Gorbachev’s policies towards

Eastern Europe
 Enter Gorbachev
• Mikhail Gorbachev who came to power in 1985 was a liberal who believed
that Russian Communism needed massive reform along liberal and
democratic lines for it to function.
• His policies in Russia have been described with the use of two terms:
‘glasnost’ meaning opening up, and ‘perestroika’ meaning restructuring.
• He believed restrictions needed to be eased and Russia be opened up to
the world with freer trade, fewer checks on civil liberties and free
expression and greater cultural interaction.
• He also restructured the political system to make it more democratic,
ensuring that the Communist Party and state leadership is elected
reflecting popular choice rather than handpicked. He also allowed some
private enterprise in order to incentivize the economy and deal with
problems like unemployment.
 Policy towards Eastern Europe
• Gorbachev’s policies towards Eastern Europe
reflected two main aspects: non intervention and
support for domestic reform programmes.
• He emphasized the fact that all Warsaw Pact nations
were sovereign states who must independently
handle their problems. It was not Russia’s business
to interfere in their internal matters.
• This policy was ridiculed and questioned by other
Communists as ‘insanity’.
•Gorbachev believed that without reform, Communism would be
doomed. He therefore encouraged Eastern European states to reform
through the principles of ‘glasnost’ and ‘perestroika’. However, these
had to be done internally without help or orders from Russia.
•As a result of these policies, defence spending was markedly cut down.
Gorbachev also wanted the ‘thaw’ in the Cold War to continue, and so
the Red Army was reduced and the nuclear programme also stalled.
•At a Warsaw Pact conference in 1985, Gorbachev made two things clear
to all Communist states of Eastern Europe: that social reform was
necessary and will not be halted, and that there will be no direct
intervention from the Soviet Union in the affairs of Eastern European
nations.
• Gorbachev also began the withdrawal of Russian troops from
Afghanistan where they had been locked in an ‘unwinnable’ war.
• He emphasized cooperation rather than confrontation in the Cold
War.
• Gorbachev’s radical reform programme in Russia gave impetus and
energy to reformist movements in Eastern Europe. They similarly
began to ask their own governments to follow the Russian
example and liberalize.
• Most importantly, Gorbachev began a withdrawal of Russian
troops from Eastern European states to emphasize that Russia has
absolutely no role and no say in whatever happens in Eastern
Europe.
 ‘People power’
• What followed in Eastern Europe was a chain of
events one after another, leading to the fall of
all Communist governments within a few years
and the establishment of democratic or
popularly supported groups in power.
• This was achieved through mass protests and
demonstrations across Eastern Europe. Without
the assurance of Russian help, governments
were brought down to their knees.
The Collapse of the USSR