1.5b How significant were the failures of Gorbachov's political reforms? Flashcards
What was Glasnost?
A policy of openness to encourage new ideas and innovation
What did the free speech of Glasnost descend into?
Criticism of the party
What 4 main categories did the criticism of the party from Glasnost fall under?
- Housing
- Stalin’s atrocities
- Environment
- Soviet military victories
Which 2 events did people discover had occurred under Stalin through Glasnost?
- Katyn Massacre
- Holodomor
What was the Katyn Massacre?
Where 4,000 Polish soldiers were found dead by the Soviets during WW2 and was blamed on the Nazis
Which was the biggest environmental concern for the Soviet people under Glasnost?
The Aral Sea
By how much had the Aral Sea shrunk?
By 90%
What military victory came under question due to Glasnost?
The myth of the ‘Great Patriotic War’ was uncovered by stories of wasted human life
What was it that persuaded Gorbachov to pursue Glasnost?
The government’s reaction
Which major disaster epitomises the idiocy of the government in their pursuit of Glasnost?
Chernobyl
Which reactor exploded at Chernobyl?
4
What did the government order staff to do during the Chernobyl disaster?
Leave the other 3 reactors running because they were short on power
What did Glasnost cause in terms of people being more politicised?
60,000 groups met to call for political reform
Name the 4 limited attempts at political reform from Gorbachov
- Defining the functions of party and state
- Shifting power from the party to the Soviets
- Streamlining the party
- Clamping down on corruption
Why did the functions of patry and state need to be defined?
The Nomenklatura system had previously blurred the lines
When were the functions of party and state defined?
During 19th party congress
How did Gorbachov’s role as both General Secretary and President show that the functions of party and state needed to be defined?
It mirrored the situation lower down in the party
What 2 things were done to shift power from the party to the Soviets?
- Allocated more funding to the Soviets
- Allowed deputies to stay for 5 years instead of 2
Give the 3 ways in which Gorbachov streamlined the party
- Created 6 new commissions
- Department of the Central Committee reduced from 20 to 9
- 5 ministries merged to form one ‘superministry’
In what year were ‘superministries’ introduced to streamline the party and what was their role?
1985
To coordinate economic planning
Under Gorbachov’s clampdown on corruption, who was Yuri Churbanov and how long was his sentence?
Brezhnev’s son-in-law
12 years
Who was Kunayev?
The Kazakh leader removed for corruption under Gorbachov’s crackdown on corruption
In what year was Kunayev removed?
1986
Who was Kunayev replaced by?
Kolbin
