Gorbachev nationalism

• Soviet republics


  • Russia
  • Ukraine
  • Uzbekistan
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Georgia
  • Latvia
• Soviet Communist Party governed entire Soviet Union, republics had little independence
• Each republic had its own government, but the people in power owed loyalty to the Soviet system
• ‘Soviet nationalism’ had been encouraged – loyalty to the Soviet Union rather than to independent republics, but this was unpopular in many of the republics
• Gorbachev genuinely believed Soviet citizens had become a united ‘Soviet people’
• Gorbachev wanted effective government rather than a representative one
• In the politburo, there was only one non-Russian
• Soviet government became more dominated by Russians, causing resentment
• Economic reforms caused declining standards of living in the republics, linked to their new Russian leaders, resulting in increased nationalism
• Glasnost and democratisation led to greater calls for independence and republic autonomy
• Nationalists used glasnost to publish materials demanding greater autonomy
• The Sinatra Doctrine allowed much greater freedom across the Easter Bloc
• Gorbachev rejected Brezhnev Doctrine


  August 1989
• Communism fell across Eastern Europe between Oct and Nov


  1989
• Berlin Wall comes down in East Germany


  9th November 1989
• Nationalists in non-Russian republics hoped for similar events as in Eastern Europe
• Tbilisi Massacre 1989 in Georgia led to concern in the republics about the use of lethal force against nationalists
• Democratisation allowed greater representation for nationalists in parliamentary elections
• Newly elected parliament of Lithuania declared independence

  March 1990
• Gorbachev declared Lithuania's independence illegal and imposed economic sanctions
• Yeltsin claimed laws made by Russian parliament were legally superior to Soviet laws, indicating rising nationalism in Russia
• Soviet forces occupied press and tv headquarters in Lithuania, causing outrage


  Jan 1991
• Yeltsin began creating a Russian army to defend against Soviet attack
• Gorbachev proposed a referendum for all people in Soviet Union

  March 1991
• 6 republics refused to participate in the referendum
• 76% of the other 9 republics voted to remain in the Soviet Union
• Russia elected Yeltsin as president


  June 1991
• Gorbachev announced the treaty establishing a Union of Sovereign States

  21st August 1991
• The Coup of 1991 failed and collapsed on 21st Aug 1991
• Yeltsin suspended the Communist Party on 23rd August
• Republics of Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan declared independence out of fear of Communist Party’s actions in the coup
• Commonwealth of Independent States formed in December 1991