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?
He had big ideas but was honestly terrible at politics. Once he opened the political discourse he quickly found himself being opposed by both the anti-petrastroika conservatives and more radical liberals mad that Gorby wasn't going far enough with the reforms (basically those who wanted a full western bourgeois democracy).
He also had to deal with Chernobyl like a year into his reforms and totally botched it. It looked like a failed cover up to people afterwards but really Soviet officals were was just so confused about what was happening and in the first couple days. A lot of that was due to people trying to cover their own ass but Gorby didn't step in with any kind of leadership until west basically called him and explained what was going on in his own country. Wasn't a good look especially for the "transparency first" leader.
Even when the conservative coup happened in 91 to try to save the union Gorby didn't endorse the coup like they asked, but he didn't even oppose it either. He just kinda pouted while events played out around him. So not even the radical liberals had a place for him in the end even though he basically helped them overthrow the country unknowingly. They only gave him a pension not linked to inflation so he gets like $20 a month from the former USSR states now lol. Just terrible political survival instincts.