11 - Party and economy under perestroika

Summary

After 1985, the established political and economic order began to fall apart. It is somewhat idle to speculate over whether the collapse was inevitable, or whether it could have been prevented or at least post-poned if Gorbachev had acted differently. Instead, this chapter will analyse developments from the point of view of the party's role in the economy.

In general, the years 1985 to 1991 showed the CPSU to be a very brittle organization. It displayed little ability to bend with the winds of change, and instead tried to persist in its old ways, until the whole structure shattered. Interestingly, while the party jettisoned its political powers one by one (control over the press, control over local Soviets, etc.), the regional party apparatus clung to its core role of economic supervision till the bitter end. Only with the suspension of the CPSU in August 1991 was the party's grip over the economy prised loose.

As glasnost and democratization took hold the traditional, routine duties of regional party organs were steadily overtaken by the accelerating pace of political change. Regional party officials found themselves fighting for their political survival in semi-free elections, and struggling to cope with a flood of additional challenges: ecological catastrophes, inter-ethnic strife, and a surge of worker unrest of unprecedented proportions.