Gorbachev's reforms of the Party and government

Gorbachev's reforms t​he Party and government

• ​​​​​​Goals
  • committed to the creation of a democracy for the working people
  • wanted to remove corrupt members of the Party
  • wanted greater freedom of speech
  • hoped that allowing people to participate in government would make them less cynical
• Early reforms
  • ​​​​​​​wanted to open up debate within the Party
  • wanted to allow intellectuals more freedom of expression
  • wanted to allow the public to have more access to information
• Glasnost 1986-1988
  • policy of openness
  • information about economics and Soviet history were readily available
    • 1988 --> Soviet press published criticisms of Marx and Lenin
    • from 1988 the Party revealed the scale of economic problems facing the USSR
• Political effects of reforms
  • divided the Party --> many supported the reforms but hardliners believed glasnost and perestroika would end the power of the Party and privileges of members
  • factions emerged --> hardliners and moderates resisted while radical embraced
  • citizens lost faith in the Party
  • freer media allowed opponents to publish criticisms of the government
• Reforms in 1988
  • 19th Party Conference authorised multi-candidate elections (from with in the Communist Party)
  • the election of 1989 was the first multi-candidate one and many high-ranking Communists were defeated but radicals like Yeltsin did well
  • Republic elections 1989 weakened the Party when anti-Party groups got a lot of votes
    • 1989 election led to formation of IRDG which was effectively an opposition group to the Communists
    • nationalists used the election to campaign for independence
    • Yeltsin emerged as a rival to Gorbachev
• Constitutional reform 1990
  • Gorbachev gave himself new powers
  • created the role of the President of the USSR which he gave to himself along with 18 months worth of emergency powers
  • ^^ he lacked democratic legitimacy 

• He hoped the political reforms would give strength to the radicals so they could continue with reforms but he actually weakened the entire Party and then removed his own legitimacy by refusing to stand for election for the Presidency