Download File

LAte ColdWar
Stagnation, Collapse and Rebirth
Stagnation
In the 1970s, the USSR entered a period of economic
stagnation that it would never escape.
The Soviets were forced to take loans from Western Europe
and import grain from the USA.
However, foreign trade and mild economic reforms were not
enough to overcome the inefficiencies of the Soviet
command economy, which remained technologically
backward and full of corruption.
Abandoning Detente
After the Cuban Missile Crisis, both the United States and
the USSR had pursued a policy of detente - a deescalation of
tensions.
This meant signing Nuclear Arms reduction treaties - SALT I
and SALT II - and a gradual opening to the West.
This ended in the 80s, when Reagan began to call the USSR
an ‘Evil Empire.’
Star Wars
Reagan increased US defense spending
on the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
known as ‘star wars.’
Although SDI was supposed to end the fear of nuclear war by
creating an umbrella of reliable missile defense, many political
analysts saw the “star wars” program as potentially destabilizing and
destructive of arms reduction treaties.
Worse, SDI could be interpreted as Reagan’s attempt to make
nuclear war “winnable”.
Political Tensions within
the USSR
Word of the day: “Gerontocracy” a form of oligarchical
rule in which an entity is ruled by leaders who are
significantly older than most of the adult population.
Major reforms of the stagnant command economy and
corrupt political structure were not possible as long as
the Brezhnev era old guard remained in control.
Brezhnev died in 1982, and the next two successors
were so old that they both died shortly after taking
office.
Political Tensions cont.
Mikhail Gorbachev, the youngest
member of the politburo was
comparatively young - 54 - when he
came to power.
He saw that the economy was in rough
shape and wanted to make some reforms
to ensure the survival of the Communist
system.
Glasnost and Perestroika
Gorbachev’s reforms followed two
fundamental principles:
Perestroika (restructuring) was an
economic reform policy involving
the decentralization of the economy.
Glasnost (openness) This policy
allowed more sensitive aspects of
Soviet history to be reconsidered and
discussed.
Perestroika: Restructuring
Perestroika involved a shift towards a more efficient
economy, but more than that, fundamental changes in social
relations and the political system.
This policy also allowed the Warsaw Pact nations greater
autonomy in their own financial affairs.
Perestroika was supposed to be a cure for the cynicism,
apathy, and corruption that plagued Soviet society and
politics.
Glasnost: Openness
For years, secrecy had been the cornerstone of the Soviet
State. Openly criticising the regime was seen as treason, and
was punished harshly
Glasnost allowed the history of the Soviet Union to be
reconsidered and discussed.
Further, in February of 1987 Gorbachev released many
political prisoners and called for the blank pages of Soviet
history to be filled in.
Consequences
As Gorbachev attempted to reform the
Soviet Union, there was resistance from
both sides.
The Hardline Communists resented the
increase in democratization that weakened
their power base.
Meanwhile, others complained that reforms
were proceeding too slowly. In October
1987, Boris Yeltsin expressed his protest by
resigning as a Politburo member and as the
Moscow Communist Party chief.
Boris Yeltsin
began to
promote
Russian
Nationalism
Economic or Social
Collapse?
The Soviet State, as mentioned before, was corrupt and
inefficient.
However, no reasonable observer at the time thought the
regime on the verge of collapse. The Soviet Union had
reserves of oil, gas and gold and looked capable of sustaining
itself.
Ultimately, it was not Gorbachev creating reforms from
above, but people demanding their rights out in the open for
the first time since Stalin.
Tensions in Eastern Europe
The political and economic reforms in the USSR
encouraged movements in other Warsaw Pact
nations to make similar demands.
In Poland, for example, a trade union called
‘Solidarity’ was allowed to put political candidates
against the communists for the first time.
Despite expectations, Solidarity won every seat.
This pattern was repeated across Eastern Europe,
and soon elected officials were pushing for
nationalist agendas instead of simply doing
whatever the Soviets wanted.