I was always under the impression that Gorbachev was a naïve optimist who tried to reform the USSR too rapidly, but failed. So how exactly did he screw up and how could the USSR have been saved?
I was always under the impression that Gorbachev was a naïve optimist who tried to reform the USSR too rapidly, but failed. So how exactly did he screw up and how could the USSR have been saved?
The answer is very complex. I recommend you read these: Why Doesn't The Soviet Union Exist Any More?, and Socialism Betrayed: Behind the Collapse of the Soviet Union, by Roger Keeran and Thomas Kenney. I'd also recommend the book Collapse by Vladislav Zubok, but I don't have a PDF for that.