Differences over Economics in the Soviet Leadership, 1988-1990
Abstract
This Note discusses the most important differences on economic issues that emerged among the key figures in Soviet leadership between the summer of 1988 and December 1990. It focuses on four central issues: the range of differences on agricultural policy, how to deal with the Soviet Union's financial crisis, what to do about pricing policy, and the overall goal of economic reform. The Note discusses the consequences the struggle over these issues has had for the Soviet economy and for the evolution of Mikhail Gorbachev's attitude toward reform. The most notable difference between this period and the period preceding 1988 is that Mikhail Gorbachev gradually ceased to emerge as a radical reformer. The further reform proceeded, the less radical and more hesitant Gorbachev appeared. Communist leaders have moved along with changes in public opinion, but not at the same speed as society at large. As a result, the communist leadership as a whole has fallen behind the development of public opinion, rendering itself increasingly irrelevant to Soviet society. Continuous disagreements at the top have underlined their inability to act as and when necessary. The outstanding feature of the period 1988-1990 is that Soviet communist leaders failed to act and therefore lost the power to affect economic trends. An important reason for their passivity was that they rarely managed to agree on anything important in the sphere of economics. The Soviet leadership was characterized by such a degree of strife that it was considered virtually atomized. The fall of 1990 marked a consolidation of the conservative elements of the Soviet political elite. In spite of aggravated public acrimony, the political center around Gorbachev broke with the radicals and tried to join forces with conservative communist groups, such as the military and the military-industrial complex. Gorbachev changed from a radical reformer to a right-centrist absorbed with maintaining his own power.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA428214
Entities
People
- Anders Aslund
Organizations
- RAND Corporation