Back in the USSR

Since December 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) had been a Communist state and it remained that way until its collapse in December 1991. With almost 70 years between the birth and complete destruction of one of the world’s greatest superpowers, there is quite a story to tell. Previous leaders of the USSR had all been general secretaries of the Communist Party but Mikhail Gorbachev, who was supported and well liked in the West as well as in Eastern Europe, was the first, and only, president of the Soviet Union. Despite his support in other parts of the world, as a “reform” communist Gorbachev began to lose support at home after a short time. His attempts at finding a balance between Democracy and Communism eventually led to the downfall of the USSR and the recognition of 15 new countries.

Mikhail Gorbachev was appointed Communist Party General Secretary in March of 1985 and quickly added two new words to the Russian vocabulary that would soon have a serious impact on Soviet life. Гла́сность (Glasnost), meaning political openness, granted a more democratic society, by incorporating things such as freedom of speech, and перестро́йка (Perestroika) meant restructuring and rebuilding of the economy. Gorbachev wanted to save both the Soviet Union and the Communist Party while incorporating more Democratic laws in order to please everyone. However, conservatives, such as many hard-line communists, leaders of the Red Army, and the KGB, believed he had gone too far and wanted him to slow down while the more democratic peoples, such as intellectuals, writers, artists, and members of the liberal party, who felt the Soviet system should be destroyed, encouraged Gorbachev to accelerate his plans. In December of 1985, Gorbachev appointed provincial party boss Boris Yeltsin as head of the Moscow Communist party.

Yeltsin, much like Gorbachev, also believed in change however he was much more democratic. His plans included returning all property to private owners as well as changing the Soviet’s communist economy into a capitalist one. Yeltsin was fired in 1987 for criticizing the slow pace at which Gorbachev’s reforms were taking place but was granted permission to remain in Moscow as Deputy Construction Minister. Yeltsin’s criticism led to an arch-rivalry between the two men which would later give him the upper hand. At this time, only the Communist Party was legally allowed to exist in the Soviet Union, but in 1988 the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) were moving with thoughts of independence. Inter-ethic unrest amongst those that wanted independence was also the cause of violence in Azerbaijan as well as Georgia.