Gorbachev most certainly did undertake policies that were not half measures, and for which he did all in his power as a government official to implement systemic, nationwide (and international) change. The degree of efficaciousness of these measures and their results, however, is somewhat dubious. An excellent example of a measure implemented by the General Secretary that no one can claim was done in a halfhearted attempt was the Soviet Union's prohibition of alcohol consumption, selling and purchasing. Alcoholism had long been a problem in the Soviet Union by the time Gorbachev became its leader, and prohibition was an earnest effort on his part to address and even correct this seriously debilitating issue. However, the most long-range result of this measure was the rise of Russian mafia and the underground market that this law produced. Although he made a noble effort, Gorbachev did not succeed in curing the Soviet Union of this particular ill.
Another measure that he made quite an attempt to introduce to the Soviet Union was glasnost, which was designed to remove all of the problems of the degree of secrecy and internal fear that had gripped Soviet Union citizens for decades. With free speech and freedom to express one's thoughts now a reality in the Soviet Union, people were also free to travel internationally and exercise a whole host of civil liberties that were not previously available. The problem, however, was that soon after glasnost was introduced, it was exercised by people such as Yevtushenko to criticize the state. Radical papers sprouted up, and their decrying of Gorbachev and his half-way measures did not help in assisting the sustenance of the Soviet Union. Again, the ultimate good produced by this measure is somewhat suspect, since it was used against its very creators.
The dichotomy that characterized the majority of Gorbachev's efforts to please both partisans in the Soviet Union is the predominant theme...
He was "a man of crown" as O. Poptsov said about him. He used peoples' interests and gained great authority, he was popular and moved society to resist the coup. That was not difficult - people blamed Communists for bad life and in every bad thing in the state, so, "Yeltsin had a great support and managed strengthening his power" (Gorbachev, M. Shriver, G. (translator) Gorbachev p. 121). But
Bibliography Wren, Thomas J. (1995): The Leaders Companion: Insights on Leadership Throughout the Ages. New York: The Free Press. Valenta, Jiri, and William C. Potter. (1984): Soviet Decision Making for National Security. London: George Allen & Unwin. Timothy J. Colton, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (2007) "Mikhail Gorbachev," Retrieved on October 30th 2007 from Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007 Website: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761552563/Gorbachev_Mikhail_Sergeyevich.html Major David J. Pyle, (1989) "Gorbachev the Leader," Retrieved on October 30th 2007 from GlobalSecurity.org
Mikhail Gorbachev faced as leader of the Soviet Union, both domestically and internationally. What were his main economic, political, and foreign policies, and how well did they work? Gorbachev was the leader of the former Soviet Union in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was the final head of state in the Soviet Union; his term lasted until the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. In 1991. He was a member
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