Glasnost and perestroika were two words used by Mikhail Gorbachev during his campaign as leader of the Soviet Union. Translated from Russian to English, the two words become "openness" and "restructuring". However, the two were not alone, as a third word, uskorenie, was also used in Gorbachev's speeches. However, its translation was for the word "acceleration". As such,"with its unfortunate connotations of working faster, fell by the wayside."(Siegelbaum)
These two themes may never have come to prominence if not for the historical events that caused the Soviet Union to become as it was back then. Each and every event would later on come back to haunt them. The Soviet Union was a single party system that reflected values of socialism, but in actuality, was more totalitarian run by the Communist Party. Following the standard totalitarian mold, anyone with a differing opinion was easily and mysteriously deemed "missing."
The Soviets first took command in the 20's after World War 1. Being upset over their loss against Germany as well as the multiple atrocities they suffered at home. From there, the Communist Party seized control and established the government that would last for only 70 years. In that time, the Soviets would have a hand in 3 major wars and change the way of life for Americans everywhere. Also, think about how their way of life involved a great war between capitalism and communism that has raged on for decades.
There are five major leaders of the Soviets during their 70 years of existence: Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev, Gorbachev, and Yeltsin. From these five, three groups can be established on a timeline: the Buildup, with Lenin and Stalin, the Soviet "Golden Age" with Khrushchev, and the eventual Collapse with Gorbachev and Yeltsin. Given that it commanded about 15% of the world's land mass at its greatest size, 70 years is actually a good time span for such a unified area, seeing as how Napoleon held his for a much smaller width of time.
Looking at each phase, it is probably a good idea to see how the USSR developed as a whole, starting at the source. Adapting straight from Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto, Lenin took control of Russia as head of the Communist Party. He withdrew Russia from World War 1, losing a substantial amount of land, compounded from the losses the previous czar had taken as well. Lenin brought a new order to the Soviet Union, bringing in a solid, mechanical force to it as well. On his deathbed, his two disciples, Stalin and Trotsky, battled for supremacy.
When the dust cleared, Stalin had taken over the Soviet Union, and soon Communism lost some of its Socialist roots. Multiple Five Year Plans and Great Purges depicted Stalin as ruthless, manipulative, and cunning in his ways to control his countries. This "Man of Steel" (Stalin) first allied himself with Nazi Germany, although the two governments resented each others policies. It was, however, only a deal to regain Poland, one of its lost territories from World War 1. After a nasty backstab where Hitler pulls a Napoleonic complex stunt, they get our support from the Allies. However, remember, they also hate our way of government, so we still did not trust each other. Although we punish Germany at the Nuremburg trials, Stalin performed greater atrocities against his own citizens, and we do absolutely nothing about that, because at that point, we were "friends."
Just after the war ended, even before that, the friendship soon dissolved into distrust and anxiety. The Cold War had just begun, although until the Soviets actually acquired the bomb, it was only a tense standoff with U.S. President Truman pushing the atomic bomb in everyone's faces. (Hizynski) Once the Soviets acquired their bomb, then either of the two greatest superpowers of the world, the US or USSR, could press a single button and wipe out the planet and every single molecule and atom of existence on it. Given the Cuban Missile Crisis and Iranian oil concerns, both nations did come really close to going over the edge. Brinkmanship did not help either; neither nation wanted to back down, and they were willing to use their entire arsenal on each other.
As such with the paranoia during this time, the US was scarred for life in ways that were unpredictable. The most obvious changes are the religious additions to the American Pledge of Allegiance's phrase "under God" and the new motto "In God We Trust," which were both intended to rat out Communists from society, as they were noted to be atheist, although many Americans themselves would claim that as well. Communists could, in fact, still get by forging their religion, though. This Red Scare had Americans fleeing for their liberty from the subversive environment. American leaders feared that Communism would consume their nation.
Across the Pacific, though, the opposite was also true. There was paranoia in leaders about citizens who longed for democracies in their government as well, causing a call for revolution as well. Khrushchev was in charge here, and most authors and opposition disappeared due to him. However, once Gorbachev took power, the two famous words finally entered the limelight and set the nation on a new path; a path that would only lead to destruction and dissolution.
Glasnost, in context, was an opening of policies involving freedom of speech and religion in the USSR. Previously banned books flocked the libraries, and children learned more about the world in which they lived. New ideas of democracy erupted and took command soon after this point in time. People were free to criticize the government and include new ideas to them to change their nation.
One major concern, then, was the economic and social decay found everywhere in the USSR. Perestroika was the next plan, which was to reform the weakened financial crisis and get rid of the crimes that lingered in the streets of the major cities like Moscow. However, with substandard payment and an underdeveloped industrial capacity compared with Europe, as their only area where they were ahead was rocketry, until the 1969 moon landing, at least.
Unfortunately for Gorbachev, his policies created little success. "Lines got longer for scarce goods in the stores, civic unrest mounted, and bloody crackdowns claimed lives" (Ibiblio) during his time. The August coup that struck Moscow robbed Gorbachev of most of his power, until Boris Yeltsin crushed the rebellion, which was actually formed by members of the Communist Party aiming to return the USSR to its original strength. Yeltsin became a hero and was the first Soviet president to be elected in a public, democratic election.
For the final nail in the Soviet coffin, free elections also took place in most of the states that were satellites for the Soviets. Most Communistic governments were overturned and replaced with their democratic counterparts. During the 1990's, many discussions took place in an attempt to keep the Communist region alive, but to no avail. On Christmas 1991, Gorbachev resigned as the head of the USSR, which, at that point, was a position that no longer existed. After 70 years of overthrows, wars, and economic struggle, the Soviet Union was no longer a Union.
The two words glasnost and perestroika were at first only words that could make a policy to reenergize the USSR back to its superpower status. In reality, however, it would be a policy that spelled the end for the Communist society and its seemingly endless grip on the American people. An "age old" war between capitalism and communism had drawn to a close, and the USA had barely lifted a finger to set off this chain reaction that ultimately brought down the Soviet society. The countries that the USSR touched, China and North Korea for example, still act to try to reach that superpower strength that was displayed 65 years ago on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Will the same happen to them? Or are the Communists of today unable to take the same chance to change for the better?
