Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
Discuss the main features of Mikhail Gorbachev’s policies of Glasnost and Perestroika.
Solution
When Mikhail S. Gorbachev (1931) became general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in March 1985, he launched his nation on a dramatic new course. His dual program of “Perestroika” (“Restructuring”) and “Glasnost” (“Openness”) introduced profound changes in economic practice, internal affairs, and international relations. Perestroika, his restructuring concept, started with an overhaul of the top members of the Communist Party. It also focused on economic issues, replacing the Centralized Government planning that had been a hallmark of the Soviet system with a greater reliance on market forces. The accompanying concept of Glasnost sought to ease the strict social controls imposed by the Government. Gorbachev gave greater freedom to the media and religious groups and allowed citizens to express divergent views. By 1988, Gorbachev had expanded his reforms to include democratization, moving the USSR towards an elected form of Government.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
Who introduced the policies of the Glasnost and Perestroika in the USSR?
With reference to break-up of the USSR, answer the following questions:
Briefly Discuss the Coup of August 1991.
Enumerate any four drawbacks of Gorbachev's policy of Perestroika that eventually led to the collapse of the Soviet Union (1985).
Enumerate any four drawbacks of Gorbachev's policy of Perestroika that eventually led to the collapse of the Soviet Union (1985).
