The Hazards of Half-measures: Perestroika and the Failure of Post-Soviet Democratization

Perestroika was the most dramatic chapter in the political history of the world in the late twentieth century. Yet, it did not fulfill what was arguably its loftiest promise—to lay firm foundations for lasting popular rule in Russia. The failure of democratization in post-Soviet Russia may be traced in part to two fateful shortcomings in perestroika: the tepidity of Gorbachev’s economic reforms and Gorbachev’s failure to empower popularly elected legislatures.