Perestroika in the USSR. Why Russians do not like Gorbachov? Year 1985

USSR in 1985

Some people like him, others – don’t. Some people say that Gorbachev broke the USSR and ruined the huge and a powerful country, others – that he brought peace and broke the walls of misunderstanding. My own opinion is that Mikhail Gorbachev did not break the USSR he rather tried to control the inevitable demolition of the country.

The first cracks of the soviet regime became visible in the 80TH. Brezhnev was not a young and full of energy leader. He became old, slow and suffered numerous illnesses. His appearance on TV screens was minimal, but still the Communist Partyconferences were broadcasted and people noticed that Brezhnev slowly turns into a walking ruin. Numerous jokes became popular about his appearance and a manner of speech. May be somewhere on the level of subliminal consciousness, the population of the USSR started to feel that his power has gone. His abilities were limited and his presence at demonstrations in the Red Square was commented like “Why, is he still capable to walk up himself on the stairs of the tribune?”

Not only simple people understood it. Party functionaries were actively discussing in a narrow circle a possible name of the ancestor of Brezhnev. Gorbachev was not treated seriously at that time. He was already known in the party surrounding for his agricultural success in the south of the country, he was active and had numerous merits, but he was young. So when Leonid Brezhnev died in 1982 the Party stood against a difficult problem of finding someone to substitute him. As a result Andropov was chosen, a former head of the KGB of the USSR. The Communist Party probably expected him to return an influence of the party on the population. May be they expected him to be something like little Stalin with ability and connections to renew order in the country and to return an absolute obedience of people.

But the process of decay of socialism in the USSR has already started. Andropov actually tried to do his best in his own manner. He sent a police and KGB agents to theatres, cinemas and they checked people in a daytime. Why are you watching a film if you have to be at your working place now? A lot of people were questioned, reports were recorded. That was an attempt to maintain the economy of the country from default – to make all people work. Besides it was an attempt to support the power of a system. But such measures were not adequate, not continuous and all the idea of making an order in that way was doomed.

People started to whisper under Brezhnev rule and finally to speak more or less openly after his death about problems which country had. People asked themselves why we know only those things which are written in newspapers? Why the airline or train catastrophe is kept in secret from the population of the country? Why the people who live close to Semipalatinsk and other nuclear test sites suffer strange diseases? If we do not know about such evident things what else is kept behind the thick doors of Party committees? Besides each and every person wanted a better life and the population saw that Party members of the upper level live a different life. They make trips abroad, they have prestigious (at that time) cars. Why?

No-one knows what would happen if Andropov stayed longer at the wheel of the country. But he and his ancestor Chernenko died quickly and the party recalled about the young and prospective Mikhail Gorbachev.

1985. Gorbachev became a head of the Communist Party at a very hard time in the USSR. The country was exhausted by a long and expensive nuclear program and by attempts to overtake America in the number of nuclear heads. An expensive space program and other non profit programs were held for many years and demanded many human and material resources.

At that time Gorbachev actually had little choice. He could try to rule with an iron fist of tyranny or to let the reins go. If the country faced the war or if there was a natural calamity of national importance, then he would probably have a chance to unite the population under the slogan of fighting against a direct threat. Just remember the WWII. People who supported army, civil population of the country worked mostly for the idea. The country was united facing the threat of loosing Moscow as a capital of the country. People could be forced to do anything to save the country. It was possible in the 1941-1945 but not in the 1985. It was also not his manner of doing politics.

The second option was to try to control and to direct the process of country transformation. As a result a new word appeared - ”perestroika”. Perestroika changed not only the country, it changed everything.

In 1985 everyone liked Gorbachev. He gave people hope to change their lives. “We cannot live that life anymore. We should change it. We need “perestroika”. One by one the heads of ministries are changed. Gorbachev wants to see new faces and new approaches in the administration of the country.

His first years of governing were known by the campaign against alcohol. Probably history was not Gorbachev`s strongest side and he paid no attention to the United States on the 30 th and to the “dry law” which was a total failure in America.

First of all sale of vodka and wine was limited. Shops with vodka were opened only from 2 p.m. to 07 p.m. If you drink in the morning how can you work? There was a limit of 2 bottles of vodka per person. At the same time winery production was limited. As a result country had a shortage of vodka. Can you imagine Russian people without vodka? The truth is that not all Russians are alcoholics, anyway they drink. Not all need vodka just to doze away. Some people had weddings, birthdays or had to meet guests. Population in the USSR used to lack of majority of consumer goods, but lack of vodka became a huge problem. Queues near wine shops were huge. At 2 p.m. shops were opened and hundreds of thirsty people fought to enter first in the shop to buy their 2 legitimate bottles. Vodka wars were common in all big cities and small towns. There were people crippled, injured or jammed by crowd to death. Local authorities inspired by the orders from above did everything to stop people from drinking vodka. Films were censored and episodes with drinking were cut. In Crimea (the place of grape growing) thousands of acres of elite grapes were cut and plowed. The country lost the best winery materials and wine producing industry was totally destroyed.

If you had a wedding you had a big problem. First you could not buyvodka, second – if you had vodka you were not allowed to put it on the tables!! Weddings in those years were absolutely fascinating. No-one drank vodka but all were drunk. How is that? Oh, we can be inventive if necessary. Vodka was in bottles with mineral water, cognac in tea pots. Guests were asked if they wanted water or special water. Can you imagine that?

Moonshine production in villages and towns was flourishing. If people had no vodka they were ready to buy a cheaper substitute. This campaign gave Gorbachev a name of “Mineral Secretary” and a “Lemonade Joe”. People said “that is good that Gorbachev is only a sober person and fights against vodka. Just imagine if he were an impotent..”