Mikhail Gorbachev: Changing the World

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, on his country, Eastern Europe, and the Western world. The paper will briefly discuss the periods of rule of previous Soviet leaders, Gorbachev’s ascension to power, and what he inherited upon his selection as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The paper will then discuss Gorbachev’s initial reform efforts, his economic “awakening,” and the development of restructuring (perestroika) and openness (glasnost) programs within the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Finally, the paper will conclude with the impact of Gorbachev’s decisions, including the loss of the Communist empire in Eastern Europe and the breakup of the Soviet Union. 

INTRODUCTION 

On December 31, 1991, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ceased to exist. A Communist empire that had taken over seventy years to build was destroyed in just over six years. The unanticipated end of the Cold War, the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union can be attributed to the actions of one man: Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev. 

For almost his entire political career, Gorbachev was a model member of the Communist Party. He believed in the ideas put forth by Vladimir Lenin and remained a convinced Communist until almost the very end of his rule. On taking office in 1985, Gorbachev’s most pressing problem was the depressed state of the Soviet economy. Economic conditions in the Soviet Union had been in a period of stagnation for over twenty years, and the entire system of central economic planning was in desperate need of reform. Gorbachev recognized this need and attempted some early reforms in the hope of stimulating economic growth. However, Gorbachev quickly realized that his initial reforms were not producing the desired results, and that substantial changes would need to be made to save the Soviet economy.