Title: Gorbachev’s Reforms: The Factor which Broke the USSR? | by Ethan Friend | History of Yesterday
Headings: Gorbachev’s Reforms: The Factor which Broke the USSR?
Gorbachev’s Reforms: The Factor which Broke the USSR?
Was the USSR’s final leader the cause of its colapse?
Gorbachev’s Reforms
Boris Yeltsin
Nationalism
Economic Weakness
Conclusions

Content: This created a new position of president of the Soviet Union, appointed by the Congress of People’s Deputies. Gorbachev’s hoped this would provide him with more power however, it proved he lacked legitimacy as he was unelected into that position. This caused him to be widely criticised by other politicians who had been elected. Gorbachev also saw the introduction of multi-candidate elections in 1989. Nationalists who wanted to break up the USSR used the 1990 republic elections to campaign for independence. It also led to the emergence of Boris Yeltsin as a popular figure, whose aim was to replace the USSR with independent states. Boris Yeltsin
Yeltsin played a key role in the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 also. After being elected in the 1989 elections, he used his democratic mandate to step up his criticism. He formed and led the Inter-Regional Deputies Group (IRDG) which was effectively an oppositional group to the Communists. Yeltsin presented himself as a key rival of Gorbachev, and successfully questioned his right to rule since Gorbachev had never stood for election.