The Effects of the Perestroika Reforms on the Dissolution of the Soviet Union

One of the most significant events in the twentieth century was the dissolution of the United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) in 1991. The reason why this event was so significant was because it ended the tension between the Soviet Union and the United States of America, the Cold War, and the reign of one of the greatest world powers at the time. There were many reasons for the collapse, and it has been postulated that the Perestroika reforms had the most significant effect. The reforms, implemented by Mikael Gorbachev, were meant to address the dire financial and economic situation the country was facing as a result of the incompetent Stalin regime. Though these reforms were created with the best intentions, unfortunately they failed, eventually leading to great dissatisfaction with Gorbachev’s leadership. The Communist Party was so displeased with the performance of their leader that they staged a coup d’état to remove him from power (History.com). Thus, by the end of 1991, the Perestroika reforms directly lead to the dissolution of the Soviet Union due to the collapse of the economy, lack of infrastructure of modernization, and failure to move the communist party towards democracy. One of the largest goals of the reforms was to address the broken economy.

Once Gorbachev released and implemented his reforms, the economy of the Soviet Union was destroyed (Danks 5). For example, the alcohol ban, which was a law created to prevent the sales and production of liquors, caused profits to drop for many companies, causing unemployment and inflation (Danks 5). The ban had been created so the workforce would be more efficient and could help the economy grow, but it had the opposite effect by decreasing the number of jobs available and c...

... middle of paper ...

... the System. New Brunswick, N.J., U.S.A.: Transaction, 1989. Print.

Ilya Zemstov was a Russian political expert and professor who lives in the Soviet Union. He wrote countless books, including “Encyclopedia of Soviet Life,” “The Private Life of the Soviet Elite,” and “Chernenko: The Last Bolshevik: The Soviet Union on the Eve of Perestroika.” The other author, Professor John Hynes Farrar, is a professor in Corporate Governance and Commercial Law in the Business and Economics division at the University of Auckland. He wrote many articles on economics and reformation, including “Law Reform and the Law of Commission” and “Introduction to Legal Method.”

Their article includes information on the Perestroika modernization program, what exactly was reformed, and the Eastern European countries that became involved in the reformation, specifically regarding foreign policy.