The Evolution of Soviet Policy: Real Change or more of the Same

Abstract

The evolution of Soviet policy under Mikhail Gorbachev has caused continuing controversy in the West. His supporters believe that he is truly opening up (glasnost) and re-structuring (perestroika) the Soviet Union, whereas his detractors claim that he is just another communist, changing his means, but implacable about the goal of Soviet domination. The purpose of this paper is to compare Gorbachev's key policies with those of previous Soviet leaders, to analyze these comparisons, and to formulate conclusions on the evolution of Soviet policy--to answer the question: Is Gorbachev merely devising new and more clever means for continuing the October Revolution and expanding Soviet hegemony, or is he making real changes in both the means and ends of Soviet policy? The conclusions of this paper answer this question in the key Soviet policy areas of glasnost, economics, defense, and foreign affairs, with special emphasis on the 'German Question.' Keywords: Foreign governments; USSR leadership policies.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 13, 1989
Accession Number
ADA209578

Entities

People

  • William H. Thompson Jr.

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Cold War
  • Communism
  • Economic Policy
  • Economic Systems
  • Economics
  • Foreign Policy
  • Government (Foreign)
  • Governments
  • Health Services
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Political Systems
  • Security
  • Societies
  • Ussr
  • War Colleges

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.