Glasnost and Perestroika

GLASNOST AND PERESTROIKA. The momentous changes that took place in the Soviet Union under the
leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev are usually described by two Russian words: glasnost and perestroika.
Glasnost, or "openness," refers to the dramatic enlargement of individual freedom of expression in the
political and social aspects of Eastern European life. Perestroika is usually translated as "restructuring,".
Although perestroika and glasnost are closely identified with Gorbachev, the need for drastic economic
reforms had been recognized by a predecessor, Yuri Andropov, who took office in 1982. The economy of the
Soviet Union was already declining to Third World status, in spite of its military might. Andropov sought
advice from his best economists and sociologists. Andropov died suddenly in February 1984. His successor,
Konstantin Chernenko, was too old and ineffective to make any significant changes. When he died the next
year, Gorbachev became general secretary of the Communist party.
The Perestroika Challenge
Mikhail Gorbachev brought a fresh, more expansive style to the Kremlin. With express support for the
economic reorganization initiated by Andropov, he introduced the concept of perestroika in April 1985. He
intended it to be a program of moderate and controlled reform that would revitalize the economy, while
keeping central planning and the leading role of the Communist party.
In the years that followed, serious obstacles to perestroika became apparent. A population that had been
tyrannized for decades had little work initiative, nor was it disposed to believe its government's new promises.
The huge Soviet bureaucracy was vehemently opposed to giving up its privileged status. The Communist old
guard wanted no changes at all that would undermine its hold on status, privilege, and wealth. To undermine
this resistance Gorbachev brought forward a new policy, called glasnost, in late 1986. Among the unexpected
results of these policies was the downfall of the Communist system in Eastern Europe.
The Glasnost Explosion
As with perestroika, the early stages of glasnost were meant to be limited in scope. Soviet society would be
open to criticism by its intellectuals artists, scientists, writers, and others. Gorbachev believed that by
informing the Soviet people about the true conditions of their society and its economic failures he would win
their support for perestroika.
The fresh breezes of glasnost turned into a hurricane in 1989 one of the most remarkable years of change in
modern history. The crimes and hardships of the Stalin decades were spoken of openly. Marxism−Leninism,
the dogmatic foundation of the Soviet system, came under attack. Every failure of the system was scrutinized
and publicly criticized. No one was safe from the criticism not the Communist party, not even Gorbachev.
The Soviet economic decay prompted Gorbachev to modify the Cold War policies of his predecessors.
Relations with the United States rapidly improved. Beginning late in 1985 Gorbachev began a series of annual
summit meetings with President Ronald Reagan. The meetings continued with Reagan's successor, George
Bush. Arms reductions agreements were signed, and discussions were initiated to reduce conventional forces
and nuclear stockpiles. The Soviet Union ended its ten−year military involvement in Afghanistan by
withdrawing its troops in 1988−89. Around the world, Gorbachev was hailed as a dynamic leader, whose bold
initiatives were quickly diminishing the threat of nuclear war.
In the Soviet Union's Eastern European satellites, too, Gorbachev was highly regarded by populations that had
endured 40 years of privation and repression under Communism. The concepts of glasnost and perestroika
quickly spread into these countries.
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Early in 1989 Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski, head of Poland's Communist party, called for fundamental changes
to rescue the economy. Within a few months the Solidarity union had been legalized. In a June election the
union won most of the seats in the parliament. In July Jaruzelski moved into the newly created post of
president. By August Solidarity member Tadeusz Mazowiecki had become prime minister. Communist rule in
Poland was over.
By 1989 Hungary also became a multiparty nation. Thousands of East Germans began using Hungary as an
escape route to West Germany.
By October the revolution was under way in East Germany. Huge protest marches against the government
began in Leipzig and quickly spread. Erich Honecker, the country's leader since 1971, was forced out of
office. His successor, Egon Krenz, ordered the opening of the Berlin Wall on November 9, allowing East
Germans to cross freely into the West. This event symbolized the end of both the Iron Curtain and the Cold
War.
Before 1989 was over there were new governments in Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania. Only in
Romania was the revolution violent, ending with the executions of the hated dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and
his wife. The two Germanys reunified in October 1990. All across Europe Communism was rejected as an
economic system.
There were repercussions in the Soviet Union itself. The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania,
captured by Stalin in World War II, demanded independence; and secession movements erupted in the other
republics as well. An attempt to turn back the clock was made in August 1991 when Communist party
hard−liners deposed Gorbachev. Massive resistance to the coup restored Gorbachev to power but also led to
the destruction of the central controls that had held the Soviet Union together. The Communist party was
suspended and its property and funds taken over by individual republics. The Baltic states were granted
independence. The Soviet Union itself dissolved, and political power was transferred to the leaders of the
republics. With the exception of Georgia, the remaining 11 former Soviet republics formed the
Commonwealth of Independent States.
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