The Collapse of the Soviet Union, 1985-1991

Description

The collapse of the Soviet experiment was one of the major turning points in twentieth century history. During the period of 'perestroika' the Soviet Union took the first steps to becoming a civil society and started to re-examine it's Stalinist past. This new text examines the Gorbachev years, asks why the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and offers a succinct and accessible interpretation of the remarkable events that led to the collapse.

Contents

INTRODUCTION
PART ONE: BACKGROUND
1. GORBACHEV COMES TO POWER
Political Overview
Glasnost
Social, Environmental, and Nuclear Power Issues
PART TWO: THE YEARS OF PERESTROIKA
2. THE ECONOMY AND FOREIGN POLICY
The Economy, 1985-90
Acceleration and Anti-Alcohol Campaigns
Coal Miners’ Strike
Economic Reform Programmes
Stagnation
The Pavlov Programme
Foreign Policy
Ideology and Propaganda
Arms Control
Architects of Soviet Foreign Policy
Eastern Europe
Ending the Cold War
3. THE NATIONAL QUESTION
The Submerged Dilemma
Nagorno-Katabakh
The Baltic States
Georgia, Ukraine, and Belarus
The Plenum on National Policy, September 1989
4. DOMESTIC POLITICS, 1989-MID-AUGUST 1991
The Congress of People’s Deputies and New Presidency
The 28th Party Congress and Aftermath
The Referendum of 17 March 1991
Toward a New Union Treaty
5. THE PUTSCH AND THE COLLAPSE OF THE USSR
The Putsch, 18-21 August 1991
Administrative Changes
The Failure of the Union Treaty
Yeltsin Consolidates His Power
The Belavezha Agreement
PART THREE: ASSESSMENT
6. WHY DID THE SOVIET UNION COLLAPSE?
PART FOUR: DOCUMENTS
Chronology
Glossary
Who’s Who
Guide to Further Reading

Features

• Re-examines the Gorbachev years and focuses on several specific premises, including the Chernobyl accident and the reduction of military force, to offer a new interpretation of events.
• Contains very recently released Russian documents - provides previously unavailable evidence for analysis and discussion.