CLASSROOM COUNTRY PROFILES The USSR in the Gorbachev Era: , , and Upheaval

The were a time of great change in the Union. The USSR saw the deaths of three of its leaders in quick suc- cession. The country also found itself embroiled in a pro- longed in , which strained the stagnating So- viet economy. When assumed the prem- iership in 1985, he embarked on a series of reforms that would bring new freedoms to Soviet citizens and improve rela- tions with the and . However, these events would ultimately result in the of the USSR and the end of communist rule in at the end of the decade.

Perestroika — “ Restructuring” in Russian. It was a By the 1980s, the faced a number of internal problems. Its policy program pioneered by Soviet Mikhail economy had stagnated, its was rapidly aging, and Gorbachev meant to reform the Soviet economy and was eating away at society. A costly also complicated . Perestroika, which introduced ele- at home and abroad. ments of a , has been attributed with hastening the collapse of the USSR. When Mikhail Gorbachev became Secretary at the relatively youthful age of 54, he recognized the need to modernize the country. He Glasnost — “ Openness” in Russian. It was a reform embarked on a series of reforms, most notably glasnost and perestroika, policy introduced by Gorbachev that was meant to re- which introduced limited free-market policies and reduce restrictions on corruption, loosen restrictions on the media, and . allow more freedom of expression and association. By the late 1980s, Soviet citizens were eagerly exchanging books, mov- ies, and music that had previously been banned. The flow of information Mikhail Gorbachev — Gorbachev led the USSR as ushered in a period of cultural revival and sparked heated public debate General Secretary of the from 1985 about Soviet history, the atrocities of , and the effectiveness to 1991 and as the first and last President of the Soviet of — the founding philosophy of the USSR. Union from 1990 until the ’s dissolution in Decem- ber 1991. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in While freedom of speech rapidly opened up society, economic reform 1990 for his efforts to end the . proved sluggish. Perestroika failed to energize the Soviet economy, and of food and basic items became more commonplace.

In 1989, the Soviet Union held its first relatively free since the country’s founding. That same year, communist in , East , , and other Eastern European countries began to collapse. Those events, along with economic discon- tent, awakened nationalist sentiments throughout the Soviet Union, re- sulting in its dissolution in 1991.

Updated: June 2017 Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987.

When Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in 1985, Cold War tensions ran high. The Soviet war in Afghanistan and US President ’s hawkish stance toward communism and his commitment to increased defense spending plunged relations between the to their lowest point in nearly two decades. However, by the end of the 1980s, a series of diplomatic break- throughs and reforms inside the Soviet Union would bring the Cold War to an Traditional Ukrainian Easter Eggs end and see the development of a new partnership between and Washington.

Gorbachev promised a new era of cooperation when he assumed power. Alt- Although Gorbachev enjoyed widespread hough initially skeptical, the United States under Reagan found a willing part- goodwill in the , he became increas- ner in the new Soviet premier. The two leaders embarked on a series of bilat- ingly unpopular in the Soviet Union due to eral negotiations that concluded with agreements to reduce both countries’ nu- the worsening economy. He was also clear stockpiles. In 1988 Reagan visited Moscow, where he reversed seen as unwilling to fully implement radical his earlier pronouncement that the USSR was an “evil empire.” reform, preferring incremental changes to

the political and economic systems. Reagan’s successor, George H.W. Bush, began his presidency skeptical of the warming relations between the US and the USSR. However, Bush and Gorba- Economic reform and improved foreign chev quickly developed a rapport and continued efforts to improve relations relations brought new Western brands to and sign arms reduction . When the USSR began to crumble, Bush the USSR. McDonald’s, for example, turned his attention to , the charismatic opposition politician who opened its first restaurant in Moscow in would to . 1990. The USSR consisted of 15 union repub- When broke out in the communist countries of Eastern Europe in lics, all of which are independent states 1989, Gorbachev chose not to intervene with force. The regimes soon today. Three of them — , , crumbled, and the former Soviet held democratic that and — are now members of the brought new leaders to power. Although Gorbachev opposed NATO member- . for a unified Germany, the USSR did not interfere when the fell The Eastern European countries of the in 1989 and absorbed the formerly communist . former Pact and the three that gained independence from the Soviet Union eventually joined the NATO , much to Moscow’s frustration. The fell on , 1989, allowing East and West Ger- mans to travel freely across the ahead of official reunification in 1990. The event is remembered as one of the most powerful symbols of the end of the Cold War. Gorbachev’s decision to break with his predecessors and not use Soviet military force to keep Eastern European com- munist regimes in power contributed to the Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev meet in the . success of pro- movements in the late 1980s.

More resources for USEFUL LINKS educators are available CIA World Factbook: on the Henry M. Jackson School of International BBC Country Page: Studies website. : Post English

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By 1991 the Soviet Union was facing growing internal turmoil. The demise of communist regimes in countries bordering the Soviet Union gave momentum to independence groups in the USSR’s 15 . Gorbachev’s attempts to bring democratic reform to the Soviet Union and to establish a new that would decentralize power to the republics alarmed hardline members of the Communist Party. Traditional Ukrainian Easter Eggs

On 19, 1991, a group of hardliners locked Gorbachev in his vacation home on the peninsula of . Explaining that he had fallen ill, Gorbachev announces his resignation on Soviet the hardliners hoped to take control of the Soviet Union and suspend Gorba- on , 1991. chev’s reforms. The attempted coup quickly collapsed in the face of civil re- sistance and poor organization, and Gorbachev was set free. However, the failed coup served to signal the growing weakness of the Soviet state and to What led to the collapse of the Soviet Union speed up the forces that would unravel the Soviet Union. in 1991? Was its demise preventable? If so,

what could Gorbachev have done? A few months later, the leaders of the Ukrainian, Russian, and Belarusian re- publics met in where they signed a document declaring that the Soviet Was the dissolution of the Soviet Union a Union had ceased to exist and formed a loose alliance called the Common- good or a bad thing? Discuss the pros and wealth of Independent States. On December 25, 1991, sensing he had lost cons of independence for the 15 union re- control of his country, Gorbachev announced his resignation as president and publics. handed over power to Boris Yeltsin.

Instruct students to imagine themselves as The Gorbachev era gave new freedoms to Soviet citizens and brought the Soviet citizens in the 1980s. Ask them to ex- Cold War to a peaceful conclusion, but in the process the USSR collapsed and plain how their lives changed between Gor- the 15 independent states that emerged set out on an uncertain path. bachev’s rise to power and the August coup of 1991.

Schmemann, Serge. “The Soviet State, Born of a Dream, Dies.” . 26 December 1991. Available: http:// www.nytimes.com/1991/12/26/world/end-of- the-soviet-union-the-soviet-state-born-of-a- dream-dies.html

“Glasnost and Perestroika” — by Cur- riculum Bites from the BBC. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=S9XtYPy4kM8

BOOK Russian independence leader Boris Yeltsin stands atop a in Moscow as a show of resistance against an attempted coup by Soviet hardliners.

More resources for USEFUL LINKS educators are available CIA World Factbook: on the Henry M. Jackson School of International BBC Country Page: Studies website. National Geographic: Kyiv Post English

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