Gorbachev Flashcards
(8 cards)
Perestroika/acceleration
Twelfth year plan - much higher targets than 1981-85 plan even though few of those had been met
Target of doubling national income by 2000
Input disastrous as he ignored advice
Acceleration
Law of Individual Labour Activity - allowed some private enterprises BUT ineffective due to bureaucratic obstructionism
Distilleries closed - most unpopular reform
Campaign against corruption
7 superministries
Law of joint enterprises - failed as forgiven companies operated on profit motive
Glasnost
Openness, publicity
Bad start with Chernobyl disaster - G appeared on TV over 2 weeks later, soviet media silent
Previously forbidden books allowed to be published eg Mein Kampf
400,000 churches, mosques etc returned to use
Cons - opposed, intellectuals - liked - minority - apathetic
Radical reform from above
Power of party reduced
All Union ministries power reduced
Law on state enterprises - personal incentives and chance to elect managers
Law of cooperatives - legalised private enterprises - slow to develop
1988 - rationing of food
1990 - levels of poverty rising
Factories not getting what they need from state
Shatalin plan
Leading economists - proposed transformation of economy to market based structure in 500 days
G proposed Compromise solution - 4 stage process over relatively short amount of time - satisfied few people left or right - 1991 supreme soviet implemented law permitting private property - economic base of USSR destroyed
Nationalities
Satellites states -
East Germany - Leipzig - mass protests - nearly one mill by Nov 1989 - Berlin Wall torn down - G chooses to do nothing instead of sending in troops as advised by KGB agent Putin - seen as example
Czechslovakia - passive resistance
Ukraine - declared own sovereignty June 1991 - end of Sov Union
August Coup
1990 - Yeltsin resigns from Party
Demands new gov and announces plan to stand for presidency
Wins with 57% - dual power begins
G on holiday in Crimea - put under arrest by 4 delegates who declare state of emergency - Yeltsin announces resistance to coup - G fills government vacancies with conservatives - Yeltsin opposes this on TV - G agrees to dissolution of gov, resigns as head and calls for Party dissolution
“Dithered
In contradictions without solving any” Grachev
