[Gorbachev beholds a shattered hammer and sickle]

[Gorbachev beholds a shattered hammer and sickle]

Valtman, Edmund S.

Cartoon shows Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev looking in dismay at a massive stone hammer and sickle, now shattered into many parts. One of a new breed of Soviet leaders who ascended to power in 1980s, Gorbachev implemented political and cultural reforms such as perestroika (restructuring of the Russian economy) and glasnost (new "openness"). By 1991 he faced challenges from the deteriorating Soviet economy, communist hard liners, nationalists, and secessionists who desired independence for their republics. Although he survived a coup by hard-liners in August 1991, he found himself faced with the shattered remnants of the former Soviet power.

Library of Congress

1991 - 08 - 31

Library of Congress
Cartoon Drawings (Library of Congress)
https://www.loc.gov/item/2016687304/

Donor restrictions expired in 2005 (see below for amplification).