The History of Perestroika
History of Perestroika... there's so much on the subject and yet - so little! Sure, you'll find tons of manuscripts and articles that'll tell you how it was economically and politically - but I've always felt it just not that.
I believe you can't learn and understand Russia by reading research papers. Science is great, of course, but it can't always replace personal experience - which is double true when it comes to our mysterious country. You need to see and feel beyond the numbers!
"Gorbachev", "Glasnost","Perestroika"... these words made (and still make) so much buzz, but to Russians they do mean a lot. This was the enormous collapse of the old System and the birth of something new, something we've never experienced before. A catastrophe - and a new hope. The end - and the beginning.
So what was it all about? In short, during towards the end of eighties, Soviet economy became totally unviable. It was completely dependant on oil prices, and most of the budget (up to 90%) was spent on military needs. When oil prices fell - so did USSR's financial system.
That was one of the turning points in the history of Perestroika.
In addition, Soviet government was completely inefficient. Chances are the country would enter the crisis even without financial meltdown - a leadership where everything is decided by a small group of people is doomed to make fatal mistakes.
That's when Mikhail Gorbachev entered the picture, coining the term "Perestroika". Many people blame him for what he did, claiming he ruined the country. I totally disagree - I believe Gorbachev saved it.
Although I was a kid, I remember those times well. The deficit was terrible - buying a kilo of sugar was an adventure. Lines everywhere - even for the most basic things. And worst of all - towards the end of it all, the shops became empty. Simply empty.
Things were slightly better in Moscow and in government bodies like the army and KGB, but it didn't change anything - the country faced a full-scale threat of hunger.
No wonder - the farming industry was completely ruined by government intervention, and USSR didn't have cash to pay for import of consumer goods any more.
There was no way Gorbachev could stop it - he could only prolong the agony, worsening the future collapse tenfold. He had to change the system.
And so, he declared a new policy of democratization.
The meaning of "Perestroika" is "rebuilding", e.g. the country had to be completely rebuilt. This included "glasnost" - accountability and permission to openly criticize the establishment. Plus, he allowed a degree of free-trade, creating another well-known term "kooperativ", which was a Soviet word for "private company".
My dad worked in one. The business was totally chaotic, mostly buying and reselling stuff, but it was so much better than that monstrous economy of the Soviet Union! Alas, not everything was that good.
The history of Perestroika has many dark pages as well, including organized crime, corruption and prostitution - all due to enormous decline in the level of life and the newly-appeared gap between rich and poor.
Lots of movies, including world-known "Little Vera", were filmed on the issue, thanks to the lack of censorship. Society was adapting to the new reality!
Still, those problems didn't appear overnight. There was hidden struggle with mafia going on behind the curtains way before Perestroika, we just didn't know about it.
Same goes for difference between social classes - the truth was far away from official propaganda. In fact, some of Moscow schools and universities, including the MSU, turned into closed elitist clubs - with no "equal opportunity for everyone".
As you see, Gorbachev hasn't started it - he simply stopped trying to hide and contain the problems, as they would burst anyway sooner or later. But despite everything I still believe that change was for the best.
In other case - who knows if I'd be writing this article?
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