ABSTRACT
The disaster focused attention on the Mikhail Gorbachev regime, and became the subject of lengthy debates among scholars and scientists worldwide. The word Glasnost has been applied to various sectors of life to describe the opening of Soviet society in the Gorbachev era. The most outspoken of writers and playwrights immediately began to wonder whether some form of repression was about to occur, whether Gorbachev might be thrown out of power. At the 19th Party Conference, Gorbachev repeatedly demanded that enterprises should have more control over decision-making, introduce better technology, and that the country should concentrate on the production of more consumer goods and better housing. Western observers regarded Gorbachev's promotion to the Soviet leadership in March 1985 with a mixture of interest and trepidation. Gorbachev's initial focus was on the need to reduce or eliminate nuclear weapons.
