Eliminate economic enemy of “Family Members”:

Eliminate economic enemy of “Family Members”:

300 words or more

Discussion Subject: Here you will have the chance to share your impressions of the August Coup and the destruction of the Soviet Union.

Step-by-Step Directions

1.Watch this video: Collapse of the Soviet Union

  1. Read the lecture notes in this module
  2. In your first post, report on your impressions on what you learned and include your source website strings and pictures. Try to post your report by Friday evening. To post pictures, open up the edit ribbon to show 3 rows. Find the picture icon and click this. Follow the directions to post your picture.

LECTURE NOTES

Here you will find all of the lecture notes:

PERESTROIKA, GLASNOST, AND GORBACHEV

What I want you to know: Mikhail Gorbachev is remembered in Soviet history as the man that nailed the first nail in the coffin of Soviet Socialism. His ideas for reform for the Soviet Union’s economy and society were radical in the mid ‘80’s. He felt that he could somehow improve the Soviet Union and revive it’s ailing economy. He had no idea that what he started would end the Soviet Union instead of save it.

I. Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev

A. Born March 2, 1931 in Privolnye in Southern Russia

B. Became a Party Boss in the Stavropol krai and by 1985 had become General Secretary of the CPSU

C. 1986, influenced by Yuri Andropov’s attempts at reform, Gorbachev began his period of political openness (Glasnost’) and economic “Perestroika” (restructuring) intended to modernize the USSR and “democratization” of the Soviet Government

D. 1990: Awarded the Nobel Peace prize for his reform efforts.

E. 1991: Removed from office in the August Coup and replaced by Boris Yeltsin.

F. Today, Gorbachev gives many speeches worldwide and is very busy with humanitarian groups. He founded the Green Cross an international organization that is concerned about preserving the Earth’s environment. He still lives in Moscow.

G. Richard Nixon suggested that Gorbachev become Time’s “Man of the Century” said this of him:

“He has decided that he would risk his power in order to save his reforms, rather than risk his reforms to save his power.”

http://www.mikhailgorbachev.org

II. GLASNOST’

A. 1986 Gorbachev un-cuffed the press and no longer censored & punished journalists for openly criticizing the government, economy, political officials.

B. Dissidents were released from prison. Andrei Sakharov, a prominent Physicist who was arrested on the streets of Moscow and deported to Gorky for protesting the Soviet’s involvement in Afghanistan, was realeased in 1986.

C. Banned literature, art, music was legalized again. Solzhenitsen’s “A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich”, Akhamatova, Pasternak. Now the Soviets could again enjoy the fruits of their famous artists.

D. Peaceful protests were allowed in the streets. (Tatars in Red Square).

E. Religion became tolerated again and believers were no longer persecuted.

F. History, crimes, mistakes of the Government were revealed. (Stalin, nuclear testing, accidents) So much was being revealed that in 1988, the school history exams were canceled because the Soviet people were only then learning the “real” history.

G. Chernobyl accident became a watershed. Four days went by before the Soviets admitted to their neighbors that there had been an accident. After that, the Soviets came clean and kept the rest of the world informed about it.

The facts were coming out and the Soviets were demanding more and more. The press began openly printing, with names, negative information re: Govt. etc.

III. PERESTROIKA= “RESTRUCTURING” Gorbachev wanted to revive the sagging Soviet rate of industrial and agricultural output with a two-pronged approach:

  1. Psychological: needed to improve worker discipline.

a. Number one problem: Alcoholism Began a major crackdown on alcohol. The sale of alcohol was banned before 2. The number of outlets sharply curtailed.

b. Personally visited towns/factories urging people to work harder, warning that if they did not do better their country would suffer. Gorbachev appeared in remote areas where no Soviet leader or Tsar had ever visited.

  1. Economic Reform: Goal diminished role of administrative decision making.

a. Sharply curtailed role of GOSPLAN

b. Transferred economic decision making to the enterprise

-had to self-finance & make a profit a failure=bankruptcy

       -could choose what they would produce


       -could independently import/export without Ministry of Foreign Trade.


                 -For greater loyalty in the workplace, workers could now elect managers and foremen by secret ballot.


       -Small private business was allowed again.


       -Joint-ventures with right to have foreign ownership (49% max.). President and CEO had to be Soviet citizens.

Results:

Cooperatives, kiosks, open-markets boomed, services, foreign consumer-goods appeared.

        Ex: JV’s McDonalds & Pizza Hut

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