The Reforms and Systemic Change

At first sight, the reforms in the centrally planned economies of the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and China seem on the same track leading to a market economy. However, things are not always what they seem and the reforms actually differ considerably in their features and content. The initiative for reform in Eastern Europe sprang from a broad workers’ and citizens’ movement, whilst in China and the Soviet Union the initiative was taken by the top leaders of the ruling Communist Party. The weight of reform in the Soviet Union and in Eastern Europe was concentrated on the political issues of democratisation, freedom of speech and of the press, and independence for all nations and peoples. The aim of the reforms was to transform the existing Communist Party regime and to alter the international order in the Soviet bloc. In China, the reforms were concentrated on the economic aspects of society, rather than on the political system, and they were effected in more gradual steps. Below we will review the outlines and the development of reforms in some detail, while comparing the effects of the different type of reform adopted in each of the above cases.