Mikhail Gorbachev had ideas that seemed great at the time, but overall are said to have help cause the Soviet Union to collapse. With the power of hindsight, what are things that Gorbachev could've done differently, that might have been able to actually save the USSR the way he intended.
Gorbachev's two main reforms were Glasnost and Perestroika, the former allowing for more free speech, the ability to criticize the government, and greater freedom to the press, and the latter liberalizing the economy with decentralization of state-run industries and allowing for some private industry among the citizens as well. He allowed for foreign media to be aired in the USSR, allowed for much greater freedom to travel abroad to the west, and also did a major crackdown on alcohol consumption (which was a terrible idea, and the US already proved it long beforehand).
While it had positive effects at the start, ultimately it came when the population itself was very dissatisfied with their way of life, and used the free speech to openly criticize the government in ways that the politburo couldn't stand up to, combined with the freer press and the ability to travel abroad exposing them to how much better life was outside of communism. The limited capitalist measures brought on by Perestroika were great, but also left people wanting more. It was a perfect storm that led to the USSR's collapse at the end of 1991.
But... I think if things were done a little differently, the USSR could've survived. For one, I've seen this suggested before: Don't do Glasnost and Perestroika at the same time. Do Perestroika first, and after some time has passed and spirits are lifted, gradually introduce Glasnost reforms. In other words, slowly and not all at once. I'd also NOT do that ill-fated anti-alcohol campaign as all it did was make people mad and hurt industries that were otherwise thriving. Also, the USSR would still need to remain authoritarian above it all, similar to China in this regard, so they would need to retain a strong central government even while liberalizing.
Of course, it's easy to say stuff like that now, with the benefit of hindsight and not being in that situation, but I think it's worth discussing. What else should've been done differently during this time?
Gorbachev's two main reforms were Glasnost and Perestroika, the former allowing for more free speech, the ability to criticize the government, and greater freedom to the press, and the latter liberalizing the economy with decentralization of state-run industries and allowing for some private industry among the citizens as well. He allowed for foreign media to be aired in the USSR, allowed for much greater freedom to travel abroad to the west, and also did a major crackdown on alcohol consumption (which was a terrible idea, and the US already proved it long beforehand).
While it had positive effects at the start, ultimately it came when the population itself was very dissatisfied with their way of life, and used the free speech to openly criticize the government in ways that the politburo couldn't stand up to, combined with the freer press and the ability to travel abroad exposing them to how much better life was outside of communism. The limited capitalist measures brought on by Perestroika were great, but also left people wanting more. It was a perfect storm that led to the USSR's collapse at the end of 1991.
But... I think if things were done a little differently, the USSR could've survived. For one, I've seen this suggested before: Don't do Glasnost and Perestroika at the same time. Do Perestroika first, and after some time has passed and spirits are lifted, gradually introduce Glasnost reforms. In other words, slowly and not all at once. I'd also NOT do that ill-fated anti-alcohol campaign as all it did was make people mad and hurt industries that were otherwise thriving. Also, the USSR would still need to remain authoritarian above it all, similar to China in this regard, so they would need to retain a strong central government even while liberalizing.
Of course, it's easy to say stuff like that now, with the benefit of hindsight and not being in that situation, but I think it's worth discussing. What else should've been done differently during this time?