Factors that Led to the Dissolution of the Soviet Union - Research Paper Example

FACTORS THAT LED TO THE DISSOLUTION OF THE SOVIET UNION Factors that led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union Section A – Plan of Investigation The paper assesses the reasons for the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. In order to determine authentic causes of the collapse, the investigation uses both primary and secondary sources that examine the dissolution from many perspectives. The sources used in this paper are from acknowledged people including university professors and influential people in history. Therefore, the information provided in this investigation is authentic and reliable. The topic of investigation is a highly controversial discussion; consequently, there has been many different perspectives pertaining to the fall of the Soviet Union. The aim of this paper is to determine the most justifiable causes of the fall of USSR. Section B – Summary of Evidence David Marples opines that empires do not always collapse from a single source, rather as a confluence of several other factors.1 He notes that the economy was in a deep crisis. This was exacerbated by a costly and an unsuccessful war in Afghanistan during the period of 1988-89. Additionally, the Chernobyl disaster and an earthquake that devastated Armenia in 1988 resulted in a lot of government expenditure reserved for emergencies. Besides, the decentralization of unions led to shortage of money in the central budget. Moreover, some economic experiments were half-done despite having spent a lot of money. Case in point is the anti-alcohol campaign of 1985 that made the government _________________________________ 1. David Marples, The collapse of the Soviet Union, 1985-1991, (Harlow, England: Pearson/Longman, 2004), 37. very unpopular.2 The government also undermined the authority of the communist party and later on KGB as well as using force in times of crisis. He further observes that ideological stagnation and the progressive de-legitimization of Marxism-Lenism and Stalinism had a role in the fall of USSR. Stalin’s leadership was choked with NKVD massacres and a reinvestigation into the legacy of the Soviet founder Lenin was initiated. Marples, concurs that although some people imply that the Soviet Union collapse as a result of the lengthy cold war and arms build-up, in 1991 more than 76% supported the motion for the formation of an independent USSR.3 Richard Sakwa provides a different script to the reasons for the fall of USSR. He observes that Gorbachev had indicated dissatisfaction with the system in his speech when he first raised themes of perestroika in December, 1984. He further opines that the final years of USSR were marked by a number of bloody incidents in 1966-1967 as Chinese and Soviet Union soldiers engaged in a war.4 Gorbachev’s initial economical, political and social reforms were useful in the situation of perestroika, until the moment when these reforms became too radical and he proposed democratization of the country. At the point, when he gave freedom by creating Glasnost’, some old political movements started to appear. Glasnost was a policy in Russia that provided for an increase in openness and transparency in all government institutions. In addition, Glasnost’ had a great effect on Republics, such ___________________________________________ 2. Ibid., 38. 3. Ibid.,40. 4. Richard Sakwa, 3rd ed. Russian Politics and Society, (London: Routledge, 2003), 45. as Ukraine, Lithuania, Azerbaijan and Armenia; they began searching for more freedom and independence. Moreover, it provoked a series of violence among different ethnicities such as between Lithuania and Moscow lasting months. 5 Another author, David Jones, argues that Baltic republics wanted sovereignty and independence. The nationalist movements were active and Gorbachev no longer had military or a KGB loyalist whom he could rely on.6 In yet another twist, Michael Kort opines that the coup attempt of 19th august, 1991 had a great impact on the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Edward Shevarnadze, who was a key figure in the perestroika resigned. Other key ministers resigned as the minority nationalities lobbied for expansion of freedom. Ethnic hatred grew worse as wars between Lithuania and Moscow lasted for months. Economic challenges deepened, food shortage was widespread resulting in a rise in food process. Only the environmental crisis affected the whole nation.7 Section C – Evaluation of Sources The book «The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union» was written by Michael Kort in 1992. Michael Kort currently teaches at Boston University and has a Ph.D in Russian History from New York University. The author wrote this work in order to give us valuable answers to complex questions about the Soviet Union by narrating _________________________________ 5. William Barbour and Carol Wekesser, The Breakup of the Soviet Union: Opposing Viewpoints, ( San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1994), 54. 6. David Jones, The strange death of the Soviet empire, (New York: Metropolitan Books, H. Holt, 1995), 89. 7. Michael Kort, The rise and fall of the Soviet Union (New York: Franklin Watts, 1992), 67. how the Soviet Union was established, and how Mikhail Gorbachev failed in saving the Soviet system and how hard was the life of people of this vast country. 8 The source itself, could be useful for history about the Soviet Union. First of all,Michael Kort is a respected American historian and academic who has studied and extensively written about the history of USSR. Besides, he is a lecturer of history at Boston University. Additionally, there is a dictionary provided with important definitions that could be hard for understanding for non-Russian language speaker. The source provides information about important people such as Ronald Reagan, Konstantin Chernenko, among others who had a hand in the fall of USSR.9 David Marples is a distinguished university professor in history. He lectures at the University of Alberta and is the chair of history and classics in the same university. Moreover, he is the president of North American association of Belarusian studies. His research and expertise interest spans across Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. He has conducted several researches with several publications.10 Section D – Analysis It can be argued that the leadership of USSR had a hand in the collapse of the Soviet Union during that time. The analyses by David Marples, Michael Kort and Richard Sakwa show that indeed if there had been a twist at the leadership in terms of policies, a lot would have been different. For instance David Marples points at the policy issues involved in the war at Afghanistan, that was costly and unsuccessful, the Chernobyl disaster and the infamous anti-alcohol law. In as much as the Chernobyl ___________________________________ 8.Ibid., 68. 9.Ibid., 70. 10. Ibid., 38 disaster and the earthquake that devastated most parts of Armenia were emergencies, the amount of expenditure towards restructuring, safety and rescuing measures were very costly to the government.11 Other policy issues identified were the decentralization of unions that resulted in shortage of money in the central budget. Besides, the government undermined leftist movements, KGB and later on using force in times of crisis. Coupled with the fact that some projects were not completed despite having spent a lot of money in their initiation and planning, collapse of the Soviet Union was imminent.12 No wonder, there were calls for the formation of an independent USSR. David Marples and Richard Sakwa come to an agreement that indeed political mistrust had a hand in the fall of USSR. Sakwa points that Gorbachev had shown gis dissatisfaction with the system and its policies, especially when he raised issues with perestroika in December, 1984. The bloody incidents between Chinese soldiers and Soviet Union soldiers in 1966-67, shows the extent of misunderstanding and policy issues in Soviet Union leadership.13 It was like a pull and push, as the Baltic States wanted a sovereignty and independence, yet Gorbachev did not have a military or a KGB to rely on. On the other side, key ministers resigned as minority nationalities lobbied for expansion of freedom. ___________________________________ 11.Myra Immell, The Dissolution of the Soviet Union, (Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010), 35. 12.Ibid., 36 13. Sam Grachev, Final Days: the Inside Story of the Collapse of the Soviet Union, (Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1995), 74. As ethnic hatred increased and war escalated, it clearly points to leadership failure of the Soviet Union. 14 I would argue that the Soviet Union would have survived had it ensured a stable leadership with economy friendly policies. Section E – Conclusion In conclusion, answering the main question of this investigation, it is impossible to give one certain answer. It was not conclusively one factor that led to the fall of the Soviet Union, but a combination of factors that apparently occurred at about the same period of time, 1980s. Consequently, both external and internal factors influenced on the collapse of the Soviet Union. The sources examined in this paper bring different aspects of what caused the fall of USSR. Therefore, it was a summative of factors and events that ultimately resulted into the dissolution of the Soviet Union. ______________________________________ 14.Andrew Langley, The collapse of the Soviet Union: the end of an empire, (Minneapolis, Minn.: Compass Point Books, 2007), 59 . Section F – List of Sources and Word count Bibliography Barbour, William, and Carol Wekesser. The Breakup of the Soviet Union: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1994. Grachev, A. S.. Final Days: the Inside Story of the Collapse of the Soviet Union. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1995. Immell, Myra. The Dissolution of the Soviet Union. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Langley, Andrew. The collapse of the Soviet Union: the end of an empire. Minneapolis, Minn.: Compass Point Books, 2007. Marples, David R.. The collapse of the Soviet Union, 1985-1991. Harlow, England: Pearson/Longman, 2004. Sakwa, Richard. 3rd ed. Russian Politics and Society. London: Routledge, 2003. Jones, David. The strange death of the Soviet empire. New York: Metropolitan Books, H. Holt, 1995. Kort, Michael. The rise and fall of the Soviet Union. New York: Franklin Watts, 1992. Read More