Why was Mikhail Gorbachev the last leader of the USSR?

Answer 1

He was more liberal, unlike the other hardcore Communist leaders.

Gorbachev's attempts at reform as well as summit conferences with United States President Ronald Reagan contributed to the end of the Cold War, ended the political supremacy of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.

Gorbachev's primary goal as General Secretary was to revive the Soviet economy after the stagnant Brezhnev years. In 1985, he announced that the Soviet economy was stalled and that reorganization was needed. Gorbachev proposed a "vague programme of reform", which was adopted at the April Plenum of the Central Committee. He called for increased industrial and agricultural productivity, fast-paced technological modernization, and attempted to reform the Soviet bureaucracy to be more efficient and prosperous. Gorbachev soon realised that fixing the Soviet economy would be near-impossible without reforming the political and social structure of the Communist nation.

Gorbachev announced his new policy of perestroika in 1986. The new policy of "reconstruction" was introduced in an attempt to overcome the economic stagnation by creating a dependable and effective mechanism for accelerating economic and social progress. According to Gorbachev, perestroika was the "conference of development of democracy, socialist self-government, encouragement of initiative and creative endeavor, improved water and disciplined, more glasnost, criticism and self-criticism in all spheres of our society. It is utmost respect for the individual and consideration for personal dignity."

The Central Committee Plenum in January 1987 would see the crystallisation of Gorbachev's political reforms, including proposals for multi-candidate elections and the appointment of non-Party members to government positions. He also first raised the idea of expanding co-operatives at the plenum. Economic reforms took up much of the rest of 1987, as a new law giving enterprises more independence was passed in June and Gorbachev released a book, Perestroika: New Thinking for Our Country and the World, in November, elucidating his main ideas for reform. In 1987 he rehabilitated many opponents of Stalin, another part of the De-Stalinization, which began in 1956, when Lenin's Testament was published.

1988 would see Gorbachev's introduction of glasnost, which gave new freedoms to the people, including greater freedom of speech. This was a radical change, as control of speech and suppression of government criticism had previously been a central part of the Soviet system. The press became far less controlled, and thousands of political prisoners and many dissidents were released. Gorbachev's goal in undertaking glasnost was to pressure conservatives within the CPSU who opposed his policies of economic restructuring, and he also hoped that through different ranges of openness, debate and participation, the Soviet people would support his reform initiatives.

The Law on Cooperatives enacted in May 1988 was perhaps the most radical of the economic reforms during the early part of the Gorbachev era. For the first time since Lenin, the law permitted private ownership of businesses in the service, manufacturing, and foreign-trade sectors. The law initially imposed high taxes and employment restrictions, although these were ignored by some SSRs. Later the restrictions were revised to avoid discouraging private-sector activity. Under the provision for private ownership, cooperative restaurants, shops, and manufacturers became part of the Soviet scene. Under the new law, the restructuring of large 'All-Union' industrial organisations also began. Aeroflot, was split up eventually becoming several independent airlines. These newly autonomous business organisations were encouraged to seek foreign investment.

In June 1988, at the CPSU's Party Conference, Gorbachev launched radical reforms meant to reduce party control of the government apparatus. He proposed a new executive in the form of a presidential system, as well as a new legislative element, to be called the Congress of People's Deputies. Elections to the Congress of People's Deputies were held throughout the Soviet Union in March and April 1989. This was the first free election in the Soviet Union since 1917. Gorbachev became Chairman of the Supreme Soviet (or head of state) on 25 May 1989. On 15 March 1990, Gorbachev was elected as the first executive President of the Soviet Union with 59% of the Deputies' votes being an unopposed candidate. The Congress met for the first time on 25 May in order to elect representatives from Congress to sit on the Supreme Soviet. Nonetheless, the Congress posed problems for Gorbachev; its sessions were televised, airing more criticism and encouraging people to expect ever more rapid reform. In the elections, many Party candidates were defeated. Furthermore, Boris Yeltzin was elected in Moscow and returned to political prominence to become an increasingly vocal critic of Gorbachev.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Gorbachev#Domestic_reforms

Answer 2

While both men were raised within the Soviet system and believed in Communism (as they had been taught), both came from different life experiences, and different educational backgrounds; and they lived in very different times. Khrushchev was head of the USSR during the cold war; that meant he maintained the tough, anti-western, authoritarian stance that was typical of the Soviet Union. (It may be a bad translation that quotes him as telling the US "we will bury you," but there is no denying he genuinely believed the Soviet Union was superior to the US and would prevail in the cold war.) The US, on the other hand, regarded Russia as the enemy, and Americans were extremely opposed to communism. Neither side showed much interest or much willingness in changing their rhetoric, and there was little if any trust.)

But by the time Gorbachev took over, times were changing, and even though the Soviet Union and the US were not necessarily close, there had been thaws in the cold war mentality in both countries. President Ronald Reagan was certainly opposed to communism, but he gradually came to believe it was possible to have a relationship with Gorbachev. This would not have been possible back in the 1950s-60s, but it was much more achievable in the 1980s. Gorbachev was also willing to engage in improving communication with the US. More important, he was interested in modernizing his country, and in being more open and less authoritarian than some of his predecessors.

Answer 3

He was the last leader of the USSR because the USSR seperated six years later.

Answer 4

he was less cruel and suspicious