Word: blame
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...passive way in which many Soviets deal with the drudgery of daily life infuriates Shinkaretsky. "We shouldn't have to put up with these things," he says, tightening his jaw in anger. "And our society should recognize that it is we who are to blame. Instead of being consumer-minded, many people are parasites. They expect to be given good food, good roads and good education, but they don't want to push for anything themselves. This is a revolution, and no one will do your revolution for you." Bidding a quick goodbye, Shinkaretsky is off again, this time...
Some parents blame the teachers. For years, teachers have been one of the most conservative elements of Soviet society, barking orders like drill sergeants and demanding ready obedience. In many schools, parents are called in for collective meetings, where they hear their children denounced before other adults. Any mother or father who tries to defend his child does so at the risk of seeing him later punished by his teacher. Boyko agreed that many teachers are not prepared for reform. "They don't have the strength to change, or they think the old ways are just fine," she said...
...that the cleanup was going well enough that there was no need for the Federal Government to take over. That seemed to be a polite way of saying there was no way for the feds to speed things, so Washington might as well stay out and avoid sharing the blame for what the President called a major tragedy...
Most Western experts, along with rueful Soviets, blame the country's industrial ministries for stifling initiative and innovation. "I used to have to go to the ministry with the smallest change in our work," says Boris Fomin, director of the Elektrosila plant. "They issued hundreds of instructions, which usually contradicted one another. There was no strategic guidance." While Gorbachev's industrial reform required enterprises to wean themselves from government subsidies by January 1989, the majority of Soviet factories still rely on Moscow for merchandise orders, supplies and financial support...
Brezhnev has suffered an even more dramatic fall from grace. His strongest negative rating, 80%, comes from Communist Party members who bitterly blame him for abusing his post and causing the party's prestige to decline. On the other hand, Nikita Khrushchev, a reformer of sorts who was thrown out of office and saw his reputation tarnished before he died, is enjoying a modest boost in popularity. More than 29% view him favorably, compared with only 5% for Brezhnev...