Gorbachev's Politcal Reforms

What were the problems of political reforms?: the background history

By 1985 the Soviet Political System had stagnated due to the Stability of Cadres and gerontocracy of the Brezhnev years.

A gap had opened up between the propaganda claims of the regime, on the other hand, and the lined reality of the Soviet people, on the other/

What did Gorbachev want to do due to the problems of political reform?

Gorbachev aimed to rejuvenate the system

• He wanted to open up debate within the party.

• He wanted to allow intellectuals more freedom of expression.

• He wanted to allow the public to have more access to information.

The consequences of reform led to greater pressure for change.

What were Gorbachev’s objectives & early political reforms, 1985-6

Appointed young communists, who supported reform, to senior positions =

• Yeltsin = head of the Communist Party in Moscow,

• Ryzhkov = Primeminister

• Chebrikov = head of the KGB.

Hoped democratisation would limit the power of traditionalists & therefore speed up economic reform.

• Also hoped that it would end strict centralisation by passing some power to the people.

Gorbachev’s original plans for reform were quite limited. He wanted to:

• Open up debate within the Party, allow intellectuals more freedom of expression

• Allow the public to have more access to information.

• However, these caused consequences.

How did Gorbachev use Glasnost?

Glanost became an increasing important initative from 1986.

Gorbachev used Glasnost to invite intellectuals & writers to criticise hardliners and support his reforms.

What was the 27th Party Congress?

Held in February/March 1986 and set out a new programme for the Communist Party.

It committed the Party to the ‘systematic & all-round improvement of socialism’, including genuine democracy. Gorbachev linked democratisation to glasnost.

However, there were few signs of genuine openness at the Party Congress.

• Nor did Gorbachev set out detailed proposals for achieving the Party’s new goals.

• Yet this programme was a symbol to break the past.

What was the liberalisation of media?

Following the 1986 Congress, Gorbachev gave Yakovlev responsibility for the soviet media.

Yakovlev appointed a communist party newspaper. As a result, the Soviet Union was liberalised.

The newspaper began to publish Stalin’s atrocities, Repentance (film), made in 1984 now released = critical of Stalin.

Release of dissidents = Invited Sakhorov to Moscow from exile in Gorky to support political reforms.

What happened when Glasnost was extended? (1987-88)

Glasnost was extended during 1987- 88.

In 1988 Aleksandr Tsipko, supported by Yakovlev, went further than before by publicly criticising Marx & Lenin not just Stalin.

• He attacked the foundations of Soviet Communism.

From 1988, citizens were permitted to listen to foreign radios & read foreign newspapers.

What happened at the 19th Party Conference due to Glasnost?

19th Party Conference of June 1988 allowed Senior Party officials to admit the scale of problems facing the Soviet Union, including healthcare, education and poverty of rural populations.

• The scale of problems admitted shook the public’s faith in Communist Russia.

What were the consequences by extending Glasnost?

Gorbachev still faced criticism due to Glasnost as he was accused of reforming too slowly or too little, and now there were criticisms of the whole Soviet Union.

Groups in the Soviet Republics began to demand not merely reform, but independence from the Soviet Union.

Fundamentally, Glasnost established party rule because it permitted profound criticism of the party that Gorbachev had not anticipated.

Chernobyl was an early test of Gorbachev’s commitment to Glasnost (April 1986)

When did Gorbachev commit to democracy, and when was it implemented?

Gorbachev committed the Party to creating a ‘genuine democracy’ in 1986.

The turning point, however, came at the 1988 Party Conference, where Gorbachev set out his proposals for ‘Socialist democracy’

What happened at the 19th Party Conference due to Democratisation?

At the 19th Party Conference, multi-candidate elections were introduced to the Supreme Soviet (which had the right to meet 2-3 month sessions every year) from 1989 onwards.

• Citizens had the right to vote for a choice of Communist Party candidates also independent candidates could stand.

• Shift of power from the Party to the Soviet people.

In multi-candidate elections, 1500 of the Congress of People’s Deputies would be elected, the remaining 750 would be appointed by the Communist Party & other official organisations.

What were the results of the 1989 elections?

The 1989 election, March-April, was an important step in reducing the power of the Communist Party.

Campaign candidates were forced to engage in public debate to win votes.

The Communist Party won 80% of the seats in the Congress of People’s Deputies

Yeltsin won 89% of the votes in Moscow.

What were the results of the 1990 elections?

Anti-communist trends were also obvious in the March 1990 electrons in the republic.

• For example, Democratic Russia won 85% of the seats in Moscow.

• Similarily, in Leningrad the group Democratic Elections 90, took 80% of the seats

How did Democratisation affect the Communist Party?

Democratisation had weakened the Communist Party yet had not provided a strong government.

This was an Issue as Gorbachev needed a strong central authority to push through his economic reforms and maintain order

When was Gorbachev appointed as President of the Soviet Union and why?

In March 1990, Gorbachev appointed himself as President of the Soviet Union. In shorterm this was a victory yet created huge problems.

He hoped this would increase his power, which democratisation had weakened, as this would give him a power base independent from the Party.

It gave Gorbachev emergency powers for 18 months in order to deal with the economic crisis & with growing unrest in the republic.

• On occasion used his powers to censor the press or to use Soviet troops to restore order.

What was the reaction to Gorbachev’s Presidency?

He was then criticised by radicals for abandoning reform and introducing a new form of dictatorship.

Shevardnadze a key supporter of Gorbachev resigned from the gov in Dec 1990 as he claimed that G had abandoned the path to democracy.