3-GORBACHEV+Sanders,+Joe

=Research: Soviet Reform in the Gorbachev Era= Group: The Soviet Government

The Soviet Union was titled Communist, but the vales and structure of a Communist government were not demonstrated. The government controlled the people in a dictatorship manner. Citizens were highly controlled, as what they read, watched and said was monitored and their public lives were enforced in a way to prevent rebellion or resistance. Before Gorbachev, there was a lack of political and social freedom given to the people. There was no freedom of the press or expression. The information citizens were allowed to see was filtered by the government. = “ In his strive to reduce the Party’s control over the government, Gorbachev proposed a change to a presidential system and created a new political body known as the Congress of People’s Deputies which was formed in the Soviet Union’s first free democratic election. On 15 March 1990, following another vote, Mikhail Gorbachev became President of the USSR. ” -From:( Prominent Russians: Mikhail Gorbachev) = Many of the Soviet leaders did not agree with the new policies that Gorbachev wanted to establish. They believed that it would limit the amount of power granted to the government, moreover they did not want to lose any aspects of the power they had. Leaders felt that it was important for the government to control a large amount of the nation’s power, in their eyes the government knew what was best for the people and the nation. There were those who agreed with Gorbachev’s ideas because they felt that it was time for the nation to change the way it was conducting itself it they were to still maintain their power. = “The essential point to make here is that Russia's new position on the world stage made continued, and very large, military expenditures a necessity. Not surprisingly, these expenditures proved to be a serious drag on the domestic economy. In a world of scarcity one must ask whether military expenditures are the best use of available resources. The use of resources for military purposes involves an opportunity cost, since the resources could be put to some other probably more productive use. This is especially important in the case of the Soviet Union because the relatively poor health of its economy makes it less able to bear this cost than the other main players on the world stage.” -From:(The Soviet Union as a Great Power: The Need for Reform) =
 * __// **What was the situation for that group/institution before Gorbachev became Premier?** //__
 * __// **How did that group/institution interpret the application of those policies to it?** //__

The method of new political thinking created by Gorbachev had a large impact abroad. The main goals of Gorbachev foreign policy was to reduce threat perceptions in the west, and stopping another arms race from occurring. Gorbachev and Reagan signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty which bound both sides to remove nuclear type missiles from Europe. No longer was the government to be seen as an unstoppable dictator force. Under Gorbachev policies more power was being granted to the people, and more collaboration efforts with other nations were being made. Under the Gorbachev plan, changes were being made. Central Congress would now elect a Supreme Soviet of 400 to 450 members to decide all legislative, and other questions. The new Supreme Soviet would presumably hold longer or more frequent sessions than the current one.
 * __// **How did the Soviet state apply those policies to that group/institution, and what were the effects?** //__


 * “Gorbachev’s advocacy of ‘new political thinking’ had the greatest impact abroad, among other world leaders and policymakers. The main objective of his foreign policy, reducing threat perceptions in the West and avoiding another arms race, was met relatively soon. The lack of agreement in Reykjavik, due to Ronald Reagan’s enchantment with the SDI, required that Gorbachev changed the common CPSU stance on that issue (Brown, 2010: 257). Having managed to convince other party members that SDI could not possibly be a game-changer, Gorbachev was able to strike a deal on different terms. On 8 December 1987, Gorbachev and Reagan signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty which bound both sides to remove that type of missiles from Europe (Freedman, 1990: 123)” -From: ( A Critical Evaluation of Mikhail Gorbachev’s Role in Ending the Cold War) **

Gorbachev called for rapid technological modernization and increased worker productivity, and he tried to make the cumbersome Soviet bureaucracy more efficient and responsive. Under his new policy of glasnost the culture of soviet power was changing. More power was being granted to the people. New forms of expression and information were being given to the public. The media was able to voice their opinions without fear, and say what affects government decisions were having on the people both positive and negative. Under the new plan, the President would guide the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, which would basically be a coordinating body, with 2 senior Vice-Presidents, 15 vice presidents each republic was able to have one representative, and the chairmen of the Supreme Soviet committees and commissions.
 * __//** What was the significance of Gorbachev’s reforms as it pertained to that group/institution? **//__


 * “Gorbachev was conspicuously successful in dismantling the totalitarian aspects of the Soviet state and in moving his country along the path toward true representative democracy. He proved less willing to release the Soviet economy from the grip of centralized state direction, however. Gorbachev eschewed the totalitarian use of power that had traditionally worked to keep the Soviet economy functioning, but at the same time he resisted any decisive shift to private ownership and the use of free-market mechanisms. Gorbachev sought a compromise between these two diametrically opposed alternatives in vain, and so the centrally planned economy continued to crumble with no private enterprise to replace it. Gorbachev remained the undisputed master of the ailing Communist Party, but his attempts to augment his presidential powers through decrees and administrative reshufflings proved fruitless, and his government’s authority and effectiveness began a serious decline. In the face of a collapsing economy, rising public frustration, and the continued shift of power to the constituent republics, Gorbachev wavered in direction, allying himself with party conservatives and the security organs in late 1990.” -From:(Mikhail Gorbachev) **

**Work Cited** Beaumont, Peter. "Mikhail Gorbachev – the Forgotten Hero of History." The Observer. Guardian News and Media, 08 Nov. 2009. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. < [|__http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2009/nov/08/observer-profile-mikhail-gorbachev__] >.

Brown, Thomas G. "The Soviet Union as a Great Power: The Need for Reform." 36.1 (1992): n. pag. Questia. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. < [|__http://www.questiaschool.com/read/1G1-12460741/the-soviet-union-as-a-great-power-the-need-for-reform__] >.

"Mikhail Gorbachev (president of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. < [|__http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/238982/Mikhail-Gorbachev__] >.

Nedzarek, Rafal. "A Critical Evaluation of Mikhail Gorbachev’s Role in Ending the Cold War." EInternational Relations. N.p., 30 July 2012. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. < [|__http://www.e-ir.info/2012/07/30/a-critical-evaluation-of-the-role-of-mikhail-gorbachev-in-ending-the-cold-war/__] >.

"Prominent Russians: Mikhail Gorbachev." Russiapedia.rt.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. < [|__http://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/leaders/mikhail-gorbachev/__] >.

"The Gorbachev Plan: Restructuring Soviet Power." The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 June 1988. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. < [|__http://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/30/world/the-gorbachev-plan-restructuring-soviet-power.html__] >.

"Why Did Mikhail Gorbachev Start Reforming the Soviet Union?" Why Did Mikhail Gorbachev Start Reforming the Soviet Union? N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. < [|__http://biography.yourdictionary.com/articles/why-did-mikhail-gorbachev-start-reforming-the-soviet-union.html__] >.