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Gorbachev's Reforms

            On taking office in 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev faced one problem more daunting than all others combined. The Soviet economy had been in a period of decline for two decades and was in desperate need of reform. Gorbachev choose to adjust the old system with a period of perestroika or restructuring in the hope of making it more efficient. The country was in desperate need of social and more importantly economic transformation for it was in serious trouble with shortages of even the most basic items like bread. Gorbachev's plan was to introduce policies designed to begin establishing a market economy by encouraging limited private ownership and profitability in Soviet industry and agriculture. Politically Gorbachev wanted to keep the Soviet Union communist at the same time making it a socialist democracy. He also wanted to decentralize the government thus giving more power to the people. Gorbachev's reforms sounded very promising to his people who were searching for any relief from their poverty. These reforms turned out to be anything but the answer to years of disorder and economic decay. They only put the country in a deeper state of turmoil. There are many reasons for Gorbachev's reforms not working. Gorbachev's first major problem was that instead of remaking the Soviet system he merely tried to modernize it and adjust the old one, but it had to many holes for it to possibly be repaired. Instead he should have introduced a totally different system rather than trying to fix the old one. The U.S.S.R.'s second problem was that they failed to reform the relationship with its member republics earlier and shift money from defense in an effort to stabilize the consumer market. This would have allowed billions of dollars to be put into the economy and reestablish it. The third major problem presented to Gorbachev was in opening a free market before constructing a civil society in which the market could safely operate.


Essays Related to Gorbachev's Reforms

1. Gorbachev

Mikhail Gorbachev was the leader who intended to change and reform the communist system in Russia. ... Gorbachev's half-hearted attempt to decentralize the economy doomed his attempt to reform before he even began. There could be no hesitation in Gorbachev's actions if he expected to properly reform Russia, but there was. ... Gorbachev's political reforms influenced the economy of Russia. ... Gorbachev's biggest mistake was led up too several of the small partial reforms he implemented. ...

  • Word Count: 1231
  • Approx Pages: 5

2. Gorbachev's Half-Measures

Most of Gorbachev's reforms sounded better than how they actually played out. Such ambitious and strong reforms need a concrete and forthright leader behind them, which Gorbachev was not. ... When Gorbachev came into power his plans for reform were ambitious and vast. ... The first of Gorbachev's reforms and basically his strategy as a whole was called Perestroika, meaning "restructuring". ... Mikhail Gorbachev was and will forever be known as a great reformer. ...

  • Word Count: 1666
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. the fall of Gorbachev

As Gorbachev was gaining power quickly in the Party, he introduced some radical reforms that he believed would benefit the country. ... With these policies, Gorbachev planned to modernize Russia. ... (Available: http://www.russianet.ru/~oldrn/history/gorbachev.html) Again based on his reform policies, Gorbachev at the 1986 Iceland Summit, proposed the reduction of the Soviet ballistic missiles. ... In 1991, as the Soviet economy deteriorated, Gorbachev faced competing pressures from hard-line Communists, from free-market reformers, and from nationalists and secessionists seeking independen...

  • Word Count: 1341
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Gorbachev's Political Revolution

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev is a product of a system that does not encourage radical innovations or reforms, nor open-to-democracy-minded people. ... The Soviet system should be reformed if developments are leading to contradictions and crises. ... The group has published a manifesto, which according to Martin Walker7, Gorbachev has read and implemented many of the reforms it proposes. ... In any case, adopted from the manifesto or not, Gorbachev's aim throughout the reforms was to democratize and renew the Soviet system, furthermore, setting off a new path of a major structural reform. ...

  • Word Count: 1300
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Graduate

5. Gorbachev

Gorbachev's reforms were responsible for the Eastern revolution of 1989. ... Those reforms were used against Gorbachev in the revolutions of 1989. ... It was Gorbachev's political stupidity that led to such reforms. Argument Three Gorbachev had problems with implementing his reforms. ... Gorbachev's implementations of his reforms lead to his downfall. ...

  • Word Count: 1529
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography

6. Mikhail Gorbachev and Deng Xiaoping

Mikhail Gorbachev and Deng Xiaoping were two powerful men seeking for a reform plan for their own countries. Gorbachev's Reform consisted in allowing the people to have more personal freedom, a tiny bit more democratic and promoting choice and liberty. ... Perestroika was created by Mikhail Gorbachev and started in the late 1980s. ... Gorbachevs had differ types of reforms like perestroika and glasnost but his re-orientation of the soviet goals contributed to the end of the cold war and led to the ending of the Soviet Union. ... Even though both reforms seemed to have potential and even...

  • Word Count: 984
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Gorbachev and the Fall of Communism

It was under Gorbachev's rule when their communism dissolved. ... The economy and the Soviet Union were almost rescued by Gorbachev. Gorbachev brought in reforms to help the economy as well as promote peace. ... Gorbachev also gave more freedom to the farmers so they can fend for themselves. ... As hard as Gorbachev tried to save the economy he could not. ...

  • Word Count: 851
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Fall Of The Soviet Union

Between 1964 and 1985 many economic reforms were attempted in the Soviet Union. ... Gorbachev needed to find a way to introduce a reform that would gear towards capitalism and away from communism. ... The first significant reform took place in 1988. ... They demanded change and did not have the patience for Gorbachev's slow perestroika reform. ... The fall of the Soviet Union can be attributed to Gorbachev's perestroika and glasnost reforms. ...

  • Word Count: 1397
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

9. collaspse of the soviet union

Mikhail Gorbachev and Reform Mikail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union in 1985. ... Gorbachev argued that it was necessary to democratize the political system in order to reform the political system. ... Gorbachev's economic reforms were not successful. ... Gorbachev tried to introduce gradual reform away from the old central planning and towards the free market, as demanded by soviet reformers and western leaders. ... Reagan's criticism of the Soviet Union and his support of the Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) is often credited with pushing Gorbachev towar...

  • Word Count: 1987
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: High School

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