Från Gorbatjovs Sovjet Till Gorbatschows Ryssland: Konsten Att Lösa Upp Ett Imperium 1

Abstract

The author describes how the anti-alcohol campaign of Mikhail Gorbachev not only was a failure, but also accelerated the breakdown of the Soviet empire, by undermining the legitimacy of the state apparatus. The reasons for this were many. The state lost most of its tax income leading to an ever-accelerating inflation; black market and illicit distillation expanded leading to criminalization and increased supply of low quality alcohol; and a well-organized hoarding economy developed, as the shortage of commodities increased, beginning with sugar and yeast. The anti-alcohol campaign therefore acted as an important element in the disintegration process, made possible by perestroika and glasnost.

Another main factor was the growing strength of ethnicity, which became an explosive political force underlining the significant cultural differences between the wine consumers in the southern regions and the northern vodka-drinking Russians. National liberation movements in the Soviet Republics such as Moldavia and Georgia were fostered by the fact that the grapevine, their national pride, was defiled. Gorbachev's campaign was therefore doubly counterproductive: the system broke down – but King Alcohol remained the true ruler over the Russians.