Re: Gorbachev : in what way did he help his nation and in what way did he cause its e
personally i believe that Gorbachev was the ultimate catalyst for the failure of the Soviet Union and arguably the Cold War. But in order to recognise his beneficiaries towards the USSR as CPSU- as hard as it may be- try to look at his initial objectives.
Perestroika: you can argue that Gorby tried to improve the economy through its re-structuring. Positives? Economic reforms that aimed at improving the monetary factors of a country that was already overwhelmed by its debts and lack of $$$ because of the space and arms race/ afghanistan etc. Nevertheless, it did not help and "the economy remained as stagnant as it had under Brezhnev." (Gaddis)
Glasnost: Gorby tried to implement a romantic form of communism; originally developed by Marx. Despite Lenin modifying it to suit early 20th C Russia, obviously we saw it transform into a form of totalitarianism and dictatorship. Positive in Regards to Gorby: He allowed people to voice their concerns, 'openness' etccc for "society needed to be awoken from its lethargic and indifferent state and needed to be involved in the decision making process" (O' Sullivan). Once again, did not work; social revolts, did not suit the time, gorby not being pragmatic etc.
Demokratizatsiya: tried to bring democracy to Russia. [still failed for the same reasons as glasnost; Gorby could not please the communists or the conservatives]
Uskoreniye: acceleration, saw the need for the USSR to increase, develop and provide more efficiency in its social and economic developments.
This view is hard to argue but you can add in either things that stretch towards international contributions...i.e. non-proliferation treaties. Luckily with modern you do not have to agree with a quote so when the assessment comes up always argue against. It'll differentiate you against the others. If you do have to write about domestic contributions focus on the policies and his intentions...ignore the consequences and the results.
