From Gorbachev to Yeltsin: how Putin's beloved Soviet Union fell apart

[jw5]

A historic date​

Moscow, 25 December 1991: the red flag with the hammer and sickle no longer flies on the highest flagpole in the Kremlin. Instead, Russia's white, blue, and red plag is hoisted up in its place, the tricolor flag that dates back to the era of the tsars.

 

[jw5]

The dissolution of the USSR​

Mikhail Sergeevič Gorbačëv, or in English Mikhail Gorbachev, had just resigned as president of the Soviet Union.

 

[jw5]

The end of an era​

Almost too quietly, one of the protagonists of the twentieth century drops the curtain on 70 years of history, without the clamor of solemn ceremonies nor crowds gathered to witness it.

 

[jw5]

The resignation speech​

Gorbachev resigned as president with a TV speech lasting just over ten minutes, in which he explained: "The old system collapsed before the new one started to work, and the social crisis became even more acute..... I'd like to stress: radical changes in such a vast country, and a country with such heritage, cannot pass painlessly without difficulties and shake-up."

 

[jw5]

The formal dissolution​

On December 26, 1991, his successor, Boris Yeltsin, formally dissolved the USSR, a regime which, before the last agitated years of Russian history, seemed to be solid, immutable and eternal.
In the photo: Gorbachev follows Yeltsin's speech on TV

 

[jw5]

The end of an empire but without military defeat​

For the first time in human history, an empire of this size ceased to exist and not because it was defeated on the battlefield.

 

[syed putra]

View attachment 137934

The end of an empire but without military defeat​

For the first time in human history, an empire of this size ceased to exist and not because it was defeated on the battlefield.

In trying to keep up with US in the arms race it bankrupt the country. Plus US went into hyper with silicon chips. Soviet had none of that.

 

[LordElrond]

Vladimir Putin will reunite the great USSR

 

[jw5]

Gorbachev's rise to power​

Gorbachev came to power in 1985, when the USSR was going through a challenging period: The price of oil had dropped dramatically, military spending on the arms race with the United States, and the war in Afghanistan was excessive, and consumer goods were starting to run out.

 

[jw5]

The need for reform​

Gorbachev understood immediately that the country's economy needed radical reform to regain dynamism: the Soviet system, under the weight of international competitors and the inefficiency of the bureaucratic machine, had to change.

 

[jw5]

The Congress of the CPSU​

In a speech at the 27th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in February 1986, Gorbachev made a ruthless analysis of the country's political, economic, technological, and moral degradation. "What the USSR needs today," said Gorbachev, is the "radical renewal of the mentality of everyone, from the simple worker to the minister, and the improvement of the style of work in general."

 

[LordElrond]

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The need for reform​

Gorbachev understood immediately that the country's economy needed radical reform to regain dynamism: the Soviet system, under the weight of international competitors and the inefficiency of the bureaucratic machine, had to change.

He wanted to reform… but the USSR ended up deformed

 

[jw5]

Perestroika, Glanost and Uskoreniye​

Gorbachev wants to face this challenge with three weapons: perestroika ("restructuring"), glasnost ("transparency"), and Uskoreniye ("acceleration").

 

[jw5]

What is Perestroika for Gorbachev?​

In the book "Perestroika" Gorbachev writes:
"It is the development of democracy, socialist self-government, the encouragement of initiative and creative activity, ... greater glasnost, criticism, and self-criticism in all spheres of our society. "

 

[jw5]

The essence of Perestroika​

And again: "The final result of perestroika is a total renewal of every aspect of Soviet life."

 

[jw5]

The renewal​

What did the renewal advocated by Gorbachev include? First of all, the privatization of many state economic sectors, freedom of information, and reduced military and political control over the satellite countries. Last but not least, the signing of treaties with the United States for the disarmament of missiles.

 

[jw5]

Disarmament​

Military competition with the United States was no longer economically sustainable for the USSR. Gorbachev resumed dialogue with his counterpart, and in 1987 agreements were signed with the United States to reduce military arsenals.

 

[jw5]

Reticences and obstacles​

However, while applauded abroad, Gorbachev's reformism encountered reticence and obstacles at home, both among the conservatives of his party and among the progressives. In the country, there were moments of crisis and tension.

 

[jw5]

The failure of Perestroika​

Economic, political, and institutional changes and the policy of détente with the West fail to achieve the desired results.

 

[jw5]

The political conflict was getting tough​

Faced with a shortage of consumer goods, rising prices, rampant corruption, and social unrest, the political conflict became even more bitter.