Chapter 9: Gorbachev as leader Flashcards
define Perestroika ?
-a political movement for restructing/reformation within the party and state
define Glasnost ?
a key element of gorbachev’s reforms which involved openness in economic and politcial decision-making
define demokratizatsiya ?
a slogan introduced by gorbachev calling for the infusion of democratic elements
when did Gorbachev become general secretary of the CPSU ?
1985
when was peristroika and glasnost introduced ?
1986
when was demokratizatsiya introduced ?
1987
what were the economic problems faced by the USSR in 1985 ?
-economic stagnation
-agriculture falling behind
-military sector dominating soviet economy
what were the superpowers statues of the USSr by 1985 ?
-party split between young reformers and conservatism
-invasion of afghanistan led to a bad reputation
problem facing the ussr by 1985 within forgein policy ?
-relationship with america begin pretty bad such as the regans star war scheme
-afghan war still going on
what problems were the USSR facing in 1985 with the nationalities/republics ?
-nationalism
-religious percussion
-lack of successful reform
-disparitie of wealth
problems the USSR was facing in 1985 regarding stagnation under brezhnev ?
-economic stagnation
-gerentocracy taking over both population and party wise
-tension abroad in Europe
what is Gorbachev background ?
-he was born in 1931 from a peasent family in the province of Stavropol
-graduated in 1955 at University of Moscow for law
-at 47 Gorbachev was the youngest memebr of the leadership and a full memebr of the Politburo by 1980
-was andropov protegee
what were Gorbachev aims ?
-he was kneen to replace the ideas of an ideologicall struggle between socialism and captialism with a recognition that international concerns were greater than any individual ideological position
-enviromental issues, global issues of poverty, human rights and removing the threat of nuclear war were from him areas where socialist and capitalist should work together
-he wanted to catch up with the West economically and technologically
-hope to address the main problems faced by the USSR in 1985 within existing structures
What does Gorbachev states in his maiden speech ?
-states about penance and creating socialist community
-goes back to the Leninist ideology
-strict focus on mutuality and no interference
-show cases how the Cold War is a danger and its about mutuality to bring it to an end
-wants to resurrect detente and create peaceful relations
Who made up Gorbachev power-base ?
Yegor Ligachev, Nikolai Ryzhkov, Alexander Yakolev, Viktor Chebirov, Boris Yeltsin, Eduard Shevardandez
What was Yegor Ligachev in charge of and difference he had with Gorbachev?
-He was made secretary of ideology which came with the responsibility of weeding out party members who opposed reform
-although he supported the aims of perestroika, Ligachev was concerned that reform was happening too fast in a way that was dragging the USSR towards capitalism
What was Nikolai Ryzhkov and what similarities he did he hold with Gorbachev ?
-was head of the council of ministers from 1985-1991
-he was liberal reformer who supported the idea of an end to central planning and its replacement with a regulated free market
What was Alexander Yakolev in charge of and what similarities did he hold with Gorbachev ?
-he was the godfather of glasnost
-he was convicted that democracy was the missing ingredient that would allow Gorbachev reforms to flourish
What was Viktor Chebirkov in charge of and what similarities/difference did he hold with Gorbachev ?
-he was the head of the KGB and initially supporter of perestroika
-however he expressed concern that the tolerance of so much discussion and debate in the USSR would lead to the end of the Soviet Union
What was Boris Yeltsin in charge of and what difference did he hold with Gorbachev ?
-he was party boss in provincial Sverdlock when Gorbachev and Ligachev brought him to Moscow as mayor
-worked hard to shift traditionalist away from Gorbachev reforms and later took him away as from power
-launched an attack on Ligachev for slowing down the pace of reform
What was Eduard Shevardnadez in charge of and the similarities he hold with Gorbachev ?
-promoted Gorbachev reforms abroad
-he resigned in protest against Gorbachev lack of action against his critics
What were Gorbachev aims to the soviet economy ?
-scientific and technical advancement
-reconstruction so it run effectively
How was Gorbachev perceived by the outside world when he came to power ?
Reformist
Why did the soviet army withdraw from Afghanistan (economic ) ?
-the war was a military and economic disaster this was because the economic cost of the already struggling soviet economy ran into billions of dollars
-15,000 troops were killed in the conflict
Why did the Soviet Union withdraw from Afghanistan ? (Political )
-to restore detente so he could give room for his reforms to succeed
-there was an ongoing fear of nuclear war between both the USSR and the USA
-desire form the USSR to be open and democratic which was not possible while the Cold War mentality still went on
When was the Aghanistan war withdrawal?
May 15 1988
What were the key features of Gorbachev’s speech to UN 7 December 1988 ?
-placed a big emphasis on maintaining peace and relations between the USSR and US
-economic changes are the driven force to improve relations with the east and the west
-global issues in which he showcased poverty
-this speech symbols the end of the Brezhnev doctrine
What were the summit meetings ?
They were a series of meeting launched by Gorbachev to convince the USA that he was serious about achieving breakthrough in the arms race, cutting troops in Afghan,USSR and hating nuclear testing
What was discussed at the Geneva 1985 summit plus what were the success and failures of this meetin ?
-it was the first meeting where they agrees to hold several more summits where they both agreed that it was important to maintain a personal relationship
-however month of negotiations on arms reduction resulted in the USSR rejecting most of the proposals
What was discussed at the Reykjavik 1986 summit plus what were the success and failures of this meetin ?
-promised huge progress in scaling back intermediate ballistic
-reached a statement over SDI where the USA insisted in carrying out test in space while the USA required test should be limited to laboratories
-however both leader left the meeting disappointed that their relations in Geneva didn’t lay out a strong foundation
What was discussed at the Washington 1987 summit plus what were the success and failures of this meetin ?
-they achieved the INF (intermediate range nuclear) treaty which banned mid range soviet and US missiles
-during a stage where Gorbachev at home reforms were lacking success and faced opposition from authorities such as Yeltsin
-the INF treaty had the opportunity to be agreed in advance but Gorbachev willingness to go further with military reduction made it a major missed opportunity
What was discussed at the Moscow 1988 summit plus what were the success and failures of this meetin ?
-signed the INF treaty but made limited further progress on arms reduction as Reagan raised the issue of soviet human rights abuses, which Gorbachev took as a sign of US stalling
What was discussed at the Malta 1989 summit plus what were the success and failures of this meetin ?
-arms reducation offer but not achieved due to George Bust cautious lack of trust
-seen as a major missed opportunity
What were the main achievements of these summits in terms of improving the relations between the USA and the USSR ?
-build up a strong foundation within the summit and their relationship and passed the intermediate range nuclear force treaty.
What acted as a barrier to progress at these summits in terns of improving the relationship between the USA and the USSR ?
The personal difference between the SDI, lack of trust and Gorbachev standing home was a barrier
How did the relationship between the USA and the USSR change between the Geneva and Malta summits ?
-timing saw a change in the environment
-the USA wanted to cross the boundaries with USSR
-mutual respect
What symboled the Cold War coming to an end ?
-the Cold War came to an end when the last war of soviet occupation ended in Afghanistan, the Berlin Wall came down in Germany
Reason why the Cold War came to an end ?
-primarily due to the change in soviet political thinking
-the war in Afghanistan
-military spending had been reduced
-domestic policies such as perestroika, glasnost, democratisation encourages liberalisation in Eastern Europe
-on the the 9 November 1989 the Berlin Wall the symbol of the Cold War in Europe was dismantled by peoples power
