Fundamental change in Russian history ahs often come in short, intensive spurts, which contrast vividly with long periods of immobility -- transformation era of Mikhail Gorbachev The Soviet Communist part elite seemed secure in the early 1980s as Union’s far as any challenge from below was concerned the long-established system of administrative controls continued to stretch downward from the central ministries and state committees to provincial cities, and from there to factories, neighborhoods, and villages (massive state bureaucracy) The system safeguarded the elite, but it promoted apathy in the masse sand after Brezhnev died in 1982, his successor, the long-time chief of the secret police, Yuri Andropov tried to invigorate the system (little came of these efforts but combined) With a worsening economic situation, it set the stage for the emergence in 19895 of Mikhail Gorbachev, the most vigorous Soviet leader in a generation Gorbachev believed in communism but he realized it was failing to keep up with Western capitalism and technology and this was eroding the Soviet status as a superpower Union’s Gorbachev wanted to save the Soviet system by revitalizing it with fundamental reforms Gorbachev was also an idealist and wanted improve conditions for ordinary citizens Understanding that the endless waste and expense of the cold war arms race had had a disastrous impact on living conditions in the Soviet Union, he realized that improvement in Russia required better relations with the West and such countries as the United States Gorbachev first attacked corruption and incompetence in the bureaucracy and he consolidated his power; he also attacked alcoholism and elaborated his reform program
Fundamental change in Russian history ahs often come in short, intensive spurts, which contrast vividly with long periods of immobility -- transformation era of Mikhail Gorbachev The Soviet Union’s Communist part elite seemed secure in the early 1980s as far as any challenge from below was concerned the long-established system of administrative controls continued to stretch downward from the central ministries and state committees to provincial cities, and from there to factories, neighborhoods, and villages (massive state bureaucracy) The system safeguarded the elite, but it promoted apathy in the masse sand after Brezhnev died in 1982, his successor, the long-time chief of the secret police, Yuri Andropov tried to invigorate the system (little came of these efforts but combined) With a worsening economic situation, it set the stage for the emergence in 19895 of Mikhail Gorbachev, the most vigorous Soviet leader in a generation Gorbachev believed in communism but he realized it was failing to keep up with Western capitalism and technology and this was eroding the Soviet Union’s status as a superpower Gorbachev wanted to save the Soviet system by revitalizing it with fundamental reforms Gorbachev was also an idealist and wanted improve conditions for ordinary citizens Understanding that the endless waste and expense of the cold war arms race had had a disastrous impact on living conditions in the Soviet Union, he realized that improvement in Russia required better relations with the West and such countries as the United States Gorbachev first attacked corruption and incompetence in the bureaucracy and he consolidated his power; he also attacked alcoholism and elaborated his reform program