The political and economic changes that occurred in the Soviet Union in the six and one-half years of Mikhail Gorbachev’s tenure as General Secretary were breathtaking in their scope and rapidity, going far beyond most observeiS’ expectatiom. Certainly, the process of refonn which we call perestroilal transfonned the ossified one-party socialist state that had prevailed underGorbachev’s predecessors. The reasons for embarking on such a coume of reform were varied-eamomic aism and a decline in the Soviet state’s ability to provide social welfare services for its citizens, an increasingly
apathetic population, and a tense international environment-all of
these factoiS convinced the Soviet leadeiShip of the necessity of drastic
change. The policies of Gorbachev set refonn in motion: freeing public
expression (glllsnost); encouraging economic decentralization and private
initiative; and creating a more cooperative relationship with the West.