In the mid-80s of the last century, under the leadership of the leader of the CPSU, Mikhail Gorbachev, large-scale transformations in politics and economics, called perestroika, began in the USSR. Several years of reforms did not help create "socialism with a human face." In the early 90s, the Soviet Union ceased to exist as a single state.
Instruction manual
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The Soviet leadership was prompted to begin perestroika by negative phenomena in the political and economic life of the country. It seemed to the new leadership of the country that it was enough to give the economy an acceleration, to create conditions for the transition to the free development of the national economy, to ensure transparency so that the country would reach the forefront in the world. The first stage of perestroika, which began in 1985 and lasted about two years, was greeted with enthusiasm in society.
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However, by the end of the 80s, it became clear that the "redecoration" of the old administrative system of state administration would not lead to the desired results. Therefore, a course was taken to introduce the principles of market economy into the economy, which was the country's first step towards capitalism. By the end of the decade, the country was in an acute political and economic crisis that required radical solutions.
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In the summer of 1988, the second stage of perestroika transformations began. Cooperatives began to be created in the country, and private economic initiative was encouraged in every way. It was assumed that in three to four years the USSR would be able to fully integrate into the world system of capitalist economy, called the "free market". Such decisions radically violated all previous principles of Soviet economy and broke ideological foundations. Communism in the USSR by the beginning of the last decade of the 20th century ceased to be the dominant ideology.
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The road to the market turned out to be extremely difficult. In 1990, almost no goods remained on the shelves of domestic stores. The money that was in the hands of the population gradually ceased to be a measure of prosperity, because there was little to buy. Dissatisfaction was growing in the country with the course of the government, which clearly sent society to a standstill.
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The party leadership began the third phase of perestroika. Party leaders were required from officials to work out a program of transition to a real market, in which there would be private ownership of the means of production, free competition and the independence of enterprises. Against this background, by mid-1990 B.N. Yeltsin actually formed in Russia his own center of political power, independent of the central leadership.
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Perestroika was reflected in the internal political processes taking place in the country. In June 1990, the Russian parliament adopted the Declaration of Sovereignty, which abrogated the priority of union laws. The example of Russia has become contagious for other republics of the USSR, whose political elites also dreamed of independence. The so-called “sovereignty parade” began, which quickly led to the actual disintegration of the Soviet Union.
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The turning point in Russian history, which put an end to perestroika, was the events of August 1991, later called the "August putsch." A group of senior leaders of the USSR announced the creation of the State Committee on the State of Emergency (GKChP). But this attempt to return the country to its former political and economic channel was thwarted by the efforts of B.N. Yeltsin, quickly seized the initiative.
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After the failure of the putsch, fundamental changes took place in the USSR power system. A few months later, the Soviet Union broke up into several independent states. Thus ended not only perestroika, but also the whole era of the existence of the great socialist power.
