The Collapse of Communism in Europe. Some points to note … The Soviet Union from 1953 to 1985 Problems faced by Mikhail Gorbachev Glasnost and Perestroika.

The Collapse of Communism

in Europe

Some points to note …

• The Soviet Union from 1953 to 1985

• Problems faced by Mikhail Gorbachev

• Glasnost and Perestroika

• Reasons for Gorbachev’s failure

• The end of the Soviet empire

The Soviet Union from 1953 to 1985

• Leadership after Joseph Stalin:

– Nikita Khrushchev

– Leonid Brehznev

– Yuri Andropov

– Konstantin Chernenko

– Mikhail Gorbachev

Joseph Stalin’s Legacy

• Soviet Union was modernised

• Agriculture and industry in line with the western powers

• Great cost: 20 million dead

• Few consumer goods

Nikita Khrushchev

• Relaxed the tight control of the government over the people

• Tried to introduce reforms to improve food production but failed

• Tried to give people more say in how agriculture and industry should be run

Nikita Khrushchev

• Efforts came to naught as his reforms were not supported by Communist Party members

• Sacked and replaced by Leonid Brehznev in 1964

Leonid Brehznev

• Hard-line communist who reversed Khrushchev’s reforms

• His efforts also came to naught

• An interesting blame tactic …

Brehznev’s Blame Tactic

“lack of skilled labour, alcoholism, absenteeism, and lack of effort on the part of civil servants who man the vast organization which tries to plan the economy”

- What is Brehznev trying to say?

Yuri Andropov

• Head of the KGB

• Effectively ran the country while Brehznev was ill

• Became leader in 1982

• Died in 1984 after falling ill

Konstantin Chernenko

• Succeeded Yuri Andropov in 1984

• Died in 1985 after falling ill…

The Situation for Gorbachev

• Became the leader of a state that had seen little effective government in almost a decade…

• Russia was seriously …

The Situation for Gorbachev

• The Problems facing Gorby:

– The Soviet system of government

– The lack of consumer goods

– The burden of Eastern Europe

– Black Market

– Failure of Khrushchev’s agricultural reforms

– Mismanaged finances

The Situation for Gorbachev

• The Soviet system of government

– Belief in equality and fairness

– Loss of faith by the people

– Corruption in the government

– Double standards

The Situation for Gorbachev

• The lack of consumer goods

– Comparison with the West

– Lack of western-style consumer goods

– Demand for western-style consumer goods

– Cost of consumer goods

The Situation for Gorbachev

• The burden of Eastern Europe

– Head of the Warsaw Pact

– Duty towards the Eastern European Communist nations

– Drained USSR’s finances

– Lost confidence of the Russian people

The Situation for Gorbachev

• Black Market

– High price of consumer goods

– In 1985, the black market’s value was estimated to be at 7 billion roubles

– This meant that the Soviet government was losing 7 billion roubles in revenue

The Situation for Gorbachev

• Failure of Khrushchev’s agricultural reforms

– Khrushchev introduced new systems to grow more grain

– However, transport infrastructure was not up to mark and many crops rotted before they could arrive in cities

– Russia had to import grain to feed its people

The Situation for Gorbachev

• Mismanaged finances

– Not wealthy enough to play superpower

– Spent too much money competing with the USA

– Arms race, space race

– Support to Cuba, Eastern Europe

– Afghanistan War

– Goods were not up to mark for export

Gorbachev’s Slogans

• Perestroika

– Changing the economy of the Soviet Union

• Glasnost

– Having more openness in the Soviet economy

Gorbachev’s Slogans

• Perestroika

– End command economy and replace it with demand economy

– End state monopolies and introduce competition

– 1987 – measures introduced to allow market forces to become part of the state’s economic policies

Gorbachev’s Slogans

• Perestroika

– End state monopolies and subsidized prices

– Reduction on arms spending

– Disarmament treaty in 1987 with the USA

– In 1988, EE communist governments were responsible for their own policies

– Cut Red Army help to the EE countries

Gorbachev’s Slogans

• Glasnost

– More openness to allow people to have faith in the government

– End corruption

– Inform Soviets about decisions made by the government

– Free elections held in 1990 for the first time

Gorbachev’s Slogans

• Glasnost

– Dissidents (people who criticize the government) were not persecuted

– The KGB’s powers were restricted and eventually abolished

– The Lubyanka prison was closed

– Western ideas and music were allowed

– 1st McDonalds opened in Russia

– Restrictions lifted on the Russian Orthodox Church