The recent revolution in the Soviet Union was largely bloodless. Once again, Russian society is being restructured, along with the dissolution of the union of the various Russian republics. The seeds of this new revolution can be found in the society of the Soviet Union over its history, a society that was tightly controlled by a growing and complex bureaucracy which intruded into every facet of life. The new revolution has attacked this bureaucratic structure, showing an awareness that much of the stagnation in soviet society derived from this central core and from the way in which it moved outward to encompass virtually everything in Soviet society. The issue to be faced is what sort of economic and social structure would be best for Russia. Attempts are under way to introduce and solidify democracy and capitalism, but for many in Russia the uncertainties of a capitalist system are simply too great. The latter would prefer some form of socialism. Still other observers see a need for a transition period with a socialist system to be replaced by a capitalist system when the people are more ready to cope with such a change and when the economy is strong enough to support it as well.
The economic and social situation when Gorbachev assumed power was already in deterioration, and the economy in particular was falling further and further behind the West. In 1985 he inherited a country with a stagnating economy, an ambitious but self-defeating foreign policy, and a corrupt and inept elite short of energy and ideas. The crisis facing Soviet society as the union disintegrated came from several sources, but the economic problems, the growing crime rate, the inter-ethnic violence, and the political struggles all derived from the deep crisis rising questions about the legitimacy of Soviet political institutions and the identity of the Soviet people.
Gorbachev brought about many changes in Soviet politics and society. In 1989 ...