In March 1985, M.S. became the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. Gorbachev, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR - N.I. Ryzhkov. The transformation of Soviet society began, which was to be carried out within the framework of the socialist system.

In April 1985, at the plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, a course was proclaimed to accelerate the socio-economic development of the country (the policy " acceleration"). Its levers were to be the technological re-equipment of production and the increase in labor productivity. It was supposed to increase productivity at the expense of labor enthusiasm (socialist competitions were revived), the eradication of alcoholism (the anti-alcohol campaign - May 1985) and the fight against unearned income.

The "acceleration" led to some revival of the economy, but by 1987, a general reduction in production in agriculture began, and then in industry. The situation was complicated by the huge capital investments needed to eliminate the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (April 1986) and the ongoing war in Afghanistan.

The country's leadership was forced to make more radical changes. Since summer 1987 perestroika proper begins. The program of economic reforms was developed by L. Abalkin, T. Zaslavskaya, P. Bunich. The NEP became a model for perestroika.

The main content of the restructuring:
In the economic sphere:

1. There is a transition of state enterprises to self-financing and self-sufficiency. Since the defense enterprises were not able to operate in the new conditions, a conversion is being carried out - the transfer of production to a peaceful track (demilitarization of the economy).
2. In the countryside, the equality of five forms of management was recognized: state farms, collective farms, agro-combines, rental collectives and farms.
3. To control the quality of products, state acceptance was introduced. The directive state plan was replaced by a state order.

In the political sphere:

1. Intraparty democracy is expanding. An intra-party opposition arises, connected primarily with the failures of economic reforms. At the October (1987) Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the First Secretary of the Moscow City Party Committee B.N. Yeltsin. At the 19th All-Union Conference of the CPSU, a decision was made to ban uncontested elections.
2. The state apparatus is being substantially restructured. In accordance with the decisions of the XIX Conference (June 1988), a new supreme body of legislative power was established - the Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR and the corresponding republican congresses. The permanent Supreme Soviets of the USSR and the republics were formed from among the people's deputies. The General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU M.S. became the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Gorbachev (March 1989), Chairman of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR - B.N. Yeltsin (May 1990). In March 1990, the post of president was introduced in the USSR. M.S. became the first president of the USSR. Gorbachev.
3. Since 1986, the policy has been " publicity" And " pluralism”, i.e. in the USSR, a kind of freedom of speech is artificially created, which implies the possibility of free discussion of a range of issues strictly defined by the party.
4. A multi-party system is beginning to take shape in the country.

In the spiritual realm:

1. The state weakens ideological control over the spiritual sphere of society. Previously banned literary works are freely published, known to readers only through "samizdat" - "The Gulag Archipelago" by A. Solzhenitsyn, "Children of the Arbat" by B. Rybakov, etc.
2. Within the framework of "glasnost" and "pluralism", "round tables" are held on certain issues of the history of the USSR. The criticism of Stalin's "personality cult" begins, the attitude towards the Civil War is being revised, and so on.
3. Cultural ties with the West are expanding.

By 1990, the idea of ​​perestroika had practically exhausted itself. Failed to stop the decline in production. Attempts to develop a private initiative - the movement of farmers and cooperators - turned into the heyday of the "black market" and the deepening of the deficit. "Glasnost" and "pluralism" - the main slogans of perestroika - to the fall of the authority of the CPSU, the development of nationalist movements. Nevertheless, since the spring of 1990 the Gorbachev administration has been moving on to the next stage of political and economic reforms. G. Yavlinsky and S. Shatalin prepared the program "500 days", providing for relatively radical economic transformations with the aim of a gradual transition to a market economy. This program was rejected by Gorbachev under the influence of the conservative wing of the CPSU.

In June 1990, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a resolution on a gradual transition to a regulated market economy. Provision was made for gradual demonopolization, decentralization and denationalization of property, the establishment of joint-stock companies and banks, and the development of private entrepreneurship. However, these measures could no longer save the socialist system and the USSR.

Since the mid-1980s, the disintegration of the state has actually been planned. Powerful nationalist movements are emerging. In 1986, there were pogroms of the Russian population in Kazakhstan. Interethnic conflicts arose in Fergana (1989), in the Osh region of Kyrgyzstan (1990). Since 1988, an armed Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict began in Nagorno-Karabakh. In 1988-1989 Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Georgia, Moldova get out of control of the center. In 1990 they officially declare their independence.

June 12, 1990 d. The First Congress of Soviets of the RSFSR adopts Declaration on State Sovereignty of the Russian Federation.

The President of the USSR enters into direct negotiations with the leadership of the republics on the conclusion of a new Union Treaty. In order to give legitimacy to this process, in March 1991, an all-Union referendum was held on the issue of preserving the USSR. The majority of the population spoke in favor of preserving the USSR, but on new terms. In April 1991, Gorbachev began negotiations with the leadership of 9 republics in Novo-Ogaryovo ("Novoogarevsky process").

By August 1991, they managed to prepare a compromise draft of the Union Treaty, according to which the republics received much greater independence. The signing of the agreement was scheduled for August 22.

It was the planned signing of the Union Treaty that provoked the speech GKChP (August 19–August 21, 1991 d) who tried to keep the USSR in its old form. The State Committee for the State of Emergency in the Country (GKChP) included the vice-president of the USSR G.I. Yanaev, Prime Minister V.S. Pavlov, Minister of Defense D.T. Yazov, Minister of Internal Affairs B.K. Pugo, KGB Chairman V.A. Kryuchkov.

The State Emergency Committee issued an order to arrest B.N. Yeltsin, who was elected on June 12, 1991 President of the RSFSR. Martial law was introduced. However, the majority of the population and military personnel refused to support the GKChP. This sealed his defeat. On August 22, the members were arrested, but the signing of the treaty never took place.

As a result of the August coup, M.S.'s authority was finally undermined. Gorbachev. The real power in the country passed to the leaders of the republics. At the end of August, the activities of the CPSU were suspended. December 8, 1991 the leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus (B.N. Yeltsin, L.M. Kravchuk, S.S. Shushkevich) announced the dissolution of the USSR and the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) - “ Belovezhskaya agreements". On December 21, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan joined the CIS. December 25 M.S. Gorbachev resigned as President of the USSR.

Foreign policy of the USSR In 1985-1991

Having come to power, the Gorbachev administration confirmed the traditional priorities of the USSR in the field of international relations. But already at the turn of 1987-1988. fundamental adjustments are made in the spirit of " new political thinking».

The main content of the "new political thinking":

1. Recognition of the modern world as a single and interdependent, i.e. rejection of the thesis about the split of the world into two opposite ideological systems.
2. Recognition as a universal way to resolve international issues is not a balance of power between the two systems, but a balance of their interests.
3. Rejection of the principle of proletarian internationalism and recognition of the priority of universal human values.

For a new foreign policy course, new personnel were required - the Minister of Foreign Affairs, a symbol of successful Soviet foreign policy, A.A. Gromyko was replaced by E.A. Shevardnadze.

Based on the principles of "new thinking", Gorbachev defined three main directions of foreign policy:

1. Reducing tensions between East and West through disarmament talks with the US.
2. Settlement of regional conflicts (starting with Afghanistan).
3. Expansion of economic ties with all states, regardless of their political orientation.

After the (practically annual) summit meetings of the USSR and the USA, agreements were signed on the destruction of intermediate and shorter-range nuclear missiles (December 1987, Washington) and on the limitation of strategic offensive weapons (OSNV-1, July 1991, Moscow).

At the same time, the USSR unilaterally decided to reduce defense spending and the size of its own armed forces by 500 thousand people.

The Berlin Wall is destroyed. At a meeting with German Chancellor G. Kohl in February 1990 in Moscow, MS Gorbachev agreed to the unification of Germany. On October 2, 1990, the GDR became part of the FRG.

In the countries of the socialist community, from the summer of 1988 to the spring of 1990, a series of popular revolutions took place (“ Velvet revolutions”), as a result of which power passes peacefully (with the exception of Romania, where bloody clashes took place) from the communist parties to the democratic forces. The forced withdrawal of Soviet troops from military bases in Central and Eastern Europe begins. In the spring of 1991, the dissolution of the CMEA and the Department of Internal Affairs was formalized.

In May 1989, MS Gorbachev paid a visit to Beijing. After that, border trade was restored, a series of important agreements on political, economic and cultural cooperation were signed.

Despite some successes, in practice, the "new thinking" became a policy of unilateral concessions to the USSR and led to the collapse of its foreign policy. Left without old allies and without acquiring new ones, the USSR quickly lost the initiative in international affairs and entered the fairway of the foreign policy of the NATO countries.

The deterioration of the economic situation in the Soviet Union, which was noticeably aggravated due to a decrease in supplies through the former CMEA, prompted the Gorbachev administration to turn in 1990-1991. for financial and material support to the G7 countries.

perestroika- the general name of the reforms and the new ideology of the Soviet party leadership, used to denote large and controversial changes in the economic and political structure of the USSR, initiated by the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee M. S. Gorbachev in 1986-1991.

In May 1986, Gorbachev visited Leningrad, where at a meeting with the party activists of the Leningrad city committee of the CPSU, he first used the word "perestroika" to refer to the socio-political process:

“Apparently, comrades, we all need to reorganize. Everyone".

The term was picked up by the media and became the slogan of the new era that began in the USSR.

For your information,(because in many textbooks since 1985):

"Legally" the beginning of perestroika is considered 1987, when at the January plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU perestroika was declared the direction of development of the state.

Background.

In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power. By that time, the USSR was already on the verge of a deep crisis, both in the economy and in the social sphere. The efficiency of social production was steadily declining, and the arms race was a heavy burden on the country's economy. In fact, all spheres of society needed to be updated.

Characteristics of the pre-perestroika administrative system: strict administrative and directive tasks, a centralized system of material and technical supply, strict regulation of the activities of enterprises and organizations. Management of the economy as a whole, and each of its branches, each enterprise, large or small, was carried out mainly by administrative methods with the help of targeted directive tasks. The command-and-order form of government alienated people both from labor itself and from its results, turning public property into a draw. This mechanism, as well as the political system, was personified in the people who reproduced it. The bureaucratic apparatus maintained a system that allowed its ideas to occupy profitable positions, to be "at the top", regardless of the actual state of affairs in the national economy.

The April (1985) Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU proclaimed a new strategy - the acceleration of the socio-economic development of the country. By the mid-1980s, the imminent need for change was clear to many in the country. Therefore, proposed in those conditions by M.S. Gorbachev's "perestroika" found a lively response in all strata of Soviet society.

If we try to defineperestroika , then in my opinion,"perestroika" - this is the creation of an effective mechanism for accelerating the socio-economic development of society; comprehensive development of democracy strengthening discipline and order respect for the value and dignity of the individual; renunciation of command and administration, encouragement of innovation; a turn to science, a combination of scientific and technological achievements with the economy, etc.

Restructuring tasks.

The entry of the USSR into the era of radical transformation dates back to April 1985 and is associated with the name of the new General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU M.S. Gorbachev (elected to this post at the March Plenum of the Central Committee).

The new course proposed by Gorbachev assumed the modernization of the Soviet system, the introduction of structural and organizational changes in economic, social, political and ideological mechanisms.

In the new strategy, personnel policy acquired particular importance, which was expressed, on the one hand, in the fight against negative phenomena in the party and state apparatus (corruption, bribery, etc.), on the other hand, in the elimination of political opponents of Gorbachev and his course (in the Moscow and Leningrad party organizations, in the Central Committee of the Communist Parties of the Union Republics).

The ideology of reform.

Initially (beginning in 1985), the strategy was to improve socialism and accelerate socialist development. At the January 1987 Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, and then at the XIX All-Union Party Conference (summer 1988) M.S. Gorbachev laid out a new ideology and strategy for reform. For the first time, the presence of deformations in the political system was recognized and the task was to create a new model - socialism with a human face.

The ideology of perestroika included some liberal democratic principles (separation of powers, representative democracy (parliamentarism), protection of civil and political human rights). At the 19th Party Conference, the goal of creating a civil (legal) society in the USSR was proclaimed for the first time.

Democratization and Glasnost became the essential expressions of the new concept of socialism. Democratization touched the political system, but it was also seen as the basis for the implementation of radical economic reforms.

At this stage of perestroika, publicity and criticism of the deformations of socialism in the economy, politics, and the spiritual sphere were widely developed. The Soviet people have access to many works by both theoreticians and practitioners of Bolshevism, who were once declared enemies of the people, and figures of the Russian emigration of various generations.

November 1982-February 1984- Yu.V. becomes the leader of the country and the party. Andropov.

February 1984- Death of Yu.V. Andropov.

February 1984 - March 10, 1985- KU Chernenko becomes the leader of the party and the country.

11th of March 1985 - Extraordinary Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU. Election of MS Gorbachev as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU.

23 April 1985- Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU. Proclamation of a course for restructuring and accelerating the socio-economic development of the country.

June–December 1985- A. A. Gromyko was elected to the post of Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

– E. A. Shevardnadze has been appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of Serbia.

– N. I. Ryzhkov was appointed Chairman of the Council Ministers of the USSR.

- Election of B. N. Yeltsin as the first secretary of the Moscow city committee of the CPSU.

25 February-March, 6 1986- Adoption by the XXVII Congress of the CPSU of a new version of the Party Program and the Party Charter.

December 161986- Permission for Academician A. D. Sakharov to return from Gorky, where he was in forced exile, being one of the leaders of the dissident movement.

January 1987- The Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU proclaimed the policy of "glasnost".

June 1987- Adoption by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the Law on the nationwide discussion of important issues of state life.

July 6 1987- Demonstration in Moscow on the Red Square of the Crimean Tatars, demanding the restoration of their autonomy.

October 21 1987- B. N. Yeltsin at the plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU. announced his resignation from the post of First Secretary of the CPSU MGK and candidate member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee.

November 2 1987- Speech by MS Gorbachev with a report at a solemn meeting in honor of the 70th anniversary of the October Revolution, in which many assessments of Soviet history were revised and sharp criticism of Stalinism was resumed.

11 november 1987- The Plenum of the Moscow City Committee of the CPSU removed B. N. Yeltsin from the post of First Secretary of the CPSU MGK.

12 February 1988- Beginning of rallies for reunification with Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh.

February 27-29 1988– Pogroms and massacres of Armenians in Sumgayit (Azerbaijan). The beginning of open interethnic conflicts on the territory of the USSR.

13 Martha 1988- Publication in the newspaper "Soviet Russia" of the article by N. Andreeva "I can not give up my principles", which became a kind of ideological manifesto of opponents of democratization and glasnost and defended, in essence, the ideology of Stalinism.

5th of April 1988- N. Andreeva's rebuke in the Pravda newspaper about the invariance of the course towards perestroika.

February-June1988– Rehabilitation by the Supreme Court of the USSR of illegally convicted leaders of the Bolshevik Party: N. I. Bukharin, A. I. Rykov, Kh. G. Rakovsky, G. E. Zinoviev, L. B. Kamenev, Yu. Radek.

June 28 - July 1 1988- XIX All-Union Conference of the CPSU, decisions were made on the reform of the political system, on the democratization of Soviet society, on the fight against bureaucracy, on interethnic relations, on publicity and legal reform.

October 1 1988- Election of MS Gorbachev at a meeting of the Supreme Council as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

December 1 1988- The Supreme Soviet of the USSR approved the amendments to the Constitution and the new Law on Elections. This marked the beginning of the reform of the political system.

26 March-April 9 1989- The first alternative elections of people's deputies of the USSR on the basis of a new democratic electoral system.

April 4-9 1989- A rally at the Government House in Tbilisi demanding the elimination of autonomies within Georgia and its exit from the USSR. Dispersal of protesters by troops. Civilian casualties (19 dead, hundreds wounded).

May 24 - July 9 1989- I Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR. Election of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from among the deputies of the congress and its transformation into a permanent parliament. Election of MS Gorbachev Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

July 301989– Formation of the Interregional Deputy Group of 338 deputies of the USSR. They advocated speeding up the reform process in the country. Leaders - Yu. N. Afanasiev, B. N. Yeltsin, A. D. Sakharov, G. Kh. Popov.

19-20 September1989- Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU on national problems.

January 2, 1990- The beginning of hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh.

11 March 1990- The Lithuanian Parliament decides to restore the independence of the republic.

March 12-15, 1990- III Extraordinary Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR. A decision was made to abolish Article 6 of the USSR Constitution, which established the leading and guiding role of the CPSU in Soviet society. In accordance with the additions to the Constitution, the post of President of the USSR was established, to which M. S. Gorbachev was elected on March 14. AI Lukyanov becomes Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

March 30, 1990– The Estonian parliament votes for the restoration of the independence of the republic.

4 May 1990– The Latvian parliament decides on the independence of the republic.

May 14, 1990- Decree of the President of the USSR on invalidating the declarations of independence of the Baltic republics.

16 May 1990- I Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR.

12 June 1990- Election of B. N. Yeltsin as Chairman of the Betting Council of the RSFSR. Adoption of the Declaration on State Sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.

June 20-23 1990- The founding congress of the Communist Party of the RSFSR. I.K. Polozkov became its leader.

July 2-13 1990- XXVIII Congress of the CPSU. Creation of factions while maintaining the principle of democratic centralism. MS Gorbachev was again elected General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU.

16 July 1990– Proclamation of the sovereignty of Ukraine by the Supreme Council of the Republic.

17 november 1990– Reorganization of the highest bodies of state power. Formation of the Federation Council composed of the leaders of the Union republics.

December 17-27 1990- IV Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR. Deepening the reform of the political system. Reorganization of the executive branch. Formation of the Cabinet of Ministers under the President of the USSR. Introduction of the post of Vice President.

March 17 1991- The first referendum in the history of the country on the question of the preservation of the USSR.

April 23 1991- Novo-Ogarevskaya meeting of the President of the USSR and the leaders of nine union republics on the conditions for the preservation of the USSR.

1991- Based on the results of the city referendum, the historical name of St. Petersburg was returned to Leningrad.

24 August 1991- MS Gorbachev resigned from the post of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU and appealed to the Central Committee with a call for self-dissolution.

September 2-5 1991- V Extraordinary Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR. Recognition of the independence of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. A joint statement by MS Gorbachev and the top leaders of 10 union republics with a proposal to form a union along the lines of a confederation, the form of participation in which each sovereign republic determines independently.

28 October - November 13 1991- V Congress of People's Deputies. Approval of the basic principles of economic reform.

November 6 1991- Decree of B. N. Yeltsin on the prohibition of activities on the territory of the RSFSR of the CPSU and the dissolution of party structures.

December 8 1991- The signing in Belovezhskaya Pushcha near Minsk of an agreement on the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) by the leaders of Belarus (V. Shushkevich), Russia (B. Yeltsin), Ukraine (L. Kravchuk) and the dissolution of the USSR.

21 December 1991- Meeting of heads of state in Alma-Ata and accession to the CIS of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. Adoption of the Declaration on the termination of the existence of the USSR.

December 25 1991- The official statement of MS Gorbachev on his resignation from the post of President of the USSR. End of perestroika.

Economic development

April 23 1985- Adoption by the Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU of the course to accelerate the socio-economic development of the country.

May 7 1985- Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR on measures to eradicate drunkenness and alcoholism. The beginning of the anti-alcohol campaign.

November 19 1985- Adoption of the USSR Law on individual labor activity.

13th of January 1987 G.- Adoption by the highest bodies of state power of the principles of creating joint ventures in the USSR with the participation of foreign capital.

February 5th 1987 G.– Decisions on the creation of cooperatives in the production of consumer goods, public catering and services.

June 25-26 1987 G.– The Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU approved the "Basic Provisions for the Fundamental Restructuring of Economic Management" and approved the USSR Law "On the State Enterprise (Association)". It was envisaged the introduction of self-management principles in the management of enterprises and their transfer to full cost accounting, a radical change in planning, etc.

May 24 1990- Submission by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers I. Ryzhkov to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR a plan for a phased transition to a regulated market economy. Start of panic in the consumer market and, as a result, the introduction of the regulatory distribution of basic foodstuffs.

June 11 1990- Miners' strikes in the Donbass with demands for the resignation of the government of N. I. Ryzhkov and the nationalization of the property of the CPSU.

August 30 1990– Start of discussions in Parliament on various programs for the transition to a market economy. (The government program of I. Abalkin - N. I. Ryzhkov and "500 days" by S. S. Shatalin - G. A. Yavlinsky.) None of the options received full support.

October 19 1990- The Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopts the "Basic Directions for the Stabilization of the National Economy and the Transition to a Market Economy."

23 november 1990- The Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted laws on land reform and on the peasant (farm) economy.

2 April1991– Implementation by the government of the reform of retail prices for essential goods.

October1991- Speech by Boris N. Yeltsin at the V Congress of People's Deputies of Russia with a program of economic reforms.

November1991– Creation of the Government of the Russian Federation, appointment of E. T. Gaidar as Vice President for Economic Policy.

3 December1991- Decree of the President of the Russian Federation B. N. Yeltsin "On measures to liberalize prices."

Foreign policy

After Chernenko's death in 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power. By that time, the USSR was already on the verge of a deep crisis, both in the economy and in the social sphere. The efficiency of social production was steadily declining, and the arms race was a heavy burden on the country's economy. In fact, all spheres of society needed to be updated. The difficult situation of the USSR was the reason for perestroika, as well as changes in the country's foreign policy. Modern historians distinguish the following stages of perestroika:

• 1985 - 1986
• 1987 - 1988
• 1989 - 1991

During the beginning of perestroika from 1985 to 1986. there were no significant changes in the organization of government of the country. In the regions, power, at least formally, belonged to the Soviets, and at the highest level, to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. But, during this period, statements about publicity and the fight against bureaucracy were already heard. Gradually, the process of rethinking international relations began. The tension in relations between the USSR and the USA has significantly decreased.

Large-scale changes began somewhat later - from the end of 1987. This period is characterized by unprecedented freedom of creativity, the development of art. Authorial journalistic programs are broadcast on television, magazines publish materials promoting the ideas of reforms. At the same time, the political struggle is clearly intensifying. Serious transformations in the sphere of state power begin. So, in December 1988, at the 11th extraordinary session of the Supreme Council, the law “On Amendments and Additions to the Constitution” was adopted. The law made changes to the electoral system by introducing the principle of alternativeness.

However, the most turbulent was the third period of perestroika in the USSR. In 1989, Soviet troops were completely withdrawn from Afghanistan. In fact, the USSR ceases to support socialist regimes on the territory of other states. The camp of the socialist countries is collapsing. The most important, significant, event of that period is the fall of the Berlin Wall and the unification of Germany.

The party is gradually losing real power and its unity. A fierce battle between the factions begins. Not only the situation in the USSR, but also the very foundations of the ideology of Marxism, as well as the October Revolution of 1917, are criticized. Many opposition parties and movements are being formed.

Against the backdrop of a tough political struggle during this period of Gorbachev's perestroika, a split begins in the sphere of the intelligentsia, among artists. If some of them were critical of the processes taking place in the country, then the other part provides comprehensive support to Gorbachev. Against the backdrop of political and social freedom unprecedented at that time, the volume of financing, both art and science, education, and many industries is significantly reduced. Talented scientists in such conditions leave to work abroad, or turn into businessmen. Many research institutes and design bureaus cease to exist. The development of knowledge-intensive industries slows down, and later stops altogether. Perhaps the most striking example of this can be the Energiya-Buran project, within the framework of which a unique reusable space shuttle Buran was created, which made a single flight.

The financial situation of the majority of citizens is gradually deteriorating. Also, there is an aggravation of interethnic relations. Many cultural and political figures are beginning to say that perestroika has become obsolete.

The consequences of perestroika are extremely ambiguous and multifaceted. Undoubtedly, the receipt by society of social and political freedoms, publicity and reform of the planned distribution economy are positive aspects. However, the processes that took place during the period of perestroika in the USSR in 1985-1991 led to the collapse of the USSR and the aggravation of interethnic conflicts that had been smoldering for a long time. The weakening of power, both in the center and in the regions, a sharp decline in the standard of living of the population, undermining the scientific base, and so on. Undoubtedly, the results of perestroika and its significance will be rethought by future generations more than once.

On March 11, 1985, the Plenum of the Central Committee of the Party elected General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev.

M. S. Gorbachev

The Council of Ministers of the USSR was headed by N. I. Ryzhkov. The new leadership, which left the team of Yu. V. Andropov, inherited the ongoing arms race and the Afghan war, the country's international isolation, and the growing economic crisis. Gorbachev saw the way out in the "renewal of socialism", i.e. in the combination of socialism and democracy, the establishment of a "better socialism".

Perestroika was initiated at the April (1985) Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, where the need for a qualitative transformation of society was discussed. At the plenum, Gorbachev put forward the main slogan of transformation: "glasnost-perestroika-acceleration." The main lever of change was to be accelerating socio-economic development country, which in fact was a new version of the old slogan "Catch up and overtake America!". A more active use of the achievements of science and technology, the decentralization of the management of the national economy, the expansion of the rights of enterprises, the introduction of cost accounting, and the strengthening of production order and discipline were supposed. Socialist modernization implied the priority development of mechanical engineering, with the rise of which it was possible to achieve the technical reconstruction of the entire national economic complex. The personnel base of scientific and technological progress was to be prepared by the school reform, during which universal computerization was supposed. Based on the reformed economy, it was planned to solve housing and food issues. Other reforms of the first stage of perestroika were the anti-alcohol campaign, the law on state acceptance, and measures to strengthen labor discipline. In 1985-1986 the fight against violations of industrial discipline and corruption began. A number of former statesmen were punished for bribery and embezzlement.

Perestroika era poster

The XXVII Congress of the CPSU (February 1986) adopted the program of the CPSU in a new edition, confirmed the correctness of the course chosen by the country's leadership to accelerate economic and social development for 1986-1990. and for the period up to 2000. At the congress, the country's leadership promised to solve the housing problem by 2000 and for the first time spoke about publicity in order to eliminate certain shortcomings and deformations inherent in the economic system.

However, politics soon publicity out of bounds for it. Censorship was lifted and the publication of new newspapers was allowed. On the pages of periodicals, a discussion broke out about the choice of the path of social development, which caused a surge in the social activity of the population. The discussion of the new government course took place at mass meetings of citizens. He found both supporters and opponents in different segments of the population.

Perestroika era poster

Under the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, a commission headed by A.N. Yakovlev was created to study the documents of those repressed in the 1930s and early 50s. citizens. The result of the work of the commission was the rehabilitation of many people innocently convicted by the Stalinist regime.

The new leadership did not have a clear reform program, so one of the main areas of change was the "personnel revolution" - the change of part of the party and Soviet leaders. In January 1987, the Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, at which Gorbachev made a report "On Perestroika and Personnel Policy," recognized the need to select personnel on the basis of such a criterion as their support for the goals and ideas of perestroika. Opponents of the reforms, members of L. I. Brezhnev's "team" were eliminated: V. V. Grishin, D. A. Kunaev, G. V. Romanov, N. A. Tikhonov, V. V. Shcherbitsky. The ideas of the General Secretary were shared by members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the party: E. K. Ligachev, V. M. Chebrikov, E. A. Shevardnadze, secretaries of the Central Committee: B. N. Yeltsin and A. N. Yakovlev. The following scientists were involved in the search for constructive ideas: A. Aganbegyan, L. Abalkin, A. Grinberg, P. Bunich, S. Shatalin, T. Zaslavskaya. Under the pretext of fighting conservatism, there was a massive replacement and "rejuvenation" of party and state cadres both at the central and local levels.

M. S. Gorbachev and A. N. Yakovlev, one of the main ideologists, "architects" of perestroika

Constitutional reform 1988–1990

The first failures of perestroika (the failure of acceleration, the growth of the budget deficit as a result of the anti-alcohol reform) showed that radical changes cannot be achieved without deep transformations of the economy and the political system. In January 1987, the Central Committee of the CPSU recognized the need for measures to develop the elements of democracy. The democratization of social and political life was facilitated by the introduction of alternative elections of party secretaries, the election of heads of enterprises and institutions.

Questions of the reform of the political system were discussed during the XIX All-Union Party Conference (June-July 1988). Its decisions provided for the creation of such attributes of democratic socialism as a system of separation of powers, parliamentarism within the Soviets, and civil society. The conference discussed the need to stop the substitution of the CPSU for economic and state bodies, the importance of redistributing power functions from party structures to Soviet ones.

From the document (Report by M. S. Gorbachev at the XIX All-Union Party Conference):

The existing political system turned out to be unable to protect us from the growth of stagnation in economic and social life in recent decades and doomed the reforms undertaken at that time to failure. The increasing concentration of economic and managerial functions in the hands of the party political leadership has become characteristic. At the same time, the role of the executive apparatus was hypertrophied. The number of persons elected to various state and public bodies reached a third of the adult population of the country, but at the same time, their bulk was excluded from real participation in solving state and public affairs.

Gorbachev proposed to form a new supreme body of power - the Congress of People's Deputies, to turn the Supreme Soviet into a permanent parliament. Based on the decisions of the conference, amendments were made to the Constitution of the USSR. Changes in the electoral legislation boiled down to the following: the elections were supposed to be held on an alternative basis, to make them two-stage, a third of the deputy corps to be formed from public organizations.

In the spring of 1989, elections were held for people's deputies of the USSR under a new electoral law. For the first time there was a public discussion of various election programs. The composition of the deputies included many supporters of the continuation of radical reforms: B. N. Yeltsin, G. Kh. Popov, A. D. Sakharov, A. A. Sobchak, Yu. N. Afanasiev. At the same time, the elections of deputies revealed a fall in the popularity of Gorbachev's supporters and an increase in the influence of his opponents.

From the document (Election platform of A. D. Sakharov. 1989)

1. Elimination of the administrative-command system and its replacement with a pluralistic one with market regulators and competition. The elimination of the omnipotence of ministries and departments ...

2. Social and national justice. Protection of the rights of the individual. The openness of society. Freedom of belief...

3. Eradication of the consequences of Stalinism, the rule of law. Open the archives of the NKVD - MGB, publish data on the crimes of Stalinism and all unjustified repressions ...

5. Support for the policy of disarmament and resolution of regional conflicts. Transition to a fully defensive strategic doctrine.

On the first day of work, the First Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR (May-June 1989) elected Gorbachev Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The meetings of the congress were broadcast live on television. On the last day of the Congress, an Interregional Group of People's Deputies was formed (co-chairs of the group: A. D. Sakharov, B. N. Yeltsin, Yu. N. Afanasiev, G. Kh. society.

Congress session

At the second stage of the constitutional reform (1990-1991), the task of introducing the post of President of the USSR was put forward. III Congress of People's Deputies in March 1990 elected M. S. Gorbachev. After becoming president, Gorbachev retained the post of General Secretary of the Party Central Committee. A. I. Lukyanov was elected Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The congress made changes to the Constitution that abolished the one-party system in the USSR, Article 6, which consolidated the leading position of the CPSU in society. The decisions of the congress opened the possibility for the formation of a multi-party system in the country.

Reform of the political system of the USSR during the period of perestroika

a radical change in the electoral system and the introduction of democratic principles into it;

the establishment of a two-tier system of the highest legislative power in the country (the Congress of People's Deputies and the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, elected from the deputies of the congress);

direct representation of public organizations. Of the 2,250 deputies of the Congress - 750 from the CPSU, trade unions, etc.;

the transformation of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR into a permanent parliament;

introduction of legal control - the Committee of Constitutional Supervision;

liquidation of the monopoly right of the CPSU by abolishing Art. 6 of the Constitution of the USSR;

the formation of a multi-party system;

approval of the post of President of the USSR and the election by the III Congress of People's Deputies in March 1990 to this position M.S. Gorbachev;

change in the structures of the highest executive power, reorganization of the government and the creation of the Cabinet of Ministers, subordinate to the President.

Formation of a multi-party system

The abolition of the 6th article of the Constitution created the conditions for the formation of a multi-party system. Back in May 1988, the Democratic Union, headed by E. Debryanskaya and V. Novodvorskaya, proclaimed itself the first "opposition" party of the CPSU. The goal of the party was proclaimed to be a peaceful, non-violent change in the political system in order to establish a representative parliamentary democracy in the country.

V. Novodvorskaya, 1988 Sąjūdis logo

In April of the same year, political movements emerged in the Baltics: Sąjūdis in Lithuania, Popular Fronts in Estonia and Latvia, which became the first real independent mass organizations.

The parties formed in the USSR reflected all the main directions of political thought. The liberal trend included the Democratic Union, Christian Democrats, Constitutional Democrats, and Liberal Democrats. The largest of the liberal parties was the Democratic Party of Russia, founded in May 1990 by N. Travkin. In November 1990, V. Lysenko, S. Sulakshin, V. Shostakovsky created the Republican Party of the Russian Federation.

N. I. Travkin, founder of the Democratic Party of Russia

The socialist and social democratic trends were represented by the Social Democratic Association, the Social Democratic Party of Russia, and the Socialist Party.

In June 1990, the Communist Party of the RSFSR was formed, led by I.K. Polozkov. The party leadership adhered to the traditional Marxist-Leninist ideology.

From the document (Speech by I. K. Polozkov, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the RSFSR, 1991):

It is now clear to everyone that perestroika, conceived in 1985 and launched by the party and the people as a renewal of socialism... did not take place.

The so-called democrats succeeded in substituting the goals of perestroika and seized the initiative from our party. Society is at a crossroads. The people are being deprived of their past, their present is being destroyed, and so far no one has intelligibly said what awaits them in the future.

It must be admitted that the CPSU was not able to discern the beginning of the degeneration of perestroika in time, and allowed this process to gain momentum...

There can be no talk of any multi-party system in our country now. There is the CPSU, which stands for socialist perestroika, and there are leaders of a few political groups that ultimately have one political face - anti-communism.

By the 28th Congress of the CPSU, a number of trends had developed in the party: radical reformist, reformist-renovationist, traditionalist. The congress failed to overcome the crisis of the party. A mass exit from the CPSU of ordinary members began. By the summer of 1991, the membership of the party was reduced to 15 million people. Attacks on Gorbachev and the perestroika course became more frequent in the leadership of the CPSU.

Two trends turned out to be at the center of the emerging political struggle - communist and liberal. Communists advocated the development of public property, collectivist forms of social relations and self-government.

The liberals insisted on the privatization of property, individual freedom, a system of full-fledged parliamentary democracy, and a transition to a market economy.

The time of existence of many parties turned out to be short, they disintegrated, uniting with other organizations. In the context of the growing political crisis, Gorbachev pursued the tactics of maneuvering between conservatives and reformists, trying to contain the extremes. However, the lack of firmness and determination in the implementation of reforms had a heavy impact on the economy. The rejection of party leadership of the economy had grave consequences: it had not yet become self-regulating, and the old mechanism was destroyed. In the conditions of rising inflation, falling production, declining living standards, and a shortage of goods, it became obvious that the idea of ​​perestroika had practically exhausted itself.

exacerbation of interethnic relations

Against the background of the democratization of society, pluralism and openness, the national question has become more acute. The growth of interethnic tension was facilitated by economic difficulties, the deterioration of the environmental situation due to the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. inconsistency and inconsistency of national policy. In November 1987, Gorbachev stated that "the national question has been resolved in our country" and that the actual leveling of the republics in terms of the level of political, socio-economic and cultural development has been achieved.

Reasons for the aggravation of interethnic relations

Meanwhile, back in December 1986, in response to the appointment of G. Kolbin as the first secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan instead of the dismissed D. Kunaev, Kazakh youth staged mass protests in Alma-Ata under the slogans “Give the Leninist national policy!”, “We demand self-determination !”, “Each nation has its own leader!”, “No 1937!”, “Put an end to great-power madness!”. The demonstrators were dispersed by the authorities.

Zheltoksan-86

From the document (N. Kenzheev. Mukhtar Ablyazov about the Decembrists, repressions and Nazarbayev):

... The question was not that he (Kolbin) was Russian. He was not from Kazakhstan, a protege of Moscow. That is, he could afford not to focus on the Kazakhstani political elite, not to collude with them and not particularly consider their interests. Therefore, the local political elite was interested in squeezing him out so that they would have their own functionary in power, with whom they could resolve their issues, influence him.

Armed clashes on the basis of interethnic conflicts have become more frequent. On February 20, 1988, an extraordinary session of the regional council of Nagorno-Karabakh (NKAO) decided to petition the Supreme Soviets of Azerbaijan and Armenia to withdraw the region from Azerbaijan and include it in Armenia. The problem of Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-majority territory incorporated into Azerbaijan in 1923 out of a desire to please Turkey, caused bloody clashes between the two Soviet republics. On February 27-29, 1988, pogroms and extermination of Armenians took place in the suburbs of Baku - the city of Sumgayit. Troops were brought in to rescue the people.

From the document (V. Krivopuskov. Rebellious Karabakh):

... By the evening of February 27, the tribune speeches turned into violent actions. Hundreds of Sumgayit Azerbaijanis, inflamed by rallies, warmed up by alcoholic drinks distributed free of charge from trucks (these facts were established by the investigation), freely proceeded to pogrom the apartments of Armenians, their mass beatings, and murders, which lasted until late at night. The state, party and law enforcement agencies of the city and the republic did not react to the unprecedented unrest in the city. Sumgayit completely passed into the power of the rioters.

Victims of the massacre of Armenians in Sumgayit

In 1989, Novy Uzen (Kazakhstan), Transnistria became the focus of interethnic clashes in 1989. In the same year, there were bloody clashes between Uzbeks and Meskhetian Turks in the Ferghana Valley in Uzbekistan. The resulting conflicts have resulted in the emergence of thousands of refugees.

Meskhetian Turks who suffered in the Ferghana Valley

From the document (A. Osipov. "Ferghana Events" twenty years later. History without a lesson?):

But why exactly Fergana? Why did thousands of people who yesterday, without the permission of the authorities, were afraid to speak at a collective-farm meeting, rushed to the rally and to the pogrom? The answers, alas, are in the realm of conjecture. It is plausible to suggest that the root cause of the riots, or rather the atmosphere that made the riots possible, was the "cotton business". First, the depressing impression of the “fight against corruption” and mass repressions. Then came the shock of a sharp change in Moscow's policy and the struggle around the "Gdlyan-Ivanov case." Perplexity from the new leadership of the Uzbek SSR, which at times showed weakness and confusion. And during the First Congress of Deputies of the USSR, the usual picture of the world generally shook and began to crumble. People's hands itched and they wanted to speak out, but they didn't know how. A local incident became a valve through which the accumulated steam rushed out. The presence of organizers and behind-the-scenes manipulators raises serious doubts, but a provocation could well have taken place. Perhaps her goal was to disrupt the establishment of the Birlik branch in the Fergana region. It was not difficult to turn the rally into riots and take away part of the crowd to beat the Turks. Enough of a dozen, as it is now customary to say, "gopniks" sitting on the hook at the "organs", especially when the region was disturbed by rumors of fights with the Turks in Kuvasay.

In April 1989, protest rallies took place in Tbilisi for several days. The demonstrators demanded democratic reforms and the independence of Georgia. The demonstration of supporters of Georgia's secession from the USSR was dispersed by the forces of the Soviet army and internal troops. The Abkhaz population spoke out for revising the status of the Abkhaz ASSR and separating it from the Georgian SSR.

In 1990, an interethnic conflict broke out on the territory of the Kyrgyz SSR between the Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, known as the Osh massacre.

The country's leadership was not ready to solve the problems caused by interethnic conflicts.

"PARADE OF SOVEREIGNTY"

The inability of the Gorbachev government to suppress the separatist sentiments of the national regions led to the intensification of the desire of individual republics to secede from the USSR. Especially strong was the desire to form sovereign states in the Baltic republics. If at first the activists of national movements insisted on recognizing the native language as official and ensuring the real independence of local authorities, then in the late 1980s. the demand for the separation of the economy from the all-Union national economic complex came to the fore in their programs.

In the fall of 1988, representatives of the popular fronts won the elections to the central and local authorities of the Baltic republics. In November 1988, the Declaration of State Sovereignty was adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR. Similar documents were approved in Lithuania, Latvia, the Azerbaijan SSR (1989) and the Moldavian SSR (1990). Presidents of the new sovereign republics were elected.

On June 12, 1990, the First Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR adopted the Declaration on the State Sovereignty of Russia, which confirmed the priority of republican laws over union ones. B. N. Yeltsin was elected the first president of the Russian Federation, and A. V. Rutskoi was elected vice-president.

B. N. Yeltsin

From the document (Declaration on State Sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic of June 12, 1990):

First Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR,

Conscious of the historical responsibility for the fate of Russia,

Testifying respect for the sovereign rights of all the peoples that make up the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics,

Expressing the will of the peoples of the RSFSR,

solemnly proclaims the state sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic throughout its entire territory and declares its determination to create a democratic constitutional state within the renewed USSR.

1. The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic is a sovereign state created by the peoples historically united in it.

2. The sovereignty of the RSFSR is a natural and necessary condition for the existence of the statehood of Russia, which has a centuries-old history, culture and established traditions.

3. The bearer of sovereignty and the source of state power in the RSFSR is its multinational people. The people exercise state power directly and through representative bodies on the basis of the Constitution of the RSFSR.

4. The state sovereignty of the RSFSR is proclaimed in the name of higher goals - ensuring to every person the inalienable right to a decent life, free development and use of their native language, and to every people - to self-determination in their chosen national-state and national-cultural forms ...

Power gradually passed from the center to the republics. The country entered a period of disintegration, aggravated by interethnic conflicts. On the agenda was the question of the continued existence of the Soviet Union. The country's leadership hastily tried to take steps to formalize a new Union Treaty, the first draft of which was published on July 24, 1990. Attempts were made to preserve the Soviet Union by traditional (forceful) measures. In April 1990, the economic blockade of Lithuania began. In January 1991, events took place in Vilnius and Riga, accompanied by the use of military force. On the night of January 12-13, 1991, the troops brought into Vilnius occupied the Press House, the buildings of the Committee on Television and Radio Broadcasting, and other public buildings.

The entry of tanks into Vilnius in January 1991. The funeral of the dead in Vilnius

The IV Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR in December 1990 spoke in favor of preserving the USSR and transforming it into a democratic federal state. A resolution was adopted "On the general concept of the union treaty and the procedure for its conclusion", which noted that the basis of the renewed Union would be the principles set forth in the republican declarations: the equality of all citizens and peoples, the right to self-determination and democratic development, territorial integrity. On March 17, 1991, an all-Union referendum was held to resolve the issue of maintaining the renewed Union as a federation of sovereign republics. 76.4% of the total number of persons participating in the voting were in favor of preserving the USSR. The referendum was not supported by Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia.

Prerequisites for the collapse of the USSR

August 1991 political crisis

In April May 1991, in Novo-Ogaryovo, the residence of the President of the USSR near Moscow, MS Gorbachev met with the leaders of nine union republics, during which the issue of a new union treaty was discussed. The negotiators supported the idea of ​​signing an agreement on the creation of the Union of Sovereign States (USG) as a democratic federation of equal Soviet sovereign republics. August 20, 1991 was set as the date for the signing of the treaty.

On the eve of the signing of the treaty, there was a split in society. Gorbachev's supporters hoped for a decrease in the level of confrontation in the country. A group of social scientists criticized the draft treaty, regarding it as the result of the capitulation of the center to the demands of the separatist forces in the republics. Opponents of the new treaty warned that the dismantling of the USSR would cause the collapse of national economic ties and deepen the economic crisis.

Conservative forces in the country's leadership attempted to disrupt the signing of the treaty. In the absence of President Gorbachev, on the night of August 19, 1991, the State Committee for the State of Emergency (GKChP) was created, consisting of Vice President G. Yanaev, Prime Minister V. Pavlov, Defense Minister D. Yazov, KGB Chairman V. Kryuchkov, Minister Internal Affairs B. Pugo, Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU O. Baklanov, President of the Association of State Enterprises A. Tizyakov and Chairman of the Peasants' Union V. Starodubtsev. Declaring the impossibility of Gorbachev to perform presidential duties due to his state of health, the GKChP assumed full power. The putschists saw their tasks in overcoming the economic and political crisis, interethnic and civil confrontation and anarchy. A state of emergency was introduced in the country for a period of 6 months, rallies and strikes were prohibited. The GKChP suspended the activities of opposition parties and movements and established control over the media. Troops were sent to Moscow and a curfew was set.

Members of the State Emergency Committee: G. I. Yanaev - Vice President of the USSR, V. S. Pavlov - Prime Minister of the USSR, V. A. Kryuchkov - Chairman of the KGB of the USSR, A. I. Tizyakov - President of the Association of State Enterprises of the USSR, O. D. Baklanov - Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, First Deputy Chairman of the Defense Council, V. A. Starodubtsev - Chairman of the Peasant Union of the USSR, B. K. Pugo - Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR, D. T. Yazov - Minister of Defense of the USSR.

The leadership of the RSFSR, headed by President B. N. Yeltsin, addressed the citizens, condemning the actions of the State Emergency Committee as an unconstitutional coup. The appeal announced the transfer to the jurisdiction of the Russian president of all all-union executive bodies located on the territory of the republic.At the call of Yeltsin, tens of thousands of Muscovites took up defensive positions around the White House. An active role in organizing the rebuff to the putsch was played by new entrepreneurs who provided financial and technical assistance to the leaders of Russia. On August 21, 1991, an emergency session of the Supreme Soviet of Russia was convened, which supported the leadership of the republic. On the same day, Soviet President Gorbachev returned to Moscow. On August 22, members of the GKChP were arrested. August 23 Yeltsin signed a decree on the termination of the activities of the CPSU.

White House defenders, August 1991

collapse of the USSR

The consequence of the events of August 1991 was the refusal of most of the republics to sign the Union Treaty. The collapse of the USSR became irreversible. At the end of August, Ukraine announced the creation of an independent state, followed by other republics.

In December 1991, a meeting of the leaders of the three sovereign states of Russia (B. Yeltsin), Ukraine (L. Kravchuk) and Belarus (S. Shushkevich) took place in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (BSSR). On December 8, they announced the termination of the union treaty of 1922. An agreement was reached on the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ceased to exist. On December 21, at a meeting in Alma-Ata, eight more former republics joined the CIS.

Signing of an agreement on the creation of the CIS, 1991

From the document (To Soviet citizens. Speech on television by the President of the USSR on December 25, 1991):

... I understood that starting reforms on such a scale and in such a society as ours is the most difficult and even risky business. But even today I am convinced of the historical correctness of the democratic reforms that began in the spring of 1985.

The process of renewal of the country and fundamental changes in the world community turned out to be much more complicated than one might have imagined. However, what has been done should be appreciated:

Society received freedom, liberated politically and spiritually. And this is the most important achievement, which we have not yet fully realized, and because we have not yet learned how to use freedom. Nevertheless, work of historical significance has been done:

The totalitarian system, which deprived the country of the opportunity to become prosperous and prosperous, has been liquidated.

A breakthrough has been made on the path of democratic reforms. Free elections, freedom of the press, religious freedoms, representative bodies of power, and a multi-party system have become real. Human rights were recognized as the highest principle.

A movement towards a multi-structural economy has begun, the equality of all forms of ownership is being affirmed. As part of the land reform, the peasantry began to revive, farming appeared, millions of hectares of land were given to rural residents and townspeople. The economic freedom of the producer was legalized, and entrepreneurship, corporatization, and privatization began to gain momentum.

Turning the economy to the market, it is important to remember that this is done for the sake of the person. In this difficult time, everything should be done for his social protection, especially for the elderly and children...

The restructuring is over. Its main result was the collapse of the USSR, the completion of the Soviet period of development in the history of the Fatherland.

Goals, implementation, results of perestroika