Word: central
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Gorbachev had in fact prepared eleven draft decrees along those lines, but chose not to put them to a vote at the plenum. Some Western analysts took this as a sign that he had yet to overcome resistance from conservatives among the Central Committee's 307 members, 60% of whom are holdovers from the Brezhnev era. Gorbachev is widely expected to seek a purge of such foot draggers at a national party conference that he has scheduled for June 1988. Nonetheless, the plenum left little doubt about his political strength, which was underscored by the naming of three...
...past month, and especially in the wake of the Central Committee session, Gorbachev has moved decisively in the direction of what he calls radical reform. Before the plenum, some Western analysts suspected that perestroika was largely a rhetorical exercise backed by a set of diluted half- measures. But Gorbachev's latest proposals, along with recent declarations by some of his key economic advisers, point to more far-reaching structural changes. Economist Abel Aganbegyan, for example, has advocated letting prices rise to market levels. At present, government subsidies on such items as food, clothing and shelter run to $114 billion...
...scope of Gorbachev's reforms and the vigor with which they are being pursued indicate that they are not merely a Potemkin village of minor improvements designed for foreign consumption. Standing before the Central Committee last month, Gorbachev irrevocably put his political future on the line in favor of principles that sound like those the West has always championed: economic freedom, individual rights and private initiative...
...support for military aid to the contras rose to 43% on July 15, from 29% on June 1, White House Spokesman Marlin Fitzwater called North's testimony "helpful." President Reagan echoed North in his weekly radio commentary. "The American people are tired of the off-on again policy in Central America," he said...
...also given a boost to their cause. The Administration says the rebels have put nearly 15,000 soldiers inside Nicaragua, up from 5,000 last December. Last week the contras announced that 500 soldiers attacked and overran a strongly held Sandinista garrison at San Jose de Bocay in north-central Nicaragua. Although the Defense Ministry in Managua announced fewer casualties and a much less successful assault than contra leaders claimed, the insurgents said it was their biggest victory since the rebellion began six years ago. Contra military progress could help swing moderate lawmakers in favor of continued funding when...