An end to the east‐west conflict?

Abstract

Perestroika has been gratefully seized upon in the West as heralding the end of the East‐West conflict. But Gorbachev's inspiration for perestroika is Lenin's New Economic Policy of 1921. The strategy of NEP was (1) to loosen up the economy with some private incentives; (2) to allow some symbolic freedoms while tightening party discipline and expanding the role of the Cheka; (3) to engage the sympathy of the West and enlist Western technological aid in overcoming the crisis. This paper traces parallels between Gorbachev and the Lenin strategy and proposes the following questions as the foundation for attempts to deal with Soviet policies under Gorbachev: Is there still a commitment to a Leninist victory? How will the areas of freedom expand in the USSR? What are the limits to arbitrary power? When will military production be curtailed?