Perestroika and Glasnost
Notes:
- The term was interpreted in the west as “openness”
- This policy shocked both his people and the west
- For the first time since the Tsars a leader encouraged open debate about the country
- The results were:
- Less censorship
- A change of view of Soviet history
- Andrei Sakharov was freed from exile (developed the hydrogen bomb in Russia)
- Stalin was denounced
- Gorbachev announced socialism still hadn’t arrived
- Gorbachev published a book with this title, which means “restructuring” it included:
- Denouncing Stalin
- Notion of one ideology one party
- Admitted that Hungary, 1956 and Czechoslovakia, 1968 were mistakes
- That he wanted to return to détente
- He wanted reform
- Gorbachev published a book with this title, which means “restructuring” it included:
SUMMARY :
Along with Reganomics this is arguably the cause of the fall of communism. Free speech and debate was given to the people of Russia. Russian leader wanted to return to peace because of Reganomics. Berlin Wall comes down because of this as well.
Quotes:
A society should never become like a pond with stagnant water, without movement. That's the most important thing.
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev