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Russia, 1917–91: From Lenin to Yeltsin

Gorbachev's failure to reform party and government

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 1

Overview

Recall questions on perestroika and glasnost, the contested elections of 1989, the repeal of Article 6, and why the party obstructed him.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What was perestroika?

Key term

What was glasnost?

Who and when

Why did the party resist Gorbachev's reforms?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What was perestroika?

    Model answer

    'Restructuring' — Gorbachev's attempt to reform and modernise the command economy.

  2. 2

    What did the Law on State Enterprise of 1987 do?

    Model answer

    It let enterprises sell output beyond state orders and made them cover their own costs, though ministries kept most real control.

  3. 3

    What was glasnost?

    Model answer

    Openness in public life: relaxation of censorship, publication of banned works, honest discussion of Stalinism, and reporting of accidents, crime and shortages.

  4. 4

    Why did glasnost prove so destabilising?

    Model answer

    It allowed criticism of the party's whole record, gave nationalists and reformers a public voice, and destroyed the ideological claim on which party rule rested.

  5. 5

    What political reforms did Gorbachev introduce?

    Model answer

    Contested elections to a new Congress of People's Deputies in 1989, and in 1990 the removal of Article 6 guaranteeing the party's monopoly of power.

  6. 6

    Why did Gorbachev's economic reforms fail?

    Model answer

    They dismantled planning without creating a market, so supply chains broke down, shortages worsened, inflation appeared and living standards fell sharply.

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