What challenges did Gorbachev face in implementing economic reform?
What will be an ideal response?
Answers will vary. By the time Gorbachev called for the restructuring of the Soviet Union, the agenda he had set for political reforms had become overrun by calls for massive transformation throughout Russian society, including in the economy. Although Gorbachev had tried to initiate some reforms to the economy, it was overall too big and stagnant to support modernization. Some reformers called for decentralizing planning and production, which would have meant a systemwide overhaul. Previous economic reform had focused on fighting corruption, reviving worker control on the factory floor, and replacing political leaders with able technocrats. Gorbachev had been willing to make management changes, replacing corrupt factory managers, but the idea of letting the market dictate the economy, rather than the party, was something that seemed unthinkable at the time. Trying to spark the initiative for improved production levels or quality was not something that was part of the workers' mindsets, and was the legacy of the New Soviet Man. Gorbachev's reforms allowed the opening of small individual enterprises and gave more power to factory managers, but these reforms yielded a mixed response. Allowing true market reforms to take hold meant massive inflation when savings were devalued, putting the economic squeeze on the workers in society. Ultimately, this meant the collapse of communism.
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a. about 25 percent less b. at approximately the same level c. about 25 percent more d. rising, while it is falling in Europe
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a. By staging mass rallies b. By printing money c. By launching rearmament and public works programs d. By implementing price controls e. By nationalizing key industries
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