Transcript The Collapse of the Soviet Union

The Collapse of the Soviet
Union
Crucial Leaders
Involved…
NAME
COUNTRY
DESCRIPTION
Mikhail Gorbachev Soviet
Union
a communist reformer was appointed General Secretary
of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1985. His
major reforms were glasnost, perestroika and
democratization. These reforms allowed the problems of
the USSR to be uncovered and become public
knowledge.
Leonid Brezhnev
Soviet
Union
Emerged as the dominant leader in the 1970’s. { right
before Gorbachev}. He was determined to keep
Eastern Europe in Communist hands and was
uninterested in reform. Under his rule, the party officials
were living large, while average Russians fought just to
make ends meet.
Ronald Reagan
U.S.A.
When elected in 1980, the relations with the Soviets got
even worse as he referred to them as an “evil empire”.
He began a military buildup, which stimulated a new
arms race. {weaponry} By providing military aid to proSoviet regimes in Afghanistan, he thought he would force
them to waste their resources on a foreign war.
Boris Yeltsin
Russia
President of the Russian republic, and new commander
in chief of Russia after collapse of the Soviet Union. He
vowed to transform Russia’s socialist economy into a free
market.
Vladimir Putin
Russia
Elected President in 2000. He was a former officer of the
secret police and was widely seen as someone who
wanted to keep a tight reign on government power.
PRE
COLLAPSE
Soviets Under Stress
• Between 1964 and 1982, drastic change in
the Soviet Union was highly unlikely. So,
what happened to create such a rapid
turnaround?
• The major change agent was Mikhail
Gorbachev
Gorbachev continued…
• When the Communist Party chose
Gorbachev as its new leader in 1985, it
had little idea of what he would do.
– Immediately launched a widespread
campaign aimed at transforming Soviet
society called perestroika and glasnost.
– Goal was reform and preservation of the
communist system.
Gorbachev’s Reforms
• Perestroika – {“restructuring”} a policy intended to increase
automation and labor efficiency which reconstructed the
Soviet economy and bureaucracy beginning in the mid 1980s.
– Gorbachev realized that the Soviet economy was failing.
Reform, not replacement, was needed, such as reducing
amounts spent on defense.
• Glasnost – {“openess”} a policy allowing freer discussion of
social problems emphasizing candor with regard to
shortcomings.
– Whole periods of Soviet history were changed. Only Lenin
remained in esteem.
• School history exams for 1988 were canceled. So much conventional
wisdom had been overturned that existing Soviet history texts became
useless.
• Ultimately used to criticize Gorbachev!
Soviet Reform
•
In the 1980’s, the Soviet Union faced several
issues:
1.
2.
3.
4.
A declining economy
Rising infant mortality rates
Surging alcoholism
Poor working conditions
Gorbachev believed the only solution was radical reform.
-However, Gorbachev's program of economic, political, and
social restructuring became the unintended catalyst for
dismantling what had taken nearly three-quarters of a century
to erect: the Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist totalitarian state.
The To –Do List
• Gorbachev’s first priority was to reconstruct
economic policy.
– Desired an economy in which goods and services
were exchanged in a free market, as opposed to a
state-controlled or socialist economy.
– Some businesses could be privately owned.
Reforms
• Glasnost resulted in greater freedom of speech
and the press becoming far less controlled.
– It is likely that Gorbachev's primary goal in
undertaking glasnost was to pressure conservatives
who opposed his policies of economic restructuring.
– He also hoped that through different ranges of
openness, such as debate and participation, the
Soviet people as a whole would support his reform
initiatives.
Reforms Continued…
• The Law on Cooperatives was enacted in May
1988.
– Perhaps the most radical of the economic reforms,
permitted private ownership of businesses in the
services, manufacturing, and foreign-trade sectors.
– Initially imposed high taxes and employment restrictions,
but later revised these to avoid discouraging privatesector activity.
• At the time, many political prisoners and dissidents
were also released from jail.
• In May 1989 Gorbachev ordered the withdrawal of Soviet
forces from Afghanistan.
– A major step in removing a point of contention between the
United States and the Soviet Union.
– Soviet economy being bled to death.
– Negotiate arms reduction treaties with the US
• In Europe, he abandoned the traditional Soviet
commitment to its East European allies.
– Ordered Soviet forces stationed in Eastern Europe not to
interfere in the internal affairs of their host states.
• This reformist foreign policy, dubbed "New Thinking," was a
drastic departure from traditional Soviet practice.
– See Breshnev Doctrine
“New Thinking”
• Gorbachev’s willingness to rethink Soviet foreign policy resulted in an
abrupt halt in military support of other communist governments in
Europe.
– Opened the door to the overthrow of these Communist regimes.
– Gave the opportunity for nationalist reformers to use their “right of speech”
to riot and protest in order to regain their independence from the Soviet
Union.
– Laid the groundwork for a wave of political upheavals in Eastern Europe,
which swept communist governments aside and brought to power leaders
with anti-Russian, pro-Western orientations.
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Poland and the Solidarity labor movement.
Opening the Iron Curtain border with Austria by Hungary.
Protest movements in E. Germany and the 11/9/89 fall of the Berlin Wall.
The selection of anti-communist dissident Vaclav Havel to the presidency of
Czechoslovakia.
– The new approach resulted in the celebrated unification of East and West
Germany (1990) and had major ramifications for the Soviet Union and the
global political environment.
Reactions to Reforms
• In the Soviet Union itself, however, reactions to
the new policies were mixed.
– Reform policies rocked the foundation of entrenched
traditional power bases in the party, economy, and
society but did not replace them entirely.
– “Democratization” brought newfound freedoms of
assembly, speech, and religion, the right to strike,
and multicandidate elections.
• Undermined not only the Soviet Union's authoritarian
structures, but also the familiar sense of order and
predictability.
• Long-suppressed, bitter inter-ethnic, economic, and social
grievances led to clashes, strikes, and growing crime rates.
Uh…Oh…
• Gorbachev's efforts to streamline the
Communist system offered promise, but
ultimately proved uncontrollable and
resulted in a cascade of events that
eventually concluded with the dissolution
of the Soviet Union.
• Initially intended as tools to bolster the
Soviet system, the policies of perestroika
and glasnost soon led to unintended
consequences.
Unintended Consequences
• Relaxation under glasnost resulted in the
Communist Party losing its absolute grip
on the media.
• Before long, and much to the
embarrassment of the authorities, the
media began to expose severe social and
economic problems the Soviet government
had long denied and actively concealed.
Unintended Consequences…
Problems receiving increased attention included:
1. poor housing
2. alcoholism
3. drug abuse
4. pollution
5. outdated Stalin-era factories
Media reports also exposed crimes committed
by Stalin and the Soviet regime, such as the
gulags, his treaty with Hitler, and the Great
Purge, which all had been ignored. This didn’t
sit well with the people.
• Moreover, the ongoing war in Afghanistan,
and the mishandling of the 1986
Chernobyl disaster, which Gorbachev tried
to cover up, further damaged the credibility
of the Soviet government at a time when
dissatisfaction was increasing.
• In all, the very positive view of Soviet life which
had long been presented to the public by the
official media, was being rapidly dismantled,
and the negative aspects of life in the Soviet
Union were brought into the spotlight.
• This undermined the faith of the public in the
Soviet system and eroded the Communist
Party's social power base, threatening the
identity and integrity of the Soviet Union itself.
The
CLIMAX
Collapse of the Soviet Union
• During 1990 and 1991, Gorbachev
struggled to deal with problems unleashed
by his reforms. He had fellow conservative
leaders and the secret police worried out of
their minds!
• Fearing their privileges would terminate
with the collapse of their country, these
conservatives arrested Gorbachev and
tried to seize power, but failed.
Meanwhile…
• In Moscow, president of
the Russian Republic,
Boris Yeltsin, along with
thousands of Russians,
resisted the rebel
forces.
• Two days after the
arrest of Gorbachev,
between August 21st
and September 22nd, the
following countries
declared their
independence:
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Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Ukraine
Belarus
Moldova
Georgia
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Uzbekistan
Tajikstan
Turkmenistan
• With the country in a rapid state of deterioration,
the final blow to Gorbachev's vision was
effectively dealt by a Ukrainian referendum on 1
December, where the Ukrainian people voted for
independence.
– The presidents of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus met
on December 8th, founding the Commonwealth of
Independent States and declared the end of the
Soviet Union.
• Gorbachev then reluctantly agreed with Yeltsin,
on December 17th, to dissolve the Soviet Union.
– Gorbachev resigned December 25th and the Soviet
Union was formally dissolved the next day.
– Two days later, December 27th, Yeltsin moved into
Gorbachev's old office.
RESOLUTION
Life Afterwards
• Nationalist supporters justified the break up of
the Soviet Union into 15 separate nations. They
argued that every nation had an ordained right to
govern itself.
• Nationalists saw national sovereignty and
statehood as inalienable rights, withheld from
them by the repressive Soviet regime.
Perestroika and glasnost made it possible for
nationalist aspirations to be propagated and take
hold, and the Soviet collapse made their
independence possible.
The New Russia
• In 1991 the Democratic Party and its leader,
Boris Yeltsin, were left in control of Russia after
replacing the communist party.
– The democrats had a major problem on their
hands: in order to completely get rid of communism,
they would have to do a great deal of damage to
everything communism had sustained in the
country.
– This included Russia's economy and political
structure.
A Slow Path To Recovery
• President Yeltsin had no clear plans regarding
the transition that had to be made.
– When little was done in the first month of Yeltsin's rule
concerning the crisis facing the nation, the Russian
people began to panic as they realized how severe an
effect the removal of communism would have on both
the economy and their everyday life.
• On October 28th, 1991, Yeltsin finally announced
several drastic changes that would begin the
transition.
– Yeltsin was able to privatize the enterprises
responsible for 70% of Russia's gross domestic
product by the end of his presidency.
Today…
• During the reign of Communism, the Party
controlled all facets of Russian civilization,
including the economy.
• Now that Russia has made the transition to a
semi-democratic government, the state needs to
refrain from intervention in the economy in
order to promote the free market system that has
prevailed in western countries.
• If this happens, Russia will eventually regain its
status as a major power in the world market.
Timeline of Events
1970
1974
1978
1970’s- The U.S. and
Soviet Union have good
relations
1979-1981 – Soviets invade
Afghanistan resulting in
a worse relationship with
the U.S. when Reagan gets
elected in 1981.
1982
1985
1989
1993
2000
1991 – Boris Yeltsin
becomes president of
Russia.
1985 – Mikhail Gorbachev
assumes leadership of
Soviet Union {PG}
1987 – INF Treaty with
The U.S. to eliminate
intermediate-range
nuclear weapons.
1997
December 25 1991 –
Gorbachev’s resignation.
August 19th 1991 – A group
of conservatives arrest
Gorbachev and try to seize
his power.
1989-1990 – Nationalist
Movements arose in republics
that made up the USSR.
there were calls for independence
in Latvia, Estonia, Moldavia, and
Lithuania.
1988 – Communist party
conference initiates
political reforms;
establishes a new
Soviet parliament:
the Congress of People’s
Deputies.
October 3rd, 1990 – Reunification
of Germany
2000 – Ex-KGB agent Vladimir
Putin becomes president
of Russia.