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Gorbachev’s Policies Perestroika Glasnost Democratization

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Presentation on theme: "Gorbachev’s Policies Perestroika Glasnost Democratization"— Presentation transcript:

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NOT collapsing Serious problems which had been building since 1960s Much modified Stalinist system that was terribly out-of-date for 1980s and beyond Fundamental reforms needed to remain a world superpower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


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