The impact of Gorbachev's reforms on the disintegration of the Soviet Union

摘要

This dissertation of limited scope traces the attempts by Gorbachev(1985-1991) to reform an economic, political and social system which was ina state of terminal decline.The origins of its demise, it is argued, lay in the ossified commandeconomy inherited from Stalin. The enormous damage inflicted on Sovietagriculture during collectivisation in the 1930s~ when millions of productivepeasants died, proved to be a fatal blow to that sector.Tlms, Gorbachev followed a two-fold strategy ofrefonn. Glasnost(openness) was introduced to allow constructive debate on economic andsocial matters. Despite a hesitant beginning, the right to criticise allowed theemergence of more radical campaigners, such as Yeltsin who demandedgreater democracy. Significantly, the revival of ethnic nationalist demands inthe republics led to disintegration.Perestroika (restructuring) was intended to modernise and boost livingstandards. The economy faltered but the market was not yet in place