EVIDENCE OF NEW OPENNESS IN USSR GLASNOST

Stalin Brezhnev and Cherenko unmasked as brutal oppressive murderers; only lenin remained sacrosanct. Conventional wisdom was overturned in the proceeding months, making existing soviet history books useless. The liberal press was allowed to grow within the USSR Ogonyuk, a popular current affairs magazine had a circulation of three million by Glasnost allowed for the first time facts to be presented.

IMPACT OF NEW OPENNESS LEADING TO CRITICISM GLASNOST

Khrushchev had previously criticised Stalin but only let out partial truths to help his own career. Since the liberal press was allowed to grow within USSR (e.g. Ogonyuk: popular current affairs magazine, which had a circulation of three million by 1990) the USSR's past was examined and the truth was revealed to the Soviet people. The liberal press turned attention to slowness in reform of Soviet system. By 1989 glasnost began to be used to criticise Gorbachev. The abolition of the Communist Party's leading role, the failure of perestroika and multi-party democracy were all openly discussed in Soviet media.

These were ideas which were undreamt of even a couple of years earlier A turning point for glasnost was the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in The Soviet authorities initially tried to cover up the catastrophe and remained silent for 48 hours. The silence was followed by complete honesty. After Chernobyl, environmental concerns became a favourite topic of liberal press. Turning Central Asia into a desert by diverting rivers to irrigate cotton plantations shocked the nation. People could not believe the incompetence of Communist Party planners. As the truth came out piece by piece, the Soviet people became angrier at Communist rulers.

In 1989 elections 88% of candidates were from the communist party however because of ‘openness’ prominent dissidents e.gt physicist Andrei Sakharov were also elected ‘Openness’ Led to free criticism of the privileges enjoyed by the party nomenklatura=400,000 lost Volga cars + chauffeurs 1988 Conservative party published a letter from lecturer Andreeva criticising the gorbachev reforms and praising stalins Gvt

NEW CHANGES IMPLEMENTED PERESTROI KA

Modernising Soviet system Attempts to discipline workforce with slogans calling for intensification and acceleration Curb production and sale of alcohol(this just forced it underground) Leased lend to farmers Private enterprises opened (even McDonalds) A cut in state spending, especially in military expenditure.

EXAMPLES OF FAILURES AND WHY PERESTROI KA

Anti-vodka campaign: it failed to improve workers' productivity and only fuelled the black market, with Gorbachev being titled the 'Mineral Water Secretary' Agroprom: failed to introduce a command economy - consumer goods did not become more available, instead they became scarcer, with queues for shops becoming longer and longer.

Failed because: There was no overall strategy surrounding the reforms They had to deceive conservatives due to fears they'd be stopped before the agenda 'took root' Results meant he faced calls for democracy and freedoms, while nationalists were gaining the upper hand Mark Almond: ‘a different approach by Gorbachev himself could have had significantly different results’ e.g. Chinese model