Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
THEME 5 - EXPLANATIONS OF THE FALL OF THE USSR 1985-91, HOW FAR WERE…
THEME 5 - EXPLANATIONS OF THE FALL OF THE USSR 1985-91
HOW FAR WERE GORBACHEV AND YELTSIN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COLLAPSE OF THE USSR IN 1991?
1 - Interpretations of Gorbachev's responsibly for the collapse of the USSR
Celebrated in West - given nobel peace prize
Hated in USSR - failed reformer, destroyed Soviet Union
2 - Gorbachev's failing's
Lack of vision - No solution to probelems - experimented with economic policy
Naivety - Couldn't predict unintended consequences - e.g. glasnost opened him up to attack
Powerbase - Reduced power of Party with no replacement - didn't do popular elections
Expectations - His reforms didn't meet people's expectations
Foreign policy - Didn't see that ending Brezhnev Doctrine in Eastern Europe would lead to rapid collapse of communism
Insensitive handling of national minorities - e.g. placed ethinic Russian as leader of Kazakhstan, intervened in Nagorno-Karabakh. Lack of strategy going into Baltic republics
Inconsistency - Confused about reform or not - tried to please liberals and consertatives - both groups hated him in the end
Indecision - e.g. hesitant in Chernobyl crisis
3 - In defence of Gorbachev
The problems were too huge - couldn't solve economic, democracy and colonisation at same time. All problems interlinked - required immense effort
Was intelligent, had personal charm - did well to last so long amid pressure
Avoided using force - didn't want a civil war
Unforseen international circumstances - Afghanistan, oil prices, 'Star Wars', Cold War, major earthquake in Armenia
4 - The role of Yeltsin in the collapse of the USSR and how did Yeltsin challenge Gorbachev's leadership
Used time out of politics networking
Good at appealing for public sympathy - visited the people, TV coverage
Used elections for legitimacy
Needed alternative power base - used Democratic Russia movement to attack central Soviet government - gained enough votes to be elected Chairman of Congress
Yeltsin undermined Gorbachev - resigned from Communist Party - Congress declared sovereignty above USSR - i.e. above Soviet government - illegal move
Yeltsin encouraged nationalism in republics to reduce central influence
Allied with Gorbachev to pass Union Treaty of 1991 - maybe to help, maybe not
He was extremely popular with the people - huge rival of Gorbachev
5 - Yeltsin and the August Coup of 1991
Conservative plotters trying to uphold rule of Communist Party and USSR
State Emergency Commiteee formed while Gorbachev on holiday
Coup leaders (supported by some army officers) declared Gorbachev ill (he was in house arrest) and state of emergency should rule in his absence
Repressive measure annouced - tanks atc. to stop demonstrations
Coup only lasted 4 days - poorly planned and not full support of army
6 - Impacts of the August Coup
Yeltsin stood against plotters - freed Gorbachev - increased his popularity
His enhanced position meant he could quickly destroy USSR - market reform, established Democratic Reform Movement to oppose Communists.
November 1991 - banned communists in Russia
Union Treaty fell apart - Commonwealth of Independent States introduced - no Soviet government - no more USSR
7 - Interpretations of Yeltsin role in the collapse of the Soviet Union
Was Yeltsin more interested in power or improving Russia?
Did he sacrifice the USSR for his own political gain?
Did he control events? Already divides in Party and nationalist sentiment. Yeltsin just well placed
HOW IMPORTANT WERE ECONOMIC WEAKNESSES IN BRINGING ABOUT THE FALL OF THE USSR?
1- Long-term economic weaknesses
Weaknesses highlighted in Novobirsk Report of 1983 - inefficiency and inflexibility
Report given to politburo - Gorbachev only member to recognise reform was needed
Solution unclear - tried with trial and error which sent economy into chaos
2 - Gorbachev's initial economic reforms: discipline and acceleration
Reformers brought into party and conservatives dismissed - Yeltsin promoted
Attacks on alcohol - drinking age raised, cost of vodka tripled
Tax revenues fell - fiscal deficit
Illegal alcohol produced which was unhygenic
3 - Twelfth 5-year plan
Focus on investement and central planning:
Investment went towards construction - led to more spending which used more investment
Equipment inefficient and broke down
Industry slow to adapt to new technology
Technological imports expensive
Agriculture using lots of investment but making little progress
Focus on quantity over quality
Gorbachev unable to alter fundamental problems - faced too much opposition within party
Tried to centralise resources and reduce waste with 'superministries' - unsuccessful
Implemented by priveledged who didn't want to give up power
Resistance from military - wanted all investment so other sectors suffered
Went into deficit to solve this - didn't work and just made Gorbachev look worse
4 - Economic Perestroika
Restructuring of the economy - more elements of private enterprise:
Encourgement of joint ventures, January 1987 - Foreign firms could establish business in USSR - Hoped it would make USSR more open to foreign technology
Law on State Enterprises, June 1987 - Loosening of state control over wages and production
Co-operatives were legalised in 1988 - Small-scale businesses established
5 - Impact of Perestroika
Food production increased a little but still not enough
Enterprises still subject to state intervention - state decided allocation of resources
Products diverted from state shops to co-operatives (where prices were higher) - caused inflation and impacted poor people
Poorer cities left devoid of adequate food and supplies
High profits meant corrupt officials demande bribes for permission to operate
Uncertainty led to hoarding - rationing introduced
Power to managers led to increase in wages
Bureasucracy made foreign investment a slow process
Reforms undermined by officials
The fall in price of oil had significant impact as was Russia's main export
Weakened system without providing a replacement
Gorbachev's failure undermined his political power
6 - State commission on Economic Reform
July 1989 - report commisoned saying a radical solution needed - a market-led economy
Split party - reformers in favour but conservatives not
500 days programme suggested - rejected by Soviet government, accepted by Russian Parliment
Division between Party Leadership and national republics caused chaos
Economy collapsed
3 - GORBACHEV'S ATTEMPTS TO REFORM THE PARTY
Defining the Functions of the Party and State
Gorbachev wanted to seperate party and state at 19th Conference
Lines between the two blurred due to nomenklatura
Officials had mirroring roles in each (including Gorbachev)
Shifting power from the Party to the Soviets
More finance allocated to Soviets to support them
Deputies of Soviets elected for 5 years - more security
Streamlining of the Party
Departments of Central Committee reduced from 20 to 9 - 6 new commisions created
November 1985 - 'superministries' created for economic planning
A clampdown on corruption
Attacks on corruption pleased public but angered party officials
E.g. - Khazakstan secretary replaced by Russian caused violent protests
Move towards democratisation and its impact
1987 - idea of secret ballots discussed
June 1987 - small experiment with multiple candidates in elections for local Soviets
19th Party Conference - multi-candidate elections extended to national level with elections for new Congress of People's Deputies - Party controlled process but step forward
Reforms criticsed for being small, but good intentions shown
5 - GROWTH OF NATIONALIST SENTIMENT WITHIN THE USSR
FACTORS ENCOURAGING NATIONALISM IN THE USSR
Environmental concerns - especially in outlying regions - soil erosion and industrial pollution
Insecurity of local Party leaders - Gorbachev's reforms threatened corrupt officials - lended support to popular local concerns to maintain position
Culture and language - Big range of peoples had strong sense of identity
Nagorno-Karabakh
Region in Azerbaijan republic largely populated by Armenians
Armenians wished to join Armenia
Unofficial referendum - in favour of joining Armenia
Armenia announced Nagorno-Karabakh now under its control
Violence meant Soviet government intervened - inflamed situation
Showed declining power of Soviet government over outlying regions
Other clashes - Georgia, Kirgizstan, Moldovia
Not a threat to USSR as a whole
THE BALTIC REPUBLICS
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania - independent before USSR took over in 1939
Higher levels of education - more cultural identity
More economically developed
Lots of nationalist feelings - posed big threat:
1988 - 'Sajudis' formed - turned into mass organisations campaigning for protection of cultural identity - demanded independence from USSR
1989 - anniversary of Nazi-Soviet Pact - big demonstration for independence
1990 - Popular Fronts won in elections - Announced independence from UUSR. Was illegal, direct challenge to Soviet government
Soviet government refused to acknoledge independence
Red Army attacked TV station in Vilinius - 13 deaths
Gorbachev denied giving orders to army to invade - called for independence through proper channels
Limits of Nationalism
Limited experience of independence - Apart from Baltic republics
Soviet Union had allowed a degree of autonomous control - accomodated some national wishes
Republics had been net gainers of Soviet economic investement
Loyalty to local and tribe groupings - stronger than nationalist sentiment
Ethnic Russians - populated the republics
March 1991 - referendum supported USSR in all countries but Georgia and Baltic republics
USSR could survive without them
The role of Russian Nationalism
Yeltsin encouraged Russian nationalism - Chairman of Russian Supreme Soviet
Not a mass movement - reserved for intelligensia
Used it to undermine Gorbachev
Opposed Gorbachev's Union Treaty
Interpretations of the role of nationalism within the USSR
Western historians often ignore individual republics
Most historians look at collapse of communism in Eastern Europe - however different to USSR and may not have been replicated
STATISTICS
1980s - alcohol 15% of household spending
1985-86 - deficit rose 2.4%-6.2% of GDP
Urban wages 1989 - rose by 13%
1984 - oil and gas 54% of exports
1980s - USSR made of 145 million Russians and 141 million non-Russians
Lithuania - 70% ethnic Lithuanians
60 million Russians lived in republics
HOW SIGNIFICANT WERE THE FAILURES OF GORBACHEV'S POLITICAL REFORMS?
1 - Glasnost and the need to reform the party
Apparatus of state was huge and unmanageable - wasteful, corrupt etc.
Relations between central planning and regions poor
Glasnost was opening up party to public for new ideas
2 - The impact of Glasnost
Became an open attack on the party:
Complaints about housing were popular
Investigations revealed details of Stalin's terror, the famine and the Katyn Massacre
WW2 shown as reckless waste of lives, not Great Patriotic War
Environmental issues - e.g. Aral Sea
Hard to stop glasnost - Gorbachev thought it essential due to Chernobyl
Poor response to Chernobyl led to more deaths and looked bad on Gorbachev
Soviet government more politicised - led to heavy criticisms of party and resignitions
4 - The impact of Gorbachev's failure to reform the party
- Failure of reforms led to reformers thinking pluralism was answer (multi-party state)
5 - the impact of unity of the Communist party
Increasing divisions within the Party - Failure to reform led to increasing divisions between liberals and conservatives - Gorbachev struggled to please both
Alienating reformers - Reformers felt Gorbachev was being too slow (e.g. Yeltsin)
Alienating conservatives - Stalinist sentiments supported by some in party
The development of factions - Impact of democratisation meant liberals and conservatives had chance to get public's support - Yeltsin formed Inter-Regional Group, conservatives formed Soyaz
The aboltion of Article 6 - This secured a monopoly of power for Communists - Gorbachev finally abolished it in March 1990 - conservatives hated this
By end of 1990, communist party powerless - lost elections to local and nationalist groups
Yeltsin resigned from party and led his own group
Gorbachev elected president of USSR - however power shifted from centre to regions
6 - interpretations of Gorbachev's failure to brig about political reform
Agreed that failure to reform damaged his authority - disagreement over whether he was servely weakened
Reforms seen as well-meaning, but unlikely to be a success
'Essentialist' historians - think Communist Party was impossible to reform
Some think his reforms were potentially workable
WHAT IMPACT DID THE. RESURGENCE OF NATIONALISM PLAY IN THE COLLAPSE OF THE USSR?
1 - The ending of the Brezhnev Doctrine
The USSR would intervene with military in republics with unrest - e.g. Czechoslovakia in 1968, Poland in 1980-81
Gorbachev informed leaders of communist regimes that he would not intervene (at Chernenko's funeral)
Supporting satellite states costly - Gorbachev wanted to use money for domestic reform
He believed using force was morally wrong - focused on human rights
Made up of 15 republics - different nationalities
2 - Consequences of ending the BD in Eastern Europe
Governments in Eastern Europe keen to reform
Nationalist pressure from public led to quick change
Governments resistant to reform couldn't survive - Gorbachev offered no help in suppressing
3 - Poland is the first to reform
Pressure from 'Solidarity' (independent worker's organisation) - government allowed other political groups in elections
Solidarity destroyed Communists in election - communist party collapsed
Gorbachev did nothing to intervene - encouraged it
4 - The Communist Collapse Spreads
HUNGARY
Pressure from within communist party - Janos Kadar (harline leader) sacked
Reformers in government allowed free elections
EAST GERMANY
An artificial region made after WW2 - most dependant on USSR
Gorbachev visited, encouraged reform
Lots of pressure from public - Berlin Wall collasped on 9th November 1989 symbolic end to repression
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
November 1989 - communists forced to make concessions after public demonstrations
Severe pressure - communists collapsed and new liberal President (Vaclav Havel)
ROMANIA
Lots of reasons - food shortages, no consumer goods, repressive governmet, lack of democracy
Support for communists collapsed - leader opened fire on demonstators decreased popularity
THE IMPACT OF THE COLLAPSE OF COMMUNIST REGIMES IN EE
Nationalism a big driving factor in driving reform
Where less people power, reformers in communist party brought change
Largely a peaceful process - except Romania and Yugoslavia (civil war)
End of 1989 - every pro-Soviet regime in Eastern Europe disintegrated
Gorbachev foreign policy encourged assertion of independence