Gorbachev in 1990 (Edexcel A-Level History): Revision Notes

Gorbachev in 1990

Constitutional reform

By 1990, Gorbachev faced a significant political dilemma. Democratisation had successfully weakened the Communist Party, but it had failed to create a strong government in its place. This created serious problems for Gorbachev, who desperately needed powerful central authority to push through his economic reforms and maintain order across the Soviet Union.

The process of democratisation had also raised fundamental questions about the role of the Communist Party in Soviet politics. Boris Yeltsin demanded a new constitution that would officially end the Communist Party's leading role in government. Gorbachev himself recognised the need for constitutional change, but for different reasons. He wanted constitutional reform that would grant him new powers to tackle the Soviet Union's deepening economic and political crises.

The presidency

Creation of the presidency

In March 1990, Gorbachev was appointed as President of the Soviet Union. This appeared to be a victory in the short term, but it ultimately created enormous problems for Gorbachev in the longer term.

Reasons for creating the presidency

Gorbachev established the presidency for several interconnected reasons. Primarily, he wanted to increase his personal power. Democratisation had actually weakened his position rather than strengthening it. He had hoped that democratisation would provide him with a power base independent of the Communist Party. However, whilst democratisation had given the Supreme Soviet new authority, Gorbachev found himself unable to control this newly empowered institution.

As a result, Gorbachev decided to create a new position—President of the Soviet Union—which would be independent of both the Communist Party and the Supreme Soviet. This new office would give him the authority he needed to implement his reforms without relying on these increasingly difficult-to-control institutions.

The appointment vs election dilemma

Gorbachev faced a crucial decision: should he stand for election as President, or should he be appointed to the position? Standing for election was a significant gamble. Yeltsin's popularity had been steadily increasing since the 1989 elections, and there was a real possibility that Yeltsin, rather than Gorbachev, would win a presidential election.

To avoid this risk, Gorbachev decided that the President would be appointed by the Congress of People's Deputies, where he still had majority support. Whilst this strategy ensured Gorbachev's appointment as President, it had a serious consequence: Gorbachev lacked democratic legitimacy.

Emergency powers and their consequences

Following his appointment, Gorbachev was granted emergency powers for 18 months. These special powers were intended to help him deal with the economic crisis and the growing unrest in the republics.

Gorbachev used these emergency powers in controversial ways. On various occasions, he:

• Censored the press
• Deployed Soviet troops to restore order, particularly in the non-Russian republics

Shevardnadze's resignation

The most dramatic consequence of Gorbachev's use of emergency powers came in December 1990, when Eduard Shevardnadze, a key supporter of Gorbachev throughout the 1980s, resigned from the government. Shevardnadze's resignation was highly significant because he publicly claimed that Gorbachev had abandoned the path to democracy.

This resignation demonstrated how Gorbachev's attempt to strengthen his position had actually alienated some of his most important allies and supporters.

Conclusion: Gorbachev in 1990

By 1990, it was becoming clear that Gorbachev's reform programme had produced outcomes very different from those he had intended. He had hoped that glasnost (openness) and democratisation would help revitalise both the Communist Party and the Soviet economy. However, the reform process failed to achieve either of these goals. Instead, it contributed significantly to the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union.

The failure of glasnost and democratisation

Greater openness had destroyed the authority of the Communist Party. Simultaneously, glasnost allowed the anti-communist opposition to openly criticise the government, something that would have been impossible in earlier years. Democratisation had weakened the Communist Party further by bringing its democratic legitimacy into serious question. If the Party had never been elected by the people, why should it have the right to rule?

The destruction of Gorbachev's power base

By 1990, Gorbachev's own reforms had destroyed his power base. This created a paradox: whilst he desperately needed power to implement further reforms, his earlier reforms had stripped away the very sources of his authority. As a result, he found it increasingly difficult to push through his reform agenda.

The refusal to stand for election

Significantly, although Gorbachev repeatedly stressed the importance of democracy, he refused to stand for election as President. This decision meant that he never gained a popular mandate for either his power or his reforms. This lack of democratic legitimacy became a critical weakness that undermined his authority throughout 1990 and beyond.

Misunderstanding the people's mood

Gorbachev consistently hoped and believed that the Soviet people would support his reform agenda. However, this belief proved to be fundamentally mistaken. Gorbachev had misunderstood the mood of the people. Ultimately, democratisation undermined the Soviet Union because the Soviet people had lost faith in both the Communist Party and the Union itself. They wanted more radical change than Gorbachev was prepared to offer, or they wanted independence for their republics rather than reform of the existing system.