Perestroika, glasnost and demokratizatsiya

Emeritus Professor Archie Brown explains how Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union in 1985 and describes the domestic and international situation the USSR found itself in at this point of the Cold War.

He discusses Gorbachev's political and economic agenda and priorities, looks at the support and opposition he had to his programme, assesses Gorbachev's achievements and failures, and provides a definition of three of the key concepts of his leadership: Perestroika, glasnost and demokratizatsiya. 

This film is part of our film series that looks at Russian history through the lens of leadership from Alexander II to Yeltsin. New films will be published throughout 2024.