” in the world
Better relations with China and Japan
New relationship with Eastern Europe
Closer ties with Western Europe
Arms control and new détente (and beyond) with USA

37. Afghanistan Soviet troops leave Afghanistan in 1989
Gorbachev ends this “bleeding wound”

38. Eastern Europe
Gorbachev encourages EE leaders to create their own reforms
EE perestroika could help Soviet version
Gorbachev tells EE leaders that he will not militarily intervene to save them

39. Eastern Europe
Gorbachev totally miscalculates, thinks EE will remain loyal to USSR
EE countries do not want to reform communism; they want to kill it
As democratic movements build, Gorbachev must crack down or allow EE empire to crumble

40. Eastern Europe
Poland and Czechoslovakia form non-communist governments in 1989
Berlin Wall comes down in 1989
Germany reunified in 1990
Other EE countries remove communist governments in 1990
Soviet troops withdraw in

41. Eastern Europe Gorbachev gets “nothing” for surrendering EE empire
Gorbachev criticized at home for letting EE go free (especially unified Germany)
Soviet Republics begin to think that they might break free from Moscow’s control

42. Eastern Europe Division of Europe is at heart of Cold War
Freedom for EE signals the beginning of the end of the Cold War
Gorbachev would not use force to preserve Soviet control

43. US-Soviet Relations Nine summits between Gorbachev and Reagan/Bush
Gorbachev eventually dismisses danger of SDI
Reagan cautious through 1987

44. US-Soviet Relations
Reagan and Gorbachev both eager to “eliminate” nuclear weapons

45. US-Soviet Relations
1987 INF agreement eliminates all medium-range missiles for both sides

46. US-Soviet Relations START I (1991) reduces strategic warheads to 6000
START II (1993) reduces strategic warheads to 3500
US aid to help dismantle Soviet/Russian warheads

47. US-Soviet Relations
USSR supports American intervention in Gulf War of 1991

48. Reagan in Moscow 1988 USSR is no longer “an evil empire”
Bush and Gorbachev declare “no longer enemies” in 1989

49. Post-Cold War Foreign Policy
What would post-Cold War Soviet foreign policy look like if USSR had survived in some form?
Would superpower US have some “conflict” with great power USSR?
Gorbachev’s foreign policy views were almost utopian
Great for ending Cold War, unclear for future relations

50. Post-Cold War Foreign Policy

51. Gorbachev’s New Thinking
Gorbachev and Reagan/Bush end the Cold War
Gorbachev is criticized for getting nothing in return and “surrendering” to the West
Eastern Europe model suggests that Soviet Republics may also break free without punishment

52. Glasnost, Democratization & New Thinking
Glasnost, democratization and new thinking, despite their very positive aspects, help to lead to the destruction of the USSR
Don’t contribute much to failing perestroika

53. USSR Collapsing

54. USSR Collapsing
Gorbachev returns to Moscow on August 21, 1991 after failure of hardline coup
USSR is dissolved on December 25, 1991

55. End of USSR
End of Cold War

56. The End