Abstract This paper examines the era of the Cold War and in particular, the role played by MikhailGorbachev in influencing the course of historical events in the 1980s. The thesis is argued that Gorbachev initiated the processes that brought about the end of the Cold War not so much in response to international conditions so much as to the domestic situation in the Soviet Union - both economic and political. It also argues that he realized that immediate steps to reform were required if the Soviet Union were to meet the challenges of a new era.
Outline:
Introduction
The Soviet Union Before Gorbachev The Domestic Climate of the USSR
Gorbachev's "New Thinking" and the End of the Cold War
Riding the Dragon of Reform
Conclusion
From the Paper "While it is undeniable that Mikhail Gorbachev is the single most important Soviet figure during the 1980s, and arguably the personality most responsible for the end of the Cold War, his rise to power in the Soviet system represents a fascinating problem for students of Soviet history. Indeed, several years after Gorbachev had come to power George Kennan - the U.S. diplomat who had played a key role in the development of the "containment strategy" in the 1940s - was asked in a television interview how so unconventional a figure could have risen to the top of the Soviet system that had - during the long Brezhnev era - being characterized as moribund and extremely conservative. Kennan's response is illuminating: "I really cannot explain it." "
Abstract The paper examines whether Russia, which had made significant progress towards democracy under Gorbachev, is slowly being led back to an authoritarian-like rule by Putin or whether Putin is hamstrung by his predecessor, Yeltsin. The author believes that Gorbachev made exemplary strides in taking Russia on the path of democracy. His successors' policies, however, caused Russia to take serious steps backwards in this process. The paper is especially critical of Yeltsin and Putin, citing their backgrounds and personalities as leading to the current backward trends in Russian attempts at democracy.
From the Paper "Over the past century, the Russian Federation has undergone numerous changes in government. From a Tsarist regime in the early 1900s to a totalitarian state under brutal dictator Joseph Stalin, to its present, semi-democracy under ex-KGB leader Vladimir Putin, it's a wonder that Russia has been able to sustain its position as a world power for all these years. In the past decade, Russia had been making an effort to rid themselves of their totalitarian (and communist) past, by moving the government towards democracy, thanks to progressive leaders such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin. However, in recent years, Putin has strayed from the democratic path. By taking such measures as jailing his main Presidential opposition, and with the Duma, Russia's parliament, practically controlled by his party, Putin has given himself more power than his predecessors ever had. This, combined with what many call an "anti-democratic culture", has outsiders questioning whether Russia is again veering off course. The main question is whether it's solely Putin's fault for the present state of the Russian government, or if his predecessors left him with little room to maneuver."
Abstract The end of the Cold War found MikhailGorbachev and Boris Yeltsin seeking solutions for problems that needed to be solved. Their attempts to reform the socialist state are reviewed in this paper, followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.
Outline
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview
Gorbachev's Glasnost
Yeltsin and Democratization
Analysis
Conclusion
From the Paper "In many ways, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power during a period in Soviet history where things had been going downhill for some time, and the Old Guard was dying off; however, the primary catalyst for reform during Gorbachev period of glasnost, or "openness," was one of economics. For example, in their book, Glasnost, Perestroika and the Socialist Community, Bukowski and Walsh (1990) report that, "The impetus for reform in the Soviet Union came from a number of directions, but the factor of fundamental importance was the economic one. Gorbachev's economic reforms are meant to revitalize a stagnant Soviet economy that has been growing at only about 2 percent annually for a decade. The reasons for the slowdown are partly internal and structural, and partly external." "
Abstract This postgraduate paper examines the NEP and perestroika. The paper discusses how Vladimir Lenin's New Economic Policy and MikhailGorbachev's perestroika were similar in terms of their short term political and economic goals, for Lenin and Gorbachev both felt compelled to face economic realities. Both men were confronted by an enormous range of economic challenges, for Lenin not only had to rebuild an economy shattered by years of war and revolution he was intent upon replacing Russia's capitalist economic system with a communist economic system.
Abstract The paper shows how MikhailGorbachev attempted to broker peace with the U.S. and it discusses his desire to see if not the complete destruction of nuclear weapons then at least a reduction in them, and a closer relationship with the U.S. that enabled a closer working partnership. Of importance, according to the author, are Gorbachev's summits held with Reagan in Reykjavik, Iceland, Moscow and in Washington D.C. The author discusses Gorbachev's incredible popularity in the west. The paper also briefly touches on the theory that a hard line U.S. policy toward the Soviet Union was the factor in bringing about a change in the Soviet's attitude.
From the Paper "This theory that the U.S. forced the Soviets into reforms is a plausible, and convincing argument. However, it does not answer why that this policy had never worked before. Certainly after WW11 the Soviet Union was in a much weaker position to the U.S. both economically and militarily. The Truman administration took a hard line against the Soviets, yet they had not wavered, even though the U.S. at that time was the only nation with nuclear weapons. This theory also fails to take into account the role played by Gorbachev, nor give him the credit he deserves."
Tags: foreign, policy, relations, Brzezenski, Afghanistan, Starwars, SDI, Russia
Abstract This essay addresses communism in the USSR, and why it was doomed to fail. Reasons behind the break-up of the USSR are discussed as well as MikhailGorbachev's structural overhaul, Glasnost and Perestroika and the effects of these policies. Lastly, the paper addresses why the USSR break-up occurred relatively peacefully.
From the Paper "The seeds of disintegration of the Soviet Union were sown even as it formally began in 1922. Even as the shift to communism was made through the barrel of a gun, numerous individuals, ethnic groups and organizations such as the mainstream churches resisted their new communist masters. And while their resistance was stifled by violent and brutal measures, such as occurred in 1956 in Hungary and in 1965 in Czechoslovakia, resistance to communism continued, albeit underground. Like a festering boil in which pressure builds up over time, resistance to the central communist authorities in Moscow, within Russia and ultimately throughout the Soviet Empire, increased steadily. "
Tags: communism, glasnost, gorbachev, perestroika, soviet, union
Abstract This paper explains that the collapse of the former Soviet Union was the most significant event of the last half of the twentieth century. The author points out that economic weakness, domestic policy and foreign policy all conspired to bring about the ruin of the USSR. The paper relates that, ironically, as secretary of the Communist Party, the decisions of MikhailGorbachev, the man most intent on salvaging the empire, were arguably most responsible for expediting the USSR's collapse.
From the Paper "The collapse of the former Soviet Union was the most significant event of the last half of the twentieth century. This paper explores the economic factors, the domestic policy decisions - chiefly the glasnost and/or perestroika championed by Mikhail Gorbachev - and, not least of all, the foreign policy decisions that led to the devolution of the World's second most powerful polity. While certain factors were more important than others, there can be little doubt that the destruction of the USSR occurred because of a confluence of factors that, operating in a complex unison with one another, brought down an empire holding sway over more than a quarter billion people."
Abstract This paper analyzes the main causes of the collapse of the Soviet Union, focusing on the role of the United States in its collapse. The paper looks at the final phase of collapse in the 1980s when Leonid Brezhnev died and the other factors that impacted the collapse at that time. The paper also discusses the efforts of Gorbachev to try to stem the collapse of the Soviet Union and how his efforts failed.
From the Paper "Gorbachev realized that perestroika was bold and risky and that only time would determine its ultimate success or failure. Like Lenin, Gorbachev believed that, "sometimes you have to retreat, and then advance." But he ran out of time, in part because the new openness in the Soviet press under glasnost revealed to the Soviet people for the first time that conditions across the entire Soviet Union were shockingly bad.
"Ever since the days of Lenin, the average Soviet citizen knew that economic conditions were bad in their own village, city, or region, but the communist-controlled media prevented them from knowing that conditions were just as bad everywhere else if not even worse. Glasnost confirmed this harsh reality beyond any doubt, and created a political environment across the Soviet Union in which people were not going to tolerate communism much longer."
Abstract The paper argues that the collapse of the Soviet Union was fundamentally a result of economic inefficiency, rampant corruption and increased contact with the west, and their combined effect of causing widespread disillusionment among the Soviet population with the regime. The paper further argues that MikhailGorbachev's reforms and the events which followed simply provided a perfect opportunity for these seeds of disillusionment to sprout.
From the Paper "Following the Stalinist era, the Soviet Union saw a stagnation of its economy and a subsequent widening of the gap between the living standards of the capitalist west and the Soviet Union. Although, due to the untrustworthy nature of Soviet archives, it is hard, if not impossible, to gain concrete evidence in the form of economic statistics to back this argument, other forms of research such as that done by D. Chirot and A. Dallin provide just as valid proof for this argument. It is hard to define the exact causes of this economic stagnation, however, a broad but good explanation is that it was a result of both the flaws of a socialist economy and poor decisions by the regime. Chirot argued that the socialist economy was fundamentally flawed because; investment and production decisions were made by political will, quantities and prices of goods and services were fixed by administrative order, international trade was controlled, and finally that the measure of success for firms depended on its ability to build more, maintain employment and attract political directed investment."
Abstract This paper looks for the 'truths' in Mikhail Kuzmin's novella, 'Wings'. The paper encompasses, embodies and embraces comparative, as well as, contrasting characters, concepts, components and considerations reportedly related to the novela, ". . . the first overtly gay novel ever published." The paper explains that there is a need for research that examines and expounds on contemporary "truths," contributing to erotic and homoerotic literature, in order to delineate whether "Wings" qualifies as diabolical or divine.
Outline:
I. Introduction
Search after "Truths"
Mikhail Alekseyevich Kuzmin's Works
From the Paper "Mikhail Alekseyevich Kuzminm, born October 6, 1872, a prominent Russian poet, playwright, and writer during the Silver Age period, prolific in multiple genres, was considered by his aficionados as one of the boldest, creative proponents of the reassessment process in Russia. Kuzmin, born into a family of the minor nobility in Saratov, near Yaroslavl, Russia, initially planned a career as a composer as he studied at St. Petersburg University. In 1891, Kuzmin became a member of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's music composition there. During his educational pursuits under Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in1894, however, Kuzmin discontinued his musical education, after completing only three years of a seven-year course. During this time, however, he learned Italian and German.
The year following his withdrawal from St. Petersburg (1895), Kuzmin traveled to and throughout Egypt with his mother. After his mother returned to Russia, Kuzmin settled in Alexandria where his years in this city notably inspired his most acclaimed collection of poetry. In 1897, Kuzim visited Italy, later basing much of his 1906 novel Kryl'ia (translated in 1972 as Wings: Prose and Poetry ) on his experiences there. "
Tags: controversial, soviet, union, gay, homosexual, liberty
Abstract An analysis of Mikhail Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita". The author describes the use of structure, text and style in the novel often referred to as 'fantasy'. The author discusses how these reveal the theme of good and evil in the novel.
From the Paper "Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita is a tale of black magic and of a spiritual journey. Ivan Bezdomy, whose surreal spiritual adventure, is the eye of the story's illusionary hurricane, doesn"t even get his name in the title. This discussion, based on the premise that this is more Ivan's story than the Master"s, attempts to track the trickery that masquerades as Bulgakov's search for a hero. Careful analysis of structure, text and style reveals that Ivan and the Master are actually schizophrenic halves of the same character. The style in which Bulgakov chooses to write this novel, has been variously described as "magical realism" (Grenier 286), ? bizarre phantasmagoria? (Wakeman 240), and a "fantasy" (Calendar 76). This style is brilliantly suited to Bulgakov's intent which is not only to satirize Stalinist Russia, but to deeply ponder the nature of good and evil and to present the union of Ivan and the Master as a foil for Satan."
Abstract This paper discusses the beliefs and philosophies of the rhetorical theorist Mikhail Bakhtin. Amongst the ideas examined are Bakhtin's belief that everything ideological possesses a meaning which is indicated by a sign and how he unified physical utterance and the written word. The author also identifies which of Saussure's ideas Bakhtin accepted and which he rejected.
From the Paper "Mikhail Bakhtin, in his rhetoric, mixes literary criticism with rhetoric, following in the footsteps of Saussure and others in this regard. At the same time, Bakhtin rejected many of Saussure's ideas, such as that "the meaning of discourse is to be found in the psychological processing of signs" (911). Saussure's approach is also known as Structuralism and has been applied to a wide variety of forms of human communication. In literary criticism, for instance, the Structuralist approach owes much to linguistic studies and to ideas about language in general. Bakhtin in his literary criticism rejected the distinction between literary and ordinary language and so attacked the existing Russian Formalist school. The Formalists sought to isolate the text, while Bakhtin did not."
Abstract This paper analyzes early twentieth-century Russian theater and cabaret. It focuses on the work of writer, poet and playwright Mikhail Kuzmin and Italian commedia dell'arte. It provides a background of Kusmin's life and focuses on the impact of his homosexuality in his writing. The paper then describes some of his works and critics' analyses of them.
Table of Contents:
Objective
Introduction
Kuzmin (writer, poet, playwright) Russia's First Openly Gay Writer
The Entire Life of the People Lived Out in the Theatre
Integration of Elements of Commedia and Reality
Summary and Conclusion
From the Paper "The unleashed sexuality, the brewing revolution, and the overall societal shift during this period of time resulted in vivid displays of contention of the present political system at this time in Russia. Masses flooded the theaters and the theaters took to the streets as a revolutionary spirit moved in and among all in the Russian society, inciting rebellion against the status quo and in the dramatic displays in the artistic events and movement of that time period that was the driver of and to a great extent of the progression of the revolution that took place in Russian in the early twentieth century."
"Artists were given prominence among scholars and politicians however, only for a moment of time as post-Revolution thought exhibited little appreciation of those who provided such fire and energy propelling the revolution forward. The post-Revolution period witnessed the work of Kuzmin "falling out of favor with the Communists, and Leon Trotsky (1879-1940), in the work entitled: "Literature and Revolution" (1924) labeled the work of Kuzmin as "disreputable and useless." (Clayton, nd )"
Abstract In this paper Ithe writer puts forward the reasons that account for the growth in Perestroika, such as the economic decline and social despair suffered by the populations of Russia and the countries of Communist Eastern Europe. It also looks at the man who was responsible for the introduction of Perestroika, Mikail Gorbachev and why he wanted to introduce Perestroika.
From the Paper "The Soviet Union and its satellite countries were on a continual downward spiral from the late 50's and 60?s. Ruled from Moscow, the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe was suffering a very poor economy and social conditions such as housing, welfare and food supply. Leonid Brezhnev, who became Secretary General of the Soviet Communist Party in 1964, reinforced the strict regime of communism. All private ownership in Russia was ended, a mass programme of industrialisation was started and the Soviet military strength was significantly enhanced."
Tags: cold, eastern, europe, glasnost, gorbachev, mikail, perestroika, russia, war
Abstract The paper discusses how after reading this book, the writer learned that Gorbachev's aging predecessors, Yuri Andropov and then Konstantin Chernenko, both died after brief presidencies, so the Politburo felt compelled to select a young, dynamic leader and elevated MikhailGorbachev to the chairmanship of the Communist Party and the presidency of the Soviet Union. More importantly, the writer explains how he/she learned why Gorbachev's elevation to power ultimately doomed communism in the USSR.
