In What Way was WWII the Single Most Consequential Event in Soviet History between 1921 and 1985 - Assignment Example

In what way was WWII the single most consequential event in Soviet history between 1921 and 1985? Both the first as well as the second world wars arelandmark events in modern world history. Both wars are marked by involvement of the prevailing world powers of the day. In the case of the First World War, the principal actors were the European powers of Britain, Germany, Austria, etc with nominal participation from the United States and the Soviet Union. The Second World War saw a more meaningful participation from the United States of America and the Soviet Union, which were then set to become the leading superpowers in the post war years. Hence it is understandable why this is a crucial event in the history of the Soviet Union since 1921. Despite the fact that WW2 led to the survival of the Communist system and the Russian state, the effects of the war were much deeper. It legitimized the system in the people’s eyes and therefore shaped Russia’s actions in the international arena. The rest of this essay will elaborate further why the Second World War was a turning point event in the history of Soviet Union. As mentioned above, the First World War was essentially a European conflict with the Soviet Union not being at the centre of conflict. But with the renewed imperialist ambitions of Japan and Germany in the War’s aftermath, the whole complexion of world affairs changed during the late 1930’s. Since the Soviet Union suffered relatively small losses in terms of economic costs and human casualties during the First World War, this event cannot be said to be a pivotal one in its history. But during the Second World War, the stakes had become quite high for the Soviet Union, with Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich conquering one country after the other and eventually invading the Eastern reaches of Soviet Union. If German troops had not succumbed to the harsh Russian winter and the relentless Russian soldiers, the Union’s history would have ended there. Hence the outcome of the Second World War, in which the Soviet Union, United States and Great Britain emerged victorious, is one of profound significance to the Union’s history. The victory in WWII is also important in that it gave legitimacy to both the Soviet state and the communist ideology. Although the Russian Revolution of 1917 formally established the Communist state, the status of legitimacy and global recognition was only attained after the Allied Powers’ victory over Axis Powers in 1945. No single idea in the realm of political science has had the kind of impact on large sections of humanity as that of Communism. It is now easy to understand how communist ideology held sweeping mass appeal, as a result of its espousal of economic equality to go along with political equal rights. It also offered hope for many millions of people who were exploited under the liberal capitalist principles of free individual enterprise and unfettered accumulation of wealth. Right from its origins in the form of an abstract political philosophy in 1847 till its unexpected disintegration in the late 1980s, Communism had been an antidote to Capitalist ideology with its attendant injustices – economic and social. In a way, WWII is not just a tussle for power between nation-states, for it was also a conflict of ideologies. On the one hand we had the rise of fascism, represented by Hitler and Mussolini. The ideology of fascism is in direct contrast to the liberal democratic ideals espoused by the United States of America. Simultaneously, fascism was at odds with communist principles propagated by the Soviet Union. Although capitalism and communism are not compatible ideologies themselves, the greater threat came from fascism than from each other. Hence the significance of WWII emerges from the fact that it brought together two conflicting ideologies of capitalism and communism in order to vanquish their common threat posed by fascism. But in the immediate aftermath of the war, the two allies would part ways in order to propagate their own ideologies, which would lead to a period of tension and suspicion that has come to be called the Cold War. The aftermath of the Second World War saw the formation of a bi-polar world, with the United States and the Soviet Union dominating their respective hemispheres. Both the powers were equipped with nuclear arsenal and any direct confrontation could have led to the destruction of our species. In this atmosphere where the stakes are very high, most of the strategic advantage is won through diplomacy and applying political pressure. This variety of wielding power has come to be known as the Cold War, where advantages were won or lost through tactful diplomacy as against the use of force. The four decades that comprise the period of Cold War also played a key role in shaping the internal dynamics of Russian society. First under the leadership of Joseph Stalin and later under the leadership of Nikita Khrushchev, the scale and scope of communist ideological propaganda was escalated. These propaganda efforts instilled a sense of national pride which continues to manifest even today, two decades after the collapse of Soviet Union. For example, the continued celebration of Victory Day with all its attendant pomp and glamour goes on to show the deep-rooted significance of WWII in the Russian psyche today. Under this renewed surge in patriotism not only were the different nationalities in Russia united under one victory, but all possibility of return to the old Tsarist system was extinguished. The war brought about a collective mentality and hence the development of the “homo sovieticus”- Adding to the nationalistic pride is the fact that the Cold War became a global diplomatic conflict, with most of the sovereign nations participating in it. Given the scale of their economies and the might of their militaries, the superpowers sought to dominate other nations wherever they can, either through ideological coercion on military intervention. Hence, Europe and Asia were also polarized to balance the two sides. Many independent nation states were forced to choose sides between the capitalist democracy of the Western world and the communist soviets of the Eastern world. So, although they were not the central players in the tussle for world domination, many countries in the European and Asian continents aligned themselves with one of the existing dominant powers. Long-time partner and a trusted lieutenant of the United States, namely Great Britain, is the leading representative of the western coalition. Other nations that aligned with the United States were Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, etc. The countries of Eastern Europe were imposed with communist governments and hence came under the influence of the Soviet Union. Some of them were Poland, Czechoslovakia, Belarus, etc. Germany was deemed a key prize in the spoils of the Second Great War and so its reigns were bitterly contested. In the end both superpowers had to strike a compromise and divide Germany into their respective halves. This broader recognition of the Soviet state and its ideological underpinnings changed the internal dynamic of Russian society as well. What was erstwhile a society of peasants has now come to see itself as the torchbearer of civilization. Russian people genuinely started believing in the veracity and validity of the philosophy of communism and it reflected in their self-perception as well. For example, the post WWII Russian society is markedly different from the rural Russia depicted by Leo Tolstoy and his contemporaries. In this way the Second World War was a turning point event in social history of the Soviet Union. The deteriorating economic conditions stirred the people of the Soviet Union to openly demonstrate against their government’s failure, which by the late 1980’s had reached abysmal levels. People from the communist bloc nations were making desperate attempts to flee to countries in Western Europe. Likewise, people from East Germany were attempting to escape to the more prosperous West Germany in order to avail of better economic and social prospects. The upper echelons of the Soviet government were facing tremendous pressure to act decisively and quickly. In Michael Gorbachev, the Soviet Union had a reformist and practical leader. He saw the folly of continuing the cold war efforts and drafted policies facilitating a transfer to more democratic and capitalistic forms of government. The only option left was to dismantle the Union and open the countries to political and economic reforms. Bringing down the Berlin Wall in 1990 was the symbolic act that ushered in a new post-cold war era in global politics. Although the superpower status enjoyed by the Soviet Union since the end of WWII was ended with the fall of Berlin Wall in 1989, the current foreign and domestic policy framework of Russia is rooted in its past. With discovery of fossil fuels in remote parts of Russia, especially Siberia, the nation has gained leverage to dictate terms in the global energy market. Since the United States is the largest consumer of non-renewable energy in the world, it cannot overlook Russian energy sources. By joining hands with other emerging economic powers in the form of China, India and Brazil, a new coalition called the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) is formed. This coalition can bargain collectively against other major economies such as the USA. Hence while the Soviet Union is relinquished to history and Communism no longer an active political ideology in the neo-liberal world order, Russia can still parade itself with pride and dignity as it did in the aftermath of WWII. Read More