What was Gorbachev's strategy in instituting glasnost? What was he trying to do?

Answer 1

He was trying to get rid of all the corruption in the government and ease into Market reforms such as private enterprise and freedom of the press

Answer 2

All of the outlying countries of eastern Europe were being brutally subjugated while the people of Russia were experiencing more freedoms. Gorbechev instituted glasnost in hopes to apease these outlying countries and bring more stability. The outlying countries were given an inche and so they took a mile away from the brutality of the USSR. There were significantly more protests and ultimately the destruction of the Berlin wall and many statues of Lenin. The Generals of the Soviet military were outraged that their leader could do something like this and so they staged a coup. The Soviet Generals and KGB thought that they could keep the USSR intact. The coup failed and then the rest of the USSR followed. Thank God Ronald Regan increased his pressure on the USSR because the cold war would still be waged today if he hadn't.

Answer 3

Back in 1968, the Czechs tried to implement "Communism with a human face". They wanted to reduce the rampant corruption and inefficiencies of the top-heavy, bureaucratic Communist system. As a reward, the Soviets sent tanks into Czechoslovakia to crush any such hopes.

All the Czechs were attempting to do was allow private enterprise where it made sense, namely those areas where the monolithic bureaucracy was completely incompetent and inefficient.

Gorbachev was no dummy. He realized the Soviet Union was going to economically and socially implode if some reforms weren't made. Therefore, he was willing to allow the reforms that had already been proposed earlier by the Hungarians and the Czechs. I once read a comment made by a top Soviet official in response to the supposition that, even if Ronald Reagan had not engineered the collapse and disintegration of the Soviet empire, it would have happened on its own. This Soviet official vehemently disagreed. He said something like "If there were inherent structural flaws in the Soviet led economy, they were deficiencies we had long learned to live with". Translation: it didn't matter how pathetic things got. It didn't matter that the cities were crumbling from neglect. The Soviets had learned to live with this. It was just their way of life. He had no doubts that the Soviet Union was not only going strong, but, just before Reagan entered office, had recently gained so much territory around the globe, from Central America to Africa, that they were poised for a huge surge ahead.

Then came Reagan, end of story.

Some people propose that Gorbachev willingly engineered the collapse of the Soviet Union. These are crazy revisionists. If Gorbachev had done what these loony people suggest, he would have been hanged for treason. Gorbachev was trying to PRESERVE the Soviet Union, not dismantle it. However, Reagan cleverly manipulated Gorbachev. Gorbachev sought an end to the arms race which was crippling his economy. His sole interest was finding some accomodation with Reagan so that the Soviets could substantially reduce their military budget. Gorbachev had calculated that the USSR would be financially crippled if it had to continue on the same path. Reagan cleverly took advantage of Gorbachev's single-mindedness. To paraphrase Gorbachev's words, "Reagan took him to the edge of a precipice, and then induced him to take one step further."

Here is what happened: Gorbachev was single-mindedly focuses on getting concessions from Reagan to reduce the arms race. This would save the Soviet economy. However, Reagan defiantly refused to, in his own words, "feed the bear". Gorbachev had taken reforms so far by then that they could not be reversed !!! Hence, the Soviet Empire collapsed from a general consensus that continuing was fruitless. They had insufficient resources and money to compete anymore.

So, the next time you hear someone lauding Gorbachev for engineering the peaceful transition of the USSR away from Communism, you will realize they don't have any idea what they are talking about. Gorbachev wanted to save the USSR. What these history revisionists suggest would amount to Gorbachev being the biggest traitor in Soviet history. It was not his intention to dismantle the USSR. Reagan simply played a political chess game with him and left him with no pieces to play with.

Answer 4

Gorby was trying to get the US and the west to prop up the sinking state of Communism in the Soviet Union. Fortunately Reagan saw through that ruse and despite the hysteria of the American and international left he engaged in policies that brought down that evil empire.

Answer 5

Gorbachev was trying to make government more accessible and more accountable to the people it served.

Answer 6

His goal was to reform the economic system & prevent the colapse of the country. He partially acheived the 1st but totally failed at the 2nd.

Answer 7

Well nobody is perfect. BTW who is this?