Was Perestroika Doomed from the Outset?
The theory that perestroika was doomed from the outset is a convincing one. The
question explicitly denotes that that there were factors that would have made it inevitable that perestroika was doomed from the beginning. Although, it can be said that a multitude of consequent events may have led to its failure, rather than it being a failed program before it was even implemented. Perestroika or restructuring was an initiative, in which the fundamental pillars of its being were glasnost and democratisation, two things the USSR had relatively no experience of. The newly introduced lack of censorship through glasnost was a major factor in perhaps why perestroika was doomed to fail. It introduced clarity and openness to a system, which thrived upon secrecy. "The Soviet system thrived
on three pillars, ideology, the CPSU and a strong state. Gorbachev proceeded to
undermine them all."
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