Why did the Soviet Union Collapse | The Journey from Soviet Union Formation to Collapse

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The Soviet Union was formed in November 1922. It included 15 nations that today exist independently. USSR was then known as the USSR which stands for Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

It was one of the largest nations when all these nations co-existed with each other. The collapse of the Soviet Union was a disintegration of economic, ethnic, and internal political nations.

USSR is now disintegrated into Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.     

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1. Introduction

The collapse of the Soviet Union was the unintended result of the reform of the economic and political system of the Soviet Union. The dissolution of the Soviet Union was a process spread over 1988 and finally dissolved in 1991.

In 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev was elected as General Secretary of the Politburo. After his election, his main motive was to revive the Soviet economy which was then stagnating.

In 1986, the initial step was with overthrowing senior officials who could hamper the changes. Gorbachev continued his greater liberalization.

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In 1987, the Soviet Communist Party of Mikhail Gorbachev introduced the slogan “Demokratizatsiya” and introduced new thoughts for elections. As per the policy and slogan, Gorbachev suggested having future elections between multiple candidates.

Secret ballots would be used for the election. He also expanded the boundaries of glasnost and pushes the limits of open discussion with media.

Since the beginning of the collapse, the various protest took place around the place. Some of the protests were suppressed while some of the protests were tolerated.

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2. Protest Activity

In July 1986, the CTAG Helsinki-86 was founded in the Latvian port town of Liepāja. Helsinki-86 was the first openly anti-Communist organization in the U.S.S.R. It was also the first openly organized opposition to the Soviet regime.

On December 26, 1986, 300 Latvian youths gathered in Riga’s Cathedral Square shouting, “Soviet Russia out! Free Latvia!” in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan witnessed the riots called The Jeltoqsan (‘December’) of 1986.

These riots were sparked by Gorbachev’s dismissal of Dinmukhamed Kunaev. He was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan as well as an ethnic Kazakh On May 6, 1987, Pamyat, a Russian nationalist group, held an unsanctioned demonstration in Moscow.

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On July 25, 1987, near the Kremlin Wall, almost 300 Crimean Tatars staged a noisy demonstration for several hours.

On August 23, 1987, 1939 Molotov Pact celebrated the 48th anniversary of the secret protocols. Almost 5,000 people gathered at Freedom Monument in Riga on 14^th June 1987. On October 17, 1987, approx. 3,000 Armenians demonstrated in Yerevan.

They complained about the condition of Lake Sevan, the Nairit chemicals plant, and the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, along with the air pollution in Yerevan.

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3. Timeline of Soviet Union Collapse

The collapse of the Soviet Union happened over a period of four years. The major timelines and the activities are listed below.

I. 1988

As a result of various reforms brought, Mikhail Gorbachev started to lose control over two regions.

One of the regions was the Baltic which was heading toward independence and another was the Caucasus which was broken by civil war and violence. The foundation of reform was started in 1986 and in 1987.

Latvia had been the vanguard of the Baltic States. In 1988 Estonia lead the foundation of the Soviet Union’s first popular front and started to influence state policy.

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Various periods Popular Front was founded In 1988. In 1988, Latvia was formed with a red and white flag while the yellow, green and red flag of Lithuania was made.

In 1988, in parallel rebellions to place in the Caucasus. Various protests and movements were being taken place around this region. Slowly the part was broken down into Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia.

At the start of 1988, Moldova saw various public meetings, song festivals, and demonstrations. This public manifestation got intensified and gradually led to the separation of Moldova. On the other hand, the Ukrainian Cultural Club was organized in March.

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II. 1989

In the spring of 1989, people exercised democratic choice. This was the first time after 1917 when the Congress of People’s Deputies was elected. This effect rippled in Poland which was practicing limited democracy. This year also marked history with CNN broadcasting in Moscow.

This year was marked by many movements and changes. On January 22nd, 1989, Lviv and Kyiv celebrated Independence Day. Slowly every nation started disintegrating from the USSR.

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III. 1990

This year was marked by the loss of six republics of Moscow. The fledgling state sovereignty was being declared by constituent republics. With Moscow Central government they began a “war of laws”.

They rejected union-wide legislation. The legislation conflicted with local laws, asserted over their local economies. They refused to pay taxes to the Soviet government.

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IV. 1991

This year marked the final stroke of the breakdown of the republics. The period from August to December was extremely crucial in the historic collapse of the Soviet Union.

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4. Coup against Gorbachev

Gorbachev wanted to restructure the Soviet Union into a less centralized state. Russian SFSR was scheduled to sign New Union Treaty. This would convert the Soviet Union into a federation of independent republics. This treaty was also supported by Central Asian republics.

More radical reformists were increasingly convinced. They believed that a rapid transition to a market economy was required. For the reform, they would accept the disintegration of the Soviet Union into several independent states.

Gorbachev’s vice president, Gennady Yanayev, Prime Minister Valentin Pavlov, Defence Minister Dmitry Yazov, KGB chief Vladimir Kryuchkov, and other senior officials prevented the union treaty from being signed.

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For the same, they formed the “General Committee on the State Emergency”. This committee put Gorbachev – on holiday in Foros, Crimea – under house arrest and cut off his communications.

At the White House, thousands of Muscovites came out to defend. The White House is the Russian Federation’s parliament as well as Yeltsin’s office.

On August 21, 1991, the coup collapsed which is after three days. The organizers were detained. With much-depleted power, Gorbachev was reinstated as president.

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5. End of Soviet Communism

Soviet communism had its demise with the fall of the coup. In 1985, CPSU’s influence has been dwindling from the start of the reform.

The failure of the coup of the punctuation of decline by showcasing the hollow threat. CPSU faces bitterness and hatred for its failure to produce a modern dynamic state.

The economic decline of the Soviet Union aggravates ethnic tensions. It promoted nationalism and regionalism. The coup was characterized by two trends. The attempts by the republics to gain autonomy.  

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6. Foundation of Post-Soviet Russia

Yeltsin rose to prominence as an ally of Gorbachev. He bristled at the slow pace of reform. He found himself in the political wilderness. Yeltsin was mayor of Moscow for a short time and later was elected as President in spite of Gorbachev’s objection. As soon as he was elected and he pushed advocating autonomy for Russia.

His team consisted of three groups. One was made by former party officials from Sverdlovsk, the second one included Russian Premier Silayev, state counselor and secretary of the Council of Federation and territories. The team showcased the new thinking.

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7. Historiographic Explanation of Soviet Collapse

Historiography is the methodology of history studies. The studies are done by historians in the Soviet Union. During the USSR times, history was marked by restrictions imposed by the CPSU. Modern studies have Soviet historiography as a subject.

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