The Development of the Cold War

END OF COLD WAR

Seminar 13: Collapse of
the Soviet Union and
Gorbachev’s domestic
reforms
 Bolshevik Revolution 1917 History of the Soviet Union
Timeline of Soviet Union
Union Treaty (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus
1922
& Transcaucasus SSR)
Uzbekistan, Tajikistan & Turkmenistan
Lenin replaced by Joseph Stalin 1924
SSR formed
Transcaucasus divided into Georgia,
1936 Kazakhstan & Kyrgyzstan SSR formed
Armenia and Azerbaijin SSR
Soviet troops occupy Lithuania, Latvia and 1940
Estonia, Moldova SSR (ceded by Romania)
1945 Sovietisation of Eastern Europe (till 1948)
Hungary uprising (crushed by Soviet troops) 1956 Khrushchev’s de-Stalinisation speech

Czechoslovakia uprising (crushed by Soviet) 1968 Brezhnev Doctrine enunciated

Glasnost 1985 New Political Thinking

Chernobyl nuclear power explosion 1986
Boris Yeltsin dismissed as Moscow party
Perestroika, Demokratizatsiya 1987
chief for criticising slow pace of reforms
1988 Gorbachev's ‘Sinatra Doctrine’
Nationalists put down in Georgia, Lithuanian
declares indep , E.Europe revolutions First elections for new Congress of
1989
People’s Deputies
Soviet troops sent to Azerbaijin, Gorbachev Yeltsin elected president of Russian
1990
opposed indep of Baltic states Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Hardliner Coup 1991 Gorbachev resigns as Soviet President
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THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION IN 1991

What happened?

1989: Eastern European

states (already
independent) abandoned
alignment with Soviet bloc

1991: Warsaw Pact

dissolved

1991: The Soviet Union broke up in 15 independent states

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THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION IN 1991

What happened?

Collapse of the Soviet Union

≠
End of the Cold War

End of the Cold War is the end of a hostile relationship between two
superpowers with competing ideological systems.

Collapse of the Soviet Union is the end of a country’s existence - the

country happens to be a superpower.

However, the collapse of the Soviet Union meant the disappearance of the
superpower that championed the communist socio-economic system, which
thus definitively ended the competition between two ideological systems.

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THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION IN 1991

What happened?

Eastern European satellite states

≠
Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs)

Eastern European states broke

away from the Soviet Union’s orbit.

Soviet Socialist Republics broke

away from the Soviet Union.

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THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION IN 1991

What happened?

1. Inherent aws in Soviet system

2. Gorbachev’s reforms

3. Opposition from nationalists and

hardliners

4. Collapse of the Soviet Union

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fl
3.3 THE CRISIS OF THE SOVIET SYSTEM, 1960s TO 1980s

3.3.1 Long-term economic problems

System: Command economy
State-owned production
Central planners planned production
Flaw: little incentive to adapt
Sense demand, adjust production
Problems by the 1980s: stagnation
Productivity kept decreasing
Planners prioritised military spending over consumer goods
and investment
Soviet economy not competitive
Economic growth slowed
Supermarkets in 1980s Soviet Union
Structure was more like 3W than 1W
Impact: Shortages, low quality goods What would you have done
Was communism delivery good standards or living for society? to save the Soviet economy?
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3.3 THE CRISIS OF THE SOVIET SYSTEM, 1960s TO 1980s

3.3.1 Long-term economic problems

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3.3 THE CRISIS OF THE SOVIET SYSTEM, 1960s TO 1980s

3.3.2 Long-term political weaknesses

System: Leninist political system
Multiethnic political entity
Centralisation of power in CPSU
Ideology as a glue; propaganda, censorship
Political repression - surveillance, suppression, security
services
Flaw: Cover-ups, pent-up/latent opposition
Dissidents, nationalist sentiment
Problems by the 1960s: stagnation
Bureaucrats had little incentive to change
Impact: Resentment, cynicism, dissent
Was communism really the best political system to govern Soviet pioneers greet the 27th Congress of
the Communist Party of the Soviet Union held
human societies?
at the Kremlin Palace of Congresses.
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3.5 GORBACHEV’S DOMESTIC REFORMS

When Gorbachev took over as leader, the Soviet Union was not on the brink of collapse.
Gorbachev wanted to reform the existing Soviet system - to make it more streamlined,
humane and democratic. He did not, however, seek to bring communism to an end.

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3.5 GORBACHEV’S DOMESTIC REFORMS

3.5.2 Glasnost
Open discussion of political and social issues.

Hoped that exposing Soviet Union’s problems would make public support his
reforms and place pressure on conservatives.

Did not mean unrestricted freedom of

speech - more the right to criticise whatever
stood in the way of Gorbachev’s reforms.

Need for glasnost demonstrated through

the Chernobyl explosion - government
attempted to control the flow of information
to public.

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3.5 GORBACHEV’S DOMESTIC REFORMS
3.5.2 Glasnost
Key characteristics
Relaxation of censorship:
First session of Congress of People’s
Deputies televised.
More freedom of speech, assembly,
association, protest, media
Discussion of CPSU ills and social issues
Human rights:
Dissidents released from prison.
Jan 1988: New law to prevent dissidents
from being sent to mental institutions.
Impact
Unintended consequences:
Eliminated fear in Soviet people (that had
also controlled them for a long time)
Opened Soviet system and CPSU to
critique; public scrutiny of Gorbachev and
CPSU.
Undermined legitimacy of CPSU
government and communism as socio-
economic system
Divided the CPSU elite - reformers vs
conservatives
Fuelled nationalism. 12
3.5 GORBACHEV’S DOMESTIC REFORMS

3.5.1 Perestroika

Economic restructuring of the Soviet

economy.

Decentralised planning system and

loosening of state control.

However, Gorbachev was unwilling to

abandon the essentials of the command
system, for example state ownership and
state control over prices and employment.

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3.5 GORBACHEV’S DOMESTIC REFORMS
3.5.1 Perestroika
Key characteristics
State Enterprises freer to determine
production levels according to demand.
Ministry of Foreign Trade relaxed monopoly
on foreign trade.
Some foreign investment allowed.
To encourage small-scale private enterprises
that would compete with state enterprises.
500-day programme
Radical reform to fully establish a market
economy.
Impact
Worsened shortages of food and consumer
products.
Inflation; rise in foreign debt.
Discrediting of Soviet economic system.
Sharp deterioration of economic state of
USSR reduced government’s capacity to
cope with challenges from SSRs.
Lack of detailed plan or schedule for
implementation.
When Gorbachev had to abandon the 500-
day programme, it alienated the reform-
oriented officials.
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3.5 GORBACHEV’S DOMESTIC REFORMS

3.5.3 Demokratizatsiya
Opposition from conservatives and bureaucrats to perestroika led Gorbachev to
implement ‘democratisation’ or political perestroika.

It’s aims were to end the CPSU’s dominance over policy-making and infuse the Soviet
political system with more progressive elements.

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3.5 GORBACHEV’S DOMESTIC REFORMS
3.5.3 Demokratizatsiya
Key characteristics
Creation of state apparatus
to rival CPSU.
Congress of People’s
Deputies (CPD) and
Presidency of USSR
(1989-1990).
Limited free elections for
CPD.
Abolition of CPSU political
monopoly.
Impact
Resulted in a dangerous split within the CPSU between
radicals and conservatives, and Gorbachev ultimately lost
the support of both camps.
Yeltsin’s election to the Congress of People’s Deputies in
March 1989 and his election as president of the Russian
parliament in May 1990 gave him a national platform to
attack Gorbachev.
Nationalists turned from supporters of Gorbachev to
advocates of independence.
Without the authority of the CPSU to hold the USSR
together, the nationalities of the constituent republics
pulled harder to break away from the USSR.
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3.5 GORBACHEV’S DOMESTIC REFORMS

The 600km human chain, also known as the Baltic Way, which saw two million people form a
massive human chain on August 23, 1989, to call for independence from the Soviet Union. 17
3.6 CHALLENGES TO CPSE CONTROL

3.6.1 Nationalist Opposition

Nationalism was a latent force in USSR
e.g. Baltic states were annexed in 1941 under Nazi-
Soviet Pact
Transcaucasus, Central Asian ‘Stans’, Western SSRs,
Baltic states
Impact of Gorbachev’s reforms
A pro-independence rally is held in Lvov in
Liberalisation gave nationalist sentiment the space for Ukraine in February 1990

emergence and expression.

Democratisation gave nationalists access to political
leadership and power.
By mid-1989: Rising and accelerating tidal wave of
nationalism against Soviet control.
By 1990: From support for reform, to clamour for
Gorbachev, center, in animated conversation with
independence from USSR. 18 residents of Vilnius, Lithuania, on 11 January 11 1990
3.6 CHALLENGES TO CPSE CONTROL

3.6.1 Nationalist Opposition

Wave after wave of nationalist protest
Aug 1989: Baltic Way ‘Singing Revolution’
Aug 1989: Ukraine and Belarus protest against CPSU
reserved seats.
1990 elections: Nationalists won 6 SSRs
Mar 1990: Baltic states declare independence.
Nationalism in Russia
May 1990: Yeltsin as Russia SSR leader.
Democratic Russia bloc changed from supporting reform
to seeking independence.
How significant is this?
Proposal for a new Union Treaty
Boris Yeltsin casts his vote during the
Gorbachev renegotiated a looser Union, held a elections to the Congress of People's
Deputies of the Soviet Union. Moscow,
referendum, and due for signing in August 1991. USSR, on 26th March 1989
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3.6 CHALLENGES TO CPSE CONTROL

3.6.3 Hardliner Opposition

Conservative dissatisfaction with Gorbachev

Foreign policy humiliations: end of Cold War, loss of
Eastern Europe, Gulf War.
Conservative hard line against nationalism
Championed crackdowns.
Championed Vilnius crackdown, maybe without
Gorbachev’s authorisation.
Anxiety over new Union Treaty.
August Coup, 1991
Hardliners in Politburo, KGB chief etc.
Attempted to seize power from Gorbachev.

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