The Gorbachev Revolution: Will its economic reforms succeed? (USAWC Military Studies Program paper)
by Linwood P. Bailey, Army War College (U.S.)
Category: Perestroĭka

This study is an assessment of Mikhail S. Gorbachev's domestic economic reform program - Perestroika. He inherited an economically sick country when he assumed the post of General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party in March 1985. In an effort to jump-start the Soviet economy, he has implemented comprehensive internal domestic and external foreign policy changes under the framework of Perestroika and Glasnost. However, because of the years of Soviet government centralization, hyperbureaucracy and inflexibility, Gorbachev's reform programs have not met expectations. To what extent can Gorbachev's policies gain acceptance and succeed? What are the fundamental factors influencing his economic programs? To what degree might his reforms be reversible? The answer to these questions will shape the future of the Soviet Union and determine how the West formulates its foreign policy strategy in the future.