Land Reform Vote Urged by Gorbachev
President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, assailed for indecision on overhauling the economy, called today for a national referendum on whether to end the collectivization of farmland and return it to individuals.
It apparently would be the first national referendum ever in the Soviet Union, and Gorbachev’s proposal reflects the deep split in opinion about how to rescue the economy.
He spoke a day after 50,000 protesters marched to the Kremlin and demanded the resignation of Gorbachev and his prime minister over the state of the economy, which is plagued by under-productivity and worsening consumer shortages.
In a 30-minute address to the national Parliament today, Gorbachev said the fate of farmland “is too big a decision, comrades, to be made in offices, auditoriums or meeting halls--even as important as the one in which we are working today.”
Gorbachev stopped short of advocating any specific proposals.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
