To what extent was Gorbachev responsible for the collapse of USSR in 1991

• Номер работы:
  314600
• Раздел:
  Все работы   →   Эссе   →   Английский язык
• Год подготовки:
  07.11.2014
• Объем работы:
  11 стр.
• Содержание:
  Table of content
  
  Introduction 3
  1. The problems in Russia before Gorbachev came into power 4
  2. Reforms, economy and inner policy of Gorbachev 6
  3. The 1991 Soviet August Coup 8
  Analysis 10
  Conclusion 11
  Bibliography 12
  
• Выдержка из работы:
  Introduction
  
  
  In the history of the 20th century, the figure of Mikhail Gorbachev is one of the most important. He stands alongside Vladimir Lenin, who set the entire course of the 20th century in motion, and Joseph Stalin, who was largely responsible for the Cold War. The late 1980s were a period of change, reform and eventually demise within the Soviet Union. These po-litical and economic reforms were spearheaded by Mikhail Gorbachev, who became General Secretary in 1985 and used his position to enact a se-ries of humanitarian, democratic reforms aimed at improving the com-munist system from within. Gorbachev"s policies of Perestroika, Glasnost and his Foreign policies brought him a huge reputation outside the Soviet Union. The West perceived him as liberator and a progressive leader. How-ever, within the USSR the standard of living fell dramatically together with the economy and under his rule the USSR finally collapsed.
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  1. The problems in Russia before Gorbachev came into power
  
  Conditions in the Soviet Union prior to 1985 had steadily declined, especially in terms of the economy. Under the leadership of Leonid Brezh-nev, the economy stalled and eventually fell into decline. Brezhnev"s eco-nomic policies were based on the basic Stalinist principles of "state owner-ship of land and non-agricultural capital, collectivized farming, centralized planning of most production and intermediate consumption, and state pro-vision of housing and basic amenities." These principles initially fostered a growing economy but as Brezhnev"s reign wore on, the emphasis on mili-tary spending and the lack of production of consumer goods crippled the economy; there was simply not enough capital or resources to support the type of economy that the government desired.
  
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  Bibliography
  Freeze, Gregory L. "Russia - A History" Oxford University Press, Oxford 1997, 2002
  Oxley, Peter. "Russia 1855-1991 - From Tsars to Commissars" Ox-ford University Press, Oxford 2001
  Plato, Alexander von. "Die Wiedervereinigung Deutschlands - Ein weltpolitisches Machtspiel", 2nd reviewed Edition. Christoph Links Ver-lag, Berlin 2002
  
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