3-GORBACHEV+McElroy,+Hannah

Subject: The Soviet government


 * What was the situation for that group/institution before Gorbachev became Premier?


 * Prior to Gorbachev becoming premier, past Soviet Union leaders had frequently instituted government reforms that had resulted in totalitarian rule. The government very frequently rewarded silence and discouraged individual action. Additionally, the government was very frequently stagnant, and reforms were rare. This would mean that the reforms implemented by Gorbachev were the first of many in the context of the Soviet Union. Prior to the election of Gorbachev, the government had handpicked certain candidates that the people would merely approve of. This made for a system in which the communist party had complete control over the soviet government and the people for which it existed. Encyclopedia Britannica provides a detailed explanation, complete with examples, of the state of the government prior to Gorbachev:
 * “Then, in the late 1920s, opposition arose from Stalin’s ally [|Nikolay Bukharin] to the policies of rapid industrialization and collectivization. Stalin eliminated Bukharin from the leadership in 1929 and sought to eradicate the last remnants of opposition within the party by launching the [|Great Purge] (1934–38), in which many thousands of his real or assumed opponents were executed as traitors and millions more were imprisoned or sent to forced-labour camps. During Stalin’s years in power the party’s size expanded from about 470,000 members (1924) to several million from the 1930s on. Following victory in World War II, Stalin faced no further challenges within the party, but discontent with his tyranny and arbitrariness smoldered among the party leadership.”
 * How did that group/institution interpret the application of those policies to it?
 * Due to the fact that the Soviet government had been controlled largely by the communist party of Russia for the years prior to Gorbachev coming into power, the reforms of Gorbachev, which among other things loosened the power of the party on the government as a whole, were a welcome change for many members of the soviet government. This opening of the political system was known as democratization, and is often described as the gradual opening of the political system. Democratization called for the election of a new legislative body as opposed to the traditional method of having the communist party hand pick legislative members that were approved by the people. The way in which this method was interpreted by both the government and the people as a whole was particularly surprising, as many people who originally would not have even been considered for the position were selected. The most important part of the way in which these policies were interpreted by the government as a whole was the way in which the government proceeded to move towards democracy. Encyclopedia Britannica provides an excellent explanation of this process:
 * “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.”
 * How did the Soviet state apply those policies to that group/institution, and what were the effects?
 * Perestroika: A policy that was created for the purpose of reconstructing the political/economic system that had been previously created by the Communist Party. Perestroika promoted democratization of the Soviet government through the introduction of an effective election of a legislative body. The policy also sought deconstruct monopolies in the Soviet economy and promote at least semi-private businesses in order to end the price controls set by the government and the communist party in the past. Gorbachev wanted the government to somewhat reflect Western practices in both the government and economic policies.
 * Glasnost: translates directly to "openness" and was the sociopolitical reform that sought to create opportunities for freedom for those under Soviet Rule. Goals included the process of involving more citizens in the general political process through allowing them to express their thoughts and ideas freely. This therefore resulted in the decrease in the censoring of media, which also increased government transparency. It also allowed for the criticism of government officials, which was previously not been allowed.
 * ====  Both of these policies are accurately described using the following quotes   “By the time of the 1985 rise to power of Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union’s last leader, the country was in a situation of severe stagnation, with deep economic and political problems which sorely needed to be addressed and overcome. Recognizing this, Gorbachev introduced a two-tiered policy of reform. On one level, he initiated a policy of glasnost, or freedom of speech. On the other level, he began a program of economic reform known as perestroika, or rebuilding. What Gorbachev did not realize was that by giving people complete freedom of expression, he was unwittingly unleashing emotions and political feelings that had been pent up for decades, and which proved to be extremely powerful when brought out into the open." ====
 * "Now that the Soviet Union, with its centralized political and economic system, has ceased to exist, the fifteen newly formed independent countries which emerged in its aftermath are faced with an overwhelming task. They must develop their economies, reorganize their political systems, and, in many cases, settle bitter territorial disputes. A number of wars have developed on the peripheries of the former Soviet Union. Additionally, the entire region is suffering a period of severe economic hardship. However, despite the many hardships facing the region, bold steps are being taken toward democratization, reorganization, and rebuilding in most of the countries of the former Soviet Union."
 * Despite Gorbachev’s positive initiatives and intentions, his policies and government changes only brought the Soviet State closer to collapse.
 * What was the significance of Gorbachev’s reforms as it pertained to that group/institution?
 * Because of the fact that Gorbachev's policies were largely structured for the purpose of the democratization of the Soviet Union, many of them eventually lead to the dissolution of the soviet government, which had previously been centered around totalitarianism and communism. For example, he was forced to reinstitute war time food rations following Perestroika, as the country experienced severe food shocks. Additionally,  the Soviet Union’s gold funds decreased from 2000 to 200 tons and foreign debt drastically increased by around 120 billion dollars. Additionally, the implementation of Glasnost caused the rise of anti-government sentiment due to the fact that it drastically decreased censorship. Gorbachev stepped down in 1991 when he realized that he was hurting the Soviet Union rather than helping it. By January in the following year, the soviet government had dissolved.
 * The following quote accurately describes this process:  "After the failed coup attempt, it was only a few months until the Soviet Union completely collapsed. Both the government and the people realized that there was no way to turn back the clock; the massive demonstrations of the “August days” had demonstrated that the population would accept nothing less than democracy. Gorbachev conceded power, realizing that he could no longer contain the power of the population. On December 25, 1991, he resigned. By January of 1992, by popular demand, the Soviet Union ceased to exist. In its place, a new entity was formed. It was called the “Commonwealth of Independent Republics,” and was composed of most of the independent countries of the former Soviet Union. While the member countries had complete political independence, they were linked to other Commonwealth countries by economic, and, in some cases, military ties.”


 * Works Cited **

"The Cold War Museum." Cold War Museum. The Cold War Museum, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2014. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) (political Party, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. .  The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Mikhail Gorbachev (president of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. . "Fall of the Soviet Union." Cold War Museum. The Cold War Museum, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2014. . Goldman, Marshall I. ""Gorbachev and Economic Reform in the Soviet Union"" JSTOR. JSTOR, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. <[]>. Walter D. Connor. "Soviet Society, Public Attitudes, and the Perils of Gorbachev's Reforms: The Social Context of the End of the USSR." Journal of Cold War Studies 5.4 (2003): 43-80. Project MUSE. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. <[]>. 