1. Gorbachev’s aims and policies
By: Riki & Francis

2. Glasnost- “openness”
.sought to ease the strict social controls imposed by the government and be more transparent in dealings
.Its goals were to include more people in the political process through freedom of expression.
Gorbachev gave decreased censoring to the media, arts, and religious groups
Citizens were allowed to express divergent views
The Soviet people were also able to learn about the corrupt actions of former leader Joseph Stalin.

3. Perestroika “Restructuring”
Perestroika, his restructuring concept, started with an overhaul of the top members of the Communist Party
Also focused on economic issues; replaced the centralized government planning that had been a hallmark of the Soviet system
Greater reliance on market forces
contested elections were introduced to reflect the democratic practices of Western society and allow citizens to have a slight say in government

4. Reforms and results
By 1988, Gorbachev had expanded his reforms to include democratization, moving the USSR toward an elected form of government.
These policies were in effect from 1985 to 1991, when Boris Yeltsin became Russia’s first popularly elected president.
He then formed the Commonwealth of Independent States
Reconstructing the organization of the Soviet Union proved difficult, and eventually impossible
The reforms led to a fall of Communist Russia

5. Chernobyl
Chernobyl was a catalyst that forced the government into an unprecedented show of openness that paved the way for reforms leading to the Soviet collapse
Gorbachev himself waited some three weeks before publicly commenting. He denies a cover up, insisting authorities simply didn’t know what was happening
The emboldened Soviet media began probing other areas, exposing Stalinist crimes, economic inefficiency and other troubles.
It became known as “glasnost” or openness, and exposed officialdom to widespread contempt from its own people.