How Did Gorbachev Affect The Economy
In 1985, immediately following Konstantin Chernenko’s death, Mikhail Gorbachev was elected as General Secretary of the Soviet Union. Before Gorbachev assumed power, the Soviet Union was Communist in name, however it did not emulate Communist values. Citizens were strictly controlled, as what they read, watched and said was monitored. Citizens were monitored even more about what they can see about their government and country, in order to prevent rebellion or resistance. As Gorbachev began his rule, he recognized that reforms were clearly necessary. Gorbachev introduced many new ideas and guidelines for the Soviet Union, some which hurt the USSR and some that strengthened it. Although Gorbachev’s policies and values weakened the economy it
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To be fair, Gorbachev did not come into power with the greatest economic conditions, however his values worsened it. One of Gorbachev’s fundamental values when he came into power was to revitalize the Soviet economy. A main flaw of Gorbachev’s economic reform was his obsession with the machine tool industry. He believed that in order to maintain a strong economy the Soviet Union needed to maintain a heavy emphasis on this industry. While focusing primarily on the machine tool industry, Gorbachev devoted little attention to consumer goods. There were persistent shortages of basic products such as sausages, salt, soap, sugar, notebooks, and most importantly bread. Many people were concerned that Gorbachev and the government were wasting valuable resources in the machine tool industry. Gorbachev understood this flaw and attempted to continue his emphasis in this industry but to utilize raw materials more effectively. He gave factory managers more decision making powers, allowing them fire workers and redistribute wage savings. Additionally, he realigned powers of ministries and committees in order to handle the problem more efficiently. No matter how Gorbachev tried to limit the flaws of his fetish on the machine tool industry, the economy could improve because of his fundamental obsession in the first
To be fair, Gorbachev did not come into power with the greatest economic conditions, however his values worsened it. One of Gorbachev’s fundamental values when he came into power was to revitalize the Soviet economy. A main flaw of Gorbachev’s economic reform was his obsession with the machine tool industry. He believed that in order to maintain a strong economy the Soviet Union needed to maintain a heavy emphasis on this industry. While focusing primarily on the machine tool industry, Gorbachev devoted little attention to consumer goods. There were persistent shortages of basic products such as sausages, salt, soap, sugar, notebooks, and most importantly bread. Many people were concerned that Gorbachev and the government were wasting valuable resources in the machine tool industry. Gorbachev understood this flaw and attempted to continue his emphasis in this industry but to utilize raw materials more effectively. He gave factory managers more decision making powers, allowing them fire workers and redistribute wage savings. Additionally, he realigned powers of ministries and committees in order to handle the problem more efficiently. No matter how Gorbachev tried to limit the flaws of his fetish on the machine tool industry, the economy could improve because of his fundamental obsession in the first