Gorbachev’s reforms

Glasnost
WHAT IS IT ?
Glasnost = a policy of maximum openness in the activities of state institutions as well as freedom of
information. It was popularized in the mid-1980s by Gorbachev as a political slogan, to show an increase of
government transparency and to earn the trust of the citizens (for example, when Gorbachev aimed at
reducing corruption and administration abuse in the government).

WHAT FORM DID IT TAKE ?

 Greater freedom of speech and of association : a right for citizens to criticize their system, their leaders
and discuss problems as well as potential solutions.
 More openness in the media : between 1986 and 1991 = decrease of pre-publication and pre-
broadcast censorship as well as increase of freedom of information.
 More contact between the Soviet citizens and the Western World (especially the USA)  more travels
and exchanges.

HOW EFFICIENT FOR THE USSR ?

 It was a good reform for the Soviet population : it allowed them to express themselves to the rest
of the world, to develop national identities and to have access to information.
 However, it was globally a failure for the USSR: it allowed people to see the living conditions of
people elsewhere (for example in the USA) and showed the weaknesses of both communism and
the state  led to revolutions and protests everywhere in the USSR, and finally to the downfall of
the country in 1991.

Perestroika
WHAT IS IT ?
Perestroika = a policy of economic and political reconstruction of the Soviet system. It was adopted
between 1985 and 1991, to make socialism work more efficiently to meet the needs of Soviet citizens and
save the regime from a slowing of economic development and difficult living conditions.

WHAT FORM DID IT TAKE ?

 The Law on State Enterprise (1987) :

 State enterprises were free to determine output levels based on demand from consumers and
other enterprises  they still had to fulfil state orders, but they could dispose of the remaining
output as they saw fit.
 Enterprises became self-financing, and the state planning committee (Gosplan) no longer gave
detailed production plans: they gave general guidelines, and most of the responsibility went to
elected workers’ collectives.
 The Law on Cooperatives (1988) :
 It permitted collective ownership of businesses in services, manufacturing, and foreign-trade
sectors.
 It initially imposed high taxes and employment restrictions, but later revised these to avoid
discouraging private-sector activity.

 The Soviet Joint Venture Law (1987) :

 Elimination of the Ministry of Foreign Trade’s monopole  this allowed enterprises to conduct
foreign trade, and foreigners to invest in the Soviet Union in the form of joint ventures with Soviet
ministries, state enterprises, and cooperatives.
 At first, it limited foreign shares of a Soviet venture to 49 % and required that Soviet citizens occupy
the positions of chairman and general manager, but it was revised in the end to allow a majority of
foreign ownership and control.

HOW EFFICIENT FOR THE USSR ?

 Gorbachev’s reforms were considered bold at the time  they transformed the Soviet economy.
 However, those economic changes did not do much to restart the country's slow economy in the
late 1980s  they created tensions, which led to social risings and eventually to the downfall of the
USSR in 1991.