Gorbachev's Program of Change: Sources, Significance, Prospects

Abstract

In the fall of 1987, the Soviet Union had become the most interesting country in the world. What is happening there is nothing less than a gigantic experiment, now only in its infancy. The massive changes initiated in the Soviet Union call to mind Robespierre's observation that one week in the life of a revolution may produce more significant events'than an entire year of normalcy. But to change the Soviet system, the new course initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev needs far more than a single year. It will require at least a decade. In one of the world's most secretive countries, there is now official talk of openness. In a society that has known not a single day of genuine democracy, the leadership preaches democratization and grass roots participation in the institutions of governance. A state that has put an extraordinary premium on stability and conformity is shifting toward innovation and individuality. Today, authorities promote clashing views where once a single truth was proclaimed the only truth. While continuing to emphasize patriotism, the authorities no longer equate it with a cult -of the military. They are retreating from the idea of a "perfect society," from the goal of a secular utopia that they invoked in the past to justify the shortcomings of Communist rule. They are now beginning to recognize the errors of the past in order to avoid perpetuating or repeating them. In this sense, the new mood reflects