How Did Gorbachev Change The Soviet Union

The Russian Revolution in 1917, led by Vladimir Lenin, created the first Communist state. In a part of the world traditionally divided by ethnicity, Lenin consolidated his power under the ideology of Communism in order to unite the different ethnicities of the region. In order to prevent ethnic unrest, Lenin created a federalist system, where the twelve ethnic republics within the Soviet Union were put under the rule of the central Soviet structure, but were able to maintain resemblance of their ethnic identities. By the end of World War II, the Soviet Union became a superpower; but by 1975, with its population growth stagnating, and with its ninth five-year plan not hitting its economic goals, it was clear that the Soviet system was fundamentally flawed.

American President Ronald Reagan ordered a massive defense buildup in allied countries around the Soviet Union, and enacted policies that put enormous pressure on the already struggling Soviet economy, forcing the Soviet leadership to stretch its economic capacity beyond its means.

Gorbachev did not want to change the Soviet System. Instead, he believed minor reforms could alleviate the problems facing the economy. But because of the corruption and lies inherit to Communism, Gorbachev was unaware of what was truly wrong with the economy. The only way to find out was take away the curtain of repression that hung over the Soviet Union since the October revolution. Prior to Gorbachev’s rule, many industries lied about their production rates to give the government the allusion they were meeting their mandatory production quotas. In 1986, Gorbachev called for glasnost to stop this dishonesty and discover the underlying problems surrounding the Soviet economy. He arranged meetings to hear public opinion and debate over social problems, and appointed liberal editors to public newspapers ensuring honest news