History activity: Gorbachev and the USSR

1. Identify two problems inside the USSR that led to Gorbachev’s reforms.

2. What was Glasnost? What was Perestroika?

3. Explain why Gorbachev changed Soviet policy towards eastern Europe.

4. Describe the collapse of Communism in eastern Europe in 1989-1990.

5. How far was Gorbachev personally responsible for the collapse of the
USSR? Explain your answer fully.

1. Gorbachev knew he was facing a devastated USSR, so he had to do several reforms.

One of the main problems was its economy, which was really weak. A lot of money
was spent on the arms race. It was locked into an unwinnable war in Afghanistan. For
this main problem he created the Perestroika. The other main problem was the
communism in the politics, that was very strict and didn't take into account the people.
He didn't like the way of the system of the communist government. So he implemented
the Glasnost, to show transparency

2. Glasnost was a policy that was taken to mean increased openness and transparency in
government institutions and activities in the soviet union. Glasnost reflected a
commitment of the Gorbachev administration to allowing Soviet citizens to discuss
publicly the problems of their system and potential solutions, for this he called for open
debate on government policy and honesty in facing up problems. With this openness
that was so rare compared to the strict policies that were present before, Gorbachev
allowed and encouraged popular scrutiny and criticism of leaders, as well as a certain
level of exposure by the mass media.

Perestroika was a political movement for reformation within the Communist Party of
the Soviet Union during the 1980s. They wanted to restructure the political and
economical system of the soviet union, so they chose this name because it meant
"restructuring". In 1987 Gorbachev's program allowed market forces to be introduced
into the Soviet economy. And for the first time in 60 years it was no longer illegal to
buy and sell profits

This policy and program were very important taking part in the radical reform
Gorbachev wanted to do to the Soviet Union

3. Gorbachev had a very different attitude to eastern Europe from Brezhnev, so he

started to suggest different ideas that for the east European leaders were insane. One of
them was that the Soviet Union would not interfere and that they were responsible for
their own fates, but the leaders were old style, hardliner communist, that didn't believe
Gorbachev. Another one was that this countries had to reform. He wasn't against
communism but he felt they could do so much better and provide a better lifestyle, so
they could match capitalism in areas of public life. However they did not believe him on
this count either.

Due to this failure of commitment between regions Gorbachev wanted to do something

although he didn't have the support of others. So the demand rose for similar reforms in
eastern Europe . Most people in this regions were sick of the poor economic conditions
and the harsh conditions they have to live daily. Gorbachev's policies gave people some
hope for reform. And in 1988 he withdraw large numbers of tanks, troops, and aircraft
from Eastern Europe

4. It all started in May 1989 when the Hungarians begin dismantling the barbed wire
fence between Hungary and non communist Austria. In June Eastern Europe gets his
first non communist leader, Walesa, thanks to the first free elections since the Seconds
World War. In September lots of East Germans that were on holiday in Hungary and
Czechoslovakia refuse to go home escaping to West Germany. In October there are
enormous demonstrations towards Gorbachev in East Germany, he suggested
reforming. Honecker orders troops to fire on demonstrators, but they refuse. In
November East Germans march to the checkpoints at the Berlin Wall. The guards joined
them, and together they dismantled the Berlin Wall. Also the Czech government opens
its borders with the west, allowing the formation of other parties. In December there is a
short and bloody revolution in Romania, that ends with the execution of the dictator
Ceausescu. And in Hungary the communist party renames itself and declares that free
elections will be held in 1990. Also in Bulgaria are huge demonstrations against its
communist government. Finally in March 1990 Latvia leads the Baltic republics in
declaring independence from the USSR

5. Mikhail Gorbachev entered the USSR with a very idealistic and radically plan that it
was never seen in the past few years. Soon he became a very important icon with power
that anyone knew and have a significant responsibility in the USSR, but enough to be
the one to blame entirely for the collapse of the USSR?

On the one hand, different regions were taking action without considering anyone's
suggestion even if it was Gorbachev that was suggesting. It was all a matter of time.
People knew that this union would collapse and couldn't stand forever. They didn't have
the standard of living some other countries had to offer, and citizens knew about this
differences and they could not longer take it. Unluckily for Gorbachev this time came
when he was in power. For example Lithuania that was part of the soviet union, it was
clear that wanted independence. But Gorbachev could not accept this. However, in
March Lithuania did it anyway. Another example was the Russian Republic that when
Boris Yeltsin was elected he made it clear he saw no future in a Soviet Union. This
wasn't the fault of Gorbachev, it was of the prior leaders but at that time, this regions
didn't do anything, With Gorbachev they started reveling

On the other hand, Gorbachev could have ovoid this strengthening his positions as a
soviet leader. But he let the soviet union disintegrate, seeing each country declare its
own independence. When he let one country to declare, another would follow because
they have seen how the USSR didn't have any significant negative reaction, so they
knew they could have a chance. Like this, more and more countries started to be apart
from the USSR. Like dominoes. One could cause the independence of the others. So if
he had reacted harshly and putting at his first priority the integration of the Soviet Union
no matter what, he could survived the crisis. It was clear that the time of the separation
of the region was arriving, but with some strict measures he could delay it.

On the conclusion, I believe he wasn't the only one responsible for the disintegration of
the USSR, although he have a very important role that could have done so much better
for the good of the Soviet Union