Politics, Diplomacy, and the Media: Gorbachev's Legacy in the West

by Anthony R. DeLuca

Overview

Mikhail Gorbachev was a major force at the center of political change in the latter half of the 20th century. His emphasis on the spoken word and the visual image was so pronounced that the character of the reform program he introduced became both a reflection and an extension of his own political persona. To promote his political program, Gorbachev depended upon the media to assist him in delivering his message and restructuring the Soviet experience; it was almost as if he believed that he could talk a revolution into existence. He hoped to promote both real and symbolic change, but found instead that such efforts led to his own downfall.

Gorbachev's case is an example of the power of personality in transforming a political culture. The author organizes his material into three topic areas: perestroika, glasnost, and New Thinking in foreign policy; and, in each of these areas he highlights Gorbachev's relations with the media, his public image, and the political influence of the media. Gorbachev's New Thinking influenced Soviet foreign policy and set in motion a change in the international environment, as he preached disarmament and international understanding as opposed to military confrontation and nuclear conflict. The net result, however, was the loss of the Soviet Empire in Eastern Europe and the end of the Soviet Union's superpower status.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275959685
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/30/1998
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

ANTHONY R. DELUCA is Professor of History at Emerson College. He has travelled widely in Europe, Eastern Europe, and Russia. His other books include Great Power Rivalry at the Turkish Straits: The Montreux Conference and Convention of 1936 and Personality, Power, and Politics: Observations on the Historical Significance of Napoleon, Bismarck, Lenin, and Hitler.

Table of Contents

Personality, Charisma, and Leadership
The Making of an International Persona
Youth, Politics, and Style
Leadership and Ideological Reform
Perestroika and the Search for New Politics
"Perestroika" as Political, Social, and Economic Reform
Stalinism and the Andreyeva Letter
Sakharov and the Congress of Peoples' Deputies
Yeltsin and the Russian Alternative
Glasnost: The Media and the Formation of a New Political Culture
Glasnost in Theory and Practice
News Media: Print and Broadcast Jourbanalism
The Emergence of a New Popular Culture
Foreign Policy: Gorbachev Style
"New Thinking"
Summitry and Internationalism
The Peace and Disarmament Offensive
Into the Abyss and Beyond
The Great Master of Improvisation
The August Coup
Resignation, Controversy, and Assessment
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Addressing a general audience, DeLuca (history, Emerson College) provides an account of former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev's leadership and the controversy over his political significance and legacy. Also addressed is the way he transformed political discourse within the Soviet Union and altered the Soviet Union's relationship with the rest of the world, although the author adds that his efforts ended up destroying the system he had originally set out to reform. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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