Soviet Union Reforms Under Gorbachev

Reforms in the Soviet Union

• Mikhail Gorbachev became General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1985 and introduced reforms to keep the USSR competitive with the West.
• Reforms aimed to democratize and reform the Soviet Union, but led to unintended consequences.

East European Countries and Soviet Control

• Protests broke out in East European countries, which were part of the Soviet bloc, against their governments and Soviet control.
• Unlike in the past, the Soviet Union, under Gorbachev, did not intervene, leading to the collapse of communist regimes.

Crisis within the USSR

• Gorbachev's reforms were opposed by Communist Party hardliners, leading to a coup attempt in 1991.
• Boris Yeltsin emerged as a national hero, opposing the coup and winning a popular election in the Russian Republic.

Shift in Power

• Power began to shift from the Soviet centre to the republics, especially in the more Europeanised part of the Soviet Union.
• The Russian Republic, led by Yeltsin, began to shake off centralized control.

Disintegration of the USSR

• In December 1991, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus declared the Soviet Union disbanded.
• The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was banned, and capitalism and democracy were adopted.
• The declaration led to the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Aftermath

• Central Asian republics were initially excluded from the CIS, but were quickly made founding members.
• Russia was accepted as the successor state of the Soviet Union.
• Russia inherited the Soviet seat in the UN Security Council and international treaties and commitments.

Mikhail Gorbachev's Reforms

• In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
• Gorbachev sought to reform the Soviet system to keep up with the information and technological revolutions in the West.

Fall of Soviet Control

• The people in East European countries, under Soviet control, began to protest against their governments and Soviet control.
• Unlike in the past, the Soviet Union, under Gorbachev, did not intervene in these disturbances, leading to the collapse of communist regimes.

Reforms and Crisis

• Gorbachev initiated economic and political reform and democratization within the Soviet Union.
• The reforms were opposed by Communist Party leaders, leading to a coup in 1991.
• The people, who had tasted freedom, opposed the old-style rule of the Communist Party.

Rise of Boris Yeltsin

• Boris Yeltsin emerged as a national hero in opposing the 1991 coup.
• Yeltsin won a popular election in the Russian Republic, leading to a shift of power from the Soviet center to the republics.

Dissolution of the Soviet Union

• In December 1991, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus declared the Soviet Union disbanded.
• The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was banned, and capitalism and democracy were adopted as the bases for the post-Soviet republics.

Formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States

• The declaration on the disintegration of the USSR and the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) came as a surprise to the other republics.
• The Central Asian republics, initially excluded, were made founding members of the CIS.

Russia as the Successor State

• Russia was accepted as the successor state of the Soviet Union.
• Russia inherited the Soviet seat in the UN Security Council and accepted international treaties and commitments.
• Russia became the only nuclear state in the post-Soviet space and carried out nuclear disarmament measures with the US.

Learn about Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms in the Soviet Union, including democratization and normalization of relations with the West.