Fall of USSR

Back before the fall of the USSR, before the end of the Cold War, Russia was known as one of the most powerful countries in the world, but why and how? Nuclear power and lots and lots of radioactive weaponry gave Russia this honorable title. Still, despite the power that Russia held in its place in the world, the people of the country knew that they had hit rock bottom the moment Lenin had passed and Stalin took power. But why would the people feel like that if they stood at practically the top of the world? The answer is militarism. Stalin and the following leaders of Russia were so focused upon using the military as a source of replenishment to Russia’s economy and social status among the world instead of focusing among the needs of the citizens, thus, leading to the fall of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Why and how exactly did the USSR fall? Why did all its countries slowly split away? Who was the mastermind to this decision? The Soviet Union was one of the most powerful countries in the world because of its nuclear power as said above. From 1985 to 1991, the USSR’s downfall began. Unfortunately, a few major wars were happening at that time. One of them being, the war in Afghanistan, usually called the Soviet’s Vietnam War, which caused more people to hate the Communist form of government. Another being, the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, which made Soviet Leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, to enforce glasnost and perestroika. Glasnost was made in hopes of improving the country by making reforms that were quickly needed. It included the freedoms of speech, expression, and press. Those who choose to abide these rules were punished. Glasnost worked with Lenin’s ideas but with Gorbachev’s added twist to it. Unfortunately, it failed. This method may have a small part of leading to the fall of the USSR considering people questioned Lenin’s ideas and the media just kept track of everything. Perestroika was part of glasnost. While glasnost meant openness perestroika meant restructuring. Perestroika was made to try to get Russia back to the top like it used to be. Its policies included a system of checks and balances, debate, and a rule of law mostly derived from Lenin and Marx’s ideas and beliefs. Like Gorbachev’s glasnost, his perestroika failed too resulting in over inflation although it set a higher bar to a new Russian way of lifestyle.

To revive the Soviet State, Gorbachev tried to enforce laws and reforms to solve the USSR’s serious economic problems. However, his programs of perestroika and glasnost produced more harm than good. Not all agreed to his ideas especially nationalists and populists. His plan to remake a new system for the USSR was stopped by them. Though some movements were meant to change the Soviet system totally to a liberal democratic one, others wanted independence for the national republics. A few insisted still on the restoration of the old Soviet ways. Finally, Gorbachev couldn’t formulate an agreement among opposing parties that the problem got out of hand, thus, leading to the collapse of the USSR, from one gigantic country to fifteen independent smaller republics.

Even after all these, should Gorbachev still be considered a great leader or just a failure? Well, since he tried to use the midway path to phase out communism and introduce democracy, it was impossible to please both the conservative communists and the pro democracy group of the USSR. He tried his best to do whatever he can to satisfy both parties to avoid fights, arguments, misunderstandings, and most of all the accelerating downfall of the USSR. Unfortunately, the country’s problem was already at its worst that the people of the USSR were expecting a miracle from Gorbachev. Although he started out well by giving more power to the Soviet presidency, shifting control from the Communist party to the elected officials of the union republic, and retreating Soviet soldiers that were fighting in Afghanistan with the purpose of improving the country’s economical and financial situation, the people seem not ready for these changes. The Communist party was angered due to the fact that they were losing face and was also losing more power. On the other hand, the Democratic party was also mad because Gorbachev’s changes were happening too slow and they demanded immediate results. He has good intentions as a leader but trying to introduce democracy and independence to this country that has been under communism for almost a century proved to be fatal causing the collapse of the once great USSR. The fact that Gorbachev was brave enough to start the idea of democracy and independence to the greatest communist country in the world at that time, he deserves to still be considered a great leader proven by his Nobel Peace Prize Award.

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