Perestroika meaning “restructuring”, aimed to change the economy and government. The policy introduced capitalist features, including private businesses. Military expenditure was reduced to increase spending for production of daily necessities. Leaders who were more receptive to new ideas were introduced to the government.
Inflation surged due to the increase in price of goods and salaries. There was no strong and stable market to replace the centrally planned economy. Factories were unable to cope with changes as the workers were used to state control and were of poor standards and lacked funds to operate. The pace of the policy was too fast and private enterprises were unable to cope. Governmental officers were not in full support of the policy and were reluctant to help the private enterprises. Combining capitalist and communist systems was difficult since Gorbachev wanted to run the economy in a capitalist way but the government in a communist way. The policy caused more problems in the state as fewer basic goods became available, increase in unemployment as state-owned enterprises retrenched workers to cut costs. The policies caused resentment of the government and Gorbachev.

References:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/be/Perestroika.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perestroika
http://www.answers.com/topic/perestroika

Glasnost, meaning “Openness” aimed for giving the media, press and the people more freedom. It reduced censorship of the media and press and allowed free elections.
People criticized the government and went on strikes. The failures of the nation, the communist party and corruption were publicized through the media. This weakened the communist party. There was a sense of insecurity among the people, since their life kept changing.

References:
http://www.answers.com/topic/glasnost
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasnost
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/USSR_stamp_Perestroyka2_1988_5k.jpg

Mikhail Gorbachev hoped to institute change in his nation’s economy, society, government and change the way his people were living. With the previous two leaders, adopting strict and repressive measures, he hoped to bring his nation to a new direction.

References:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLUR01HBG13wg4jIibLF5ryv5tEwDLOl8aj8mINnGuZY8ME2UEXLxRkPWm_CtQDlKb933yaZhkWV59vzI6sLKUnAc0OFlkPemMwQSJZV-XRg4XqOKPBhcqggJc0kCLaoJfeDEdi94vgM/s400/Mikhail+Gorbachev.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Gorbachev

This poster shows how Mikhail Gorbachev was actually viewed by the west. The then US president, George HW Bush was working together or even prompting the Sovet Leader, Mikhail Gorbachev to work towards German reunification.
Mikhail Gorbachev was viewed to be a liberal leader who wanted to reform the USSR both by the west and the east. However, he was viewed to be a weak leader at the same time, who caused the collapse of the USSR in 1991 even until today.

Reference:
http://www.usdemocrazy.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Germany-1990-reunite.jpg

Mikhail Gorbachev was made a member of the Communist Party Central Committee(CPSU) in 1971. In 1974, he was made a Representative to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union and Chairman of the Standing Commission on Youth Affairs. He was appointed to the Central Committee's Secretariat for Agriculture in 1978, replacing Fyodor Kulakov who died of a heart attack.
In 1979, Gorbachev was promoted to the Politburo, the highest authority in USSR, and received full membership in 1980.
During Yuri Andropov's tenure as General Secretary (1982–1984), Gorbachev became one of the Politburo's most visible and active members. Working together with Andropov, 20 percent of the governmental officers were placed mostly with younger replacements.
Gorbachev's positions within the CPSU created more opportunities to travel abroad, which would profoundly affect his political and social views in the future as leader of USSR. In 1972, he headed a Soviet delegation to Belgium, in 1975, led a delegation to West Germany; in 1983 headed a delegation to Canada to meet with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and members of the Commons and Senate. In 1984, he travelled to the United Kingdom, where he met British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Upon Andropov's death in 1984, the aged Konstantin Chernenko took power; after his death the following year, it became clear to the communist party that younger leadership was needed. Gorbachev was elected General Secretary by the Politburo on 11March 1985, only three hours after Chernenko's death. Upon his accession at age 54, he was the youngest member of the Politburo.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Gorbachev
http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3DMikhail%2BGorbachev%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dyfp-t-701%26fr2%3Dtab-web&w=332&h=500&imgurl=www.rankin.co.uk%2Fportfolios%2Fportraits%2F770_MIKHAIL_GORBACHEV.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rankin.co.uk%2Fportfolio%2Fportraits&size=58k&name=770+MIKHAIL+GORB...&p=Mikhail+Gorbachev&oid=2f7b6840b41e9478&fr2=tab-web&no=2&tt=13728&sigr=11bk76u77&sigi=11vveaum9&sigb=132j3iu7s

Until 1961, East German citizens were allowed to travel to West Berlin, even though travelling to West Germany became difficult after closing the border between East and West Germany in 1952. This was so as in May 1952 the open border (Zonengrenze) between East and West Germany was closed by the East German government.

In the years after 1952 it became more difficult and dangerous to escape to the West over this border.

However, the sectorial borders between East and West Berlin were not closed. Many East German citizens went to East Berlin and from there to West Berlin. Once arrived in West Berlin they either stayed there or fled to West Germany.

As such, East Germany lost too many skilled workers in these years.

The Wall was erected in 1961 because more than 2.6 million East Germans escaped to West Berlin or West Germany from 1949 to 1961. This was a huge number considering, the total population of East Germany was about 17 million.

The life in the West was much better than in the East after 1948. West Germany including West Berlin had got financial help through the Marshall Plan from the USA. In East Germany a communist system was established and many people had to suffer under repressions of the Communist party.

Another big problem were the two currencies in Germany and especially in Berlin. West German DM had been exchanged into East German DM at a rate of 1:4 (1 DM West = 4DM Ost) in West Berlin.

People with West German DM could get goods very cheaply in the Eastern part of Berlin.

The East German government saw no other way to prevent from escaping to the West via Berlin than closing the border between East and West Berlin on August 13, 1961.

Mikhail Gorbachev attended the important twenty-second Party Congress in October 1961, where Nikita Khrushchev announced a plan to surpass the U.S. in per capita production within twenty years. At this point in his life, Gorbachev would rise in the Communist League hierarchy and worked his way up through territorial leagues of the party. He was promoted to Head of the Department of Party Organs in the Stavropol Agricultural Kraikom in 1963. In 1970, he was appointed First Party Secretary of the Stavropol Kraikom, a body of the CPSU, becoming one of the youngest provincial party chiefs in the nation. In this position he helped reorganise the collective farms, improve workers' living conditions, expand the size of their private plots, and give them a greater voice in planning.

Perestroika meaning “restructuring”, aimed to change the economy and government. The policy introduced capitalist features, including private businesses. Military expenditure was reduced to increase spending for production of daily necessities. Leaders who were more receptive to new ideas were introduced to the government.
Inflation surged due to the increase in price of goods and salaries. There was no strong and stable market to replace the centrally planned economy. Factories were unable to cope with changes as the workers were used to state control and were of poor standards and lacked funds to operate. The pace of the policy was too fast and private enterprises were unable to cope. Governmental officers were not in full support of the policy and were reluctant to help the private enterprises. Combining capitalist and communist systems was difficult since Gorbachev wanted to run the economy in a capitalist way but the government in a communist way. The policy caused more problems in the state as fewer basic goods became available, increase in unemployment as state-owned enterprises retrenched workers to cut costs. The policies caused resentment of the government and Gorbachev.

References:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/be/Perestroika.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perestroika
http://www.answers.com/topic/perestroika

Glasnost, meaning “Openness” aimed for giving the media, press and the people more freedom. It reduced censorship of the media and press and allowed free elections.
People criticized the government and went on strikes. The failures of the nation, the communist party and corruption were publicized through the media. This weakened the communist party. There was a sense of insecurity among the people, since their life kept changing.

References:
http://www.answers.com/topic/glasnost
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasnost
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/USSR_stamp_Perestroyka2_1988_5k.jpg

Mikhail Gorbachev hoped to institute change in his nation’s economy, society, government and change the way his people were living. With the previous two leaders, adopting strict and repressive measures, he hoped to bring his nation to a new direction.

References:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLUR01HBG13wg4jIibLF5ryv5tEwDLOl8aj8mINnGuZY8ME2UEXLxRkPWm_CtQDlKb933yaZhkWV59vzI6sLKUnAc0OFlkPemMwQSJZV-XRg4XqOKPBhcqggJc0kCLaoJfeDEdi94vgM/s400/Mikhail+Gorbachev.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Gorbachev

This poster shows how Mikhail Gorbachev was actually viewed by the west. The then US president, George HW Bush was working together or even prompting the Sovet Leader, Mikhail Gorbachev to work towards German reunification.
Mikhail Gorbachev was viewed to be a liberal leader who wanted to reform the USSR both by the west and the east. However, he was viewed to be a weak leader at the same time, who caused the collapse of the USSR in 1991 even until today.

Reference:
http://www.usdemocrazy.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Germany-1990-reunite.jpg

Mikhail Gorbachev was made a member of the Communist Party Central Committee(CPSU) in 1971. In 1974, he was made a Representative to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union and Chairman of the Standing Commission on Youth Affairs. He was appointed to the Central Committee's Secretariat for Agriculture in 1978, replacing Fyodor Kulakov who died of a heart attack.
In 1979, Gorbachev was promoted to the Politburo, the highest authority in USSR, and received full membership in 1980.
During Yuri Andropov's tenure as General Secretary (1982–1984), Gorbachev became one of the Politburo's most visible and active members. Working together with Andropov, 20 percent of the governmental officers were placed mostly with younger replacements.
Gorbachev's positions within the CPSU created more opportunities to travel abroad, which would profoundly affect his political and social views in the future as leader of USSR. In 1972, he headed a Soviet delegation to Belgium, in 1975, led a delegation to West Germany; in 1983 headed a delegation to Canada to meet with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and members of the Commons and Senate. In 1984, he travelled to the United Kingdom, where he met British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Upon Andropov's death in 1984, the aged Konstantin Chernenko took power; after his death the following year, it became clear to the communist party that younger leadership was needed. Gorbachev was elected General Secretary by the Politburo on 11March 1985, only three hours after Chernenko's death. Upon his accession at age 54, he was the youngest member of the Politburo.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Gorbachev
http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3DMikhail%2BGorbachev%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dyfp-t-701%26fr2%3Dtab-web&w=332&h=500&imgurl=www.rankin.co.uk%2Fportfolios%2Fportraits%2F770_MIKHAIL_GORBACHEV.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rankin.co.uk%2Fportfolio%2Fportraits&size=58k&name=770+MIKHAIL+GORB...&p=Mikhail+Gorbachev&oid=2f7b6840b41e9478&fr2=tab-web&no=2&tt=13728&sigr=11bk76u77&sigi=11vveaum9&sigb=132j3iu7s

Until 1961, East German citizens were allowed to travel to West Berlin, even though travelling to West Germany became difficult after closing the border between East and West Germany in 1952. This was so as in May 1952 the open border (Zonengrenze) between East and West Germany was closed by the East German government.

In the years after 1952 it became more difficult and dangerous to escape to the West over this border.

However, the sectorial borders between East and West Berlin were not closed. Many East German citizens went to East Berlin and from there to West Berlin. Once arrived in West Berlin they either stayed there or fled to West Germany.

As such, East Germany lost too many skilled workers in these years.

The Wall was erected in 1961 because more than 2.6 million East Germans escaped to West Berlin or West Germany from 1949 to 1961. This was a huge number considering, the total population of East Germany was about 17 million.

The life in the West was much better than in the East after 1948. West Germany including West Berlin had got financial help through the Marshall Plan from the USA. In East Germany a communist system was established and many people had to suffer under repressions of the Communist party.

Another big problem were the two currencies in Germany and especially in Berlin. West German DM had been exchanged into East German DM at a rate of 1:4 (1 DM West = 4DM Ost) in West Berlin.

People with West German DM could get goods very cheaply in the Eastern part of Berlin.

The East German government saw no other way to prevent from escaping to the West via Berlin than closing the border between East and West Berlin on August 13, 1961.

Mikhail Gorbachev attended the important twenty-second Party Congress in October 1961, where Nikita Khrushchev announced a plan to surpass the U.S. in per capita production within twenty years. At this point in his life, Gorbachev would rise in the Communist League hierarchy and worked his way up through territorial leagues of the party. He was promoted to Head of the Department of Party Organs in the Stavropol Agricultural Kraikom in 1963. In 1970, he was appointed First Party Secretary of the Stavropol Kraikom, a body of the CPSU, becoming one of the youngest provincial party chiefs in the nation. In this position he helped reorganise the collective farms, improve workers' living conditions, expand the size of their private plots, and give them a greater voice in planning.

"Education is a weapon whose effects depend on who holds it in his
hands and at whom it is aimed."

Stalin is the name, born on December 21st, 1879
Proudly Russian and Communist
Superior Dictator

Andrew, Gloria, Sheng Yi
Janice, Zhao Siu, Josephine
Chen Hui, Wen Sin, Yichen
Hao Jing, Zhenyu, Mona
Wikipedia
friends
friends

February 2010
March 2010
April 2010

colors
fruitstyle
reference
misterdeejay
bennington
icons
sixthmile
fruitstyle
coded by
negativity