Question

Why did hardline communist leaders resent Mikhail Gorbachev?

Answer 1

E. Because he was not a spy, was not inefficient, his reforms were helping people, and he never had the idea of dictatorship.

Answer 2

Answer:

C. His reforms were empowering people to rise up against the soviet government.

Explanation:

As a part of his effort to improve the Soviet Union’s economy, Gorbachev introduced a reform called perestroika. Perestroika was about remodeling the country’s political and economic systems. For the political system, perestroika allowed multiple candidates to run for elections in the country instead of just one. Empowering the public through elections was a way of bringing some democracy to the Soviet Union.

Under perestroika, the Soviet government also loosened its grip over the economy. It limited the communist government’s interference in business, and it allowed private ownership of property and businesses.

Another policy Gorbachev established was called glasnost. Glasnost encouraged government transparency. It ensured that governmental activities and actions were clearly known to the public. Furthermore, glasnost gave the citizens of the Soviet Union the right to express their views. As a result, people started criticizing the Soviet government. At the same time, the new policy of transparency made the shortcomings of the Soviet system even more obvious to Soviet citizens.

To make matters worse for the Soviet government, Gorbachev’s reforms empowered the media. Journalists began publishing negative facts about the Soviet system.

The consequences of Gorbachev’s reforms were not as he had expected. With their newfound social freedom, citizens started carrying out strikes and other forms of protests. Because of this increasing unrest, the Soviet economy worsened. As a result, food shortages also worsened, and prices continued to rise.