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On 25th December 1991 the red flag of the
Soviet Union was lowered from its flagpole above the Kremlin for
the last time, replaced by the blue, white and red tricolour of
the new Russia (Strayer 1998: 3). Indeed Mikhail Gorbachev had
announced to the nation that he was tendering his resignation as
the President of the Soviet Union. These events mark the final
dissolution of the Soviet Union, bringing to an end over seven
decades of communist domination, established after the
Revolution of 1917. |
This work will analyse the key factors which
led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. This collapse is often
viewed within the context of the reforms launched under the
leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev. This work however, will begin
by providing a brief contextualisation of the system inherited
by Gorbachev in 1985 and highlight why the reform programme was
deemed necessary. Indeed the system inherited by Gorbachev in
1985 was already experiencing great difficulties. It is though
important to note that the system was not facing imminent
collapse and the speed at which this then occurred came as a
shock to most analysts. Therefore the reforms launched by
Gorbachev will command an extensive assessment in establishing
the key factors that led to the Soviet Union’s collapse in
December 1991. Finally a conclusion will be provided summarising
these factors.
Although the Communist experiment was conceived following the
Russian Revolution in 1917, under the leadership of the Lenin,
the system inherited by Gorbachev in 1985 was effectively
established by Joseph Stalin.
Indeed two points underlie this assertion. The first is that the
strategy of forcing the rate of industrialisation submitted the
economy to a system of comprehensive central planning, and
secondly, the collectivisation of agriculture gave the state
almost complete control over production and distribution in the
countryside (Waller 2005: 4). Therefore, through the political
monopoly of the party, the Soviet people were mobilised from
above towards the task of monumental economic construction.
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