World Civilizations Perestroika and Glasnost

Perestroika and Glasnost ● Series of reforms made by Gorbachev ● Brought freedoms to citizens, political and economic reforms ● introduction of democracy, communist party lost power ● reconstructing economy → opened trade links with West How did Gorbachev’s reforms help to move the Soviet Union toward democracy? Gorbachev’s Perestroika ensured political reforms including the Soviet Union’s first democratic elections since the Russian Revolution in 1917, contrasting with its communist government. These elections were not swayed and allowed for the Russian people to nominate and vote for their preferred leaders, even introducing liberal reformers with Western-style campaigns into the new Congress for People’s Deputies. Do you think the Soviet Union would have changed without Mikhail Gorbachev? The Soviet Union would have changed regardless of Mikhail Gorbachev, but not as dramatically or in the speed that it did with Gorbachev’s Perestroika; for instance, Gorbachev’s rapid economic reforms and relaxing of trade restrictions failed to improve the state of the USSR and boost their economy, instead, it produced dangerously high inflation and decreasing living standards. Gorbachev’s multi-party system and controversial democratic elections left the USSR unstable and politically divided, setting the stage for the fall of the Soviet Union. How did Gorbachev’s reforms help to move the Soviet Union toward democracy? Gorbachev’s reforms slowly abolished central control of businesses and trade restrictions, allowing the people to have more freedom in the country’s economy, coming a step closer to a capitalist like society. Later on, Gorbachev established a new congress and held elections, similar to the West, which led him to become elected as the President of the Soviet Union. Do you think the Soviet Union would have changed without Mikhail Gorbachev? Explain your answer. I think that the Soviet Union wouldn’t have changed nearly as fast and as vast without Mikhail Gorbachev. As stated in the text there were so many people who were against Gorbachev’s ideas and couldn’t have imagined a new society and government as Gorbachev created. Gorbachev was different from all previous Soviet leaders, as he denounced the corrupt economy of the Soviet Union and even through all the opposition he faced, he continued to do what he felt was the right thing.