How and Why Did The Soviet Union Collapse

Ralph Ryan Silvestre September 19, 2020
III-BA POS
Introduction to Comparative Politics
Prof. Bernard Macinas
How and Why did the Soviet Union Collapse?

December 25, 1991 Soviet President Mikhail Gorbacev announced “We are living in a
new world.” And with these seven words, Soviet Union was dissolved and Gorbacev stepped
down from his post. After forty years of cold war and the threat of a nuclear holocaust, the
world’s largest communist state broke up into 15 independent republics meaning the USA was
now handed the accolade of new world superpower.
At it’s strongest, the Soviet Union had over 5 million soldiers stationed around the world
and they all stepped down without a shot being fired under the new regime.
In the late 1980s, the Soviet Union appeared to be somewhat of a power house, exhibiting
a rigid recovery from the invasion of Afghanistan, and with an economy that appeared to be
performing well. The Union appeared from the surface as powerful as it was back in the 1950s,
but looks can be deceiving. Beneath the façade, the Soviet Union was splitting apart, and it had
been happening for decades. Although there were many factors at play, some reasons were as
follows:
Mikhail Gorbachev rose to power in 1985, with plans to reform the Nation with a hybrid
communist-capitalist system, similar to modern-day China. He also planned to ease restrictions
on freedom of speech and religion. Before this, millions of Soviets were arrested for speaking
out against the state. However, his plan backfired, as he discovered that the loosening of control
over the people, and reforming political restrictions meant the people used their new-found
powers to critique the government until they eventually succeeded in pushing for reform. This
brand of Communism had operated historically on tight central control, the loosening of control
led to the abandonment of its entire construct.
Back in the days of Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin, the Soviets were
lead with strong ideological beliefs tied to Marxism. By the 1960s, the radical policies of the past
leaders were abandoned in favour of a more conservative approach. By the 1970s, the Soviet
people noticed the rise of the political elite, who lived in posh homes, ate in fancy restaurants,
and spent their vacations at luxury ski resorts, while millions of average Joe’s died from
starvation. Younger generations were less keen to toe the lines as their parents had, and were
willing to step forward for change. These newer generations were more in tune with world
events, and slowly but surely, began to pull at the strands of the political regime.
Cold War tensions with the United States rose in the 1970s, and 1980s, and with Ronald
Reagan’s leadership, and the resulting increase in military spending, it seemed that the US had
won the nuclear standoff. The strategic defense initiative, or SDI, claimed to be able to blast
Russian missiles as they fell, meaning, in theory, the US could win the long run in the battle of
wits. Reagan also managed to isolate the Soviets from the rest of the World economy, and
without export sales and oil, the Soviet economy was severely weakened and limited. The soviets
were unable to turn a corner, and in the 1980s, bread lines were commonplace as poverty soared.
Many people didn’t have basic clothing or shoes, and under these conditions, it’s only a matter of
time before the people call out for regime change.
And then there is the Nation structure itself. When you have 15 radically different
republics under one flag, with different ethnicities, culture and languages, there are bound to be
inherited tensions. 1989 National movements brought about regime changes in Poland and
Czechoslovakia, as the Soviets’ satellite nations began to split away. As these nations began to
pull away, the central apparatus was weakened until it finally collapsed. Due to all these factors,
by 1991 the Soviet Union was unable to maintain a normal functioning economy and run a huge
military simultaneously. Gorbachev, unwilling to go to war like his predecessors, Lenin and
Stalin might’ve done, instead pulled the plug on the military and the 15 republics went their
separate ways. Although a devoted Marxist, Gorbachev was an independent thinker, who
respected the need for reform, and planned a restructuring of the economy. This, along with his
vision to lessen the control held by Central government, and a move towards uncensored media,
laid the path for total reform. The seeds were planted, and the Soviet Union was no more.
References:
https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/fall-of-soviet-union
https://europe.unc.edu/iron-curtain/history/the-fall-of-the-soviet-union/
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1989-1992/collapse-soviet-
union#:~:text=Gorbachev's%20decision%20to%20allow%20elections,collapse%20of%20the
%20Soviet%20Union.

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Ralph Ryan Silvestre September 19, 2020

How and Why did the Soviet Union Collapse?

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