Collapse of the USSR

At the end of 1991, the Soviet Union, one of the two largest powers in the world, ceased to exist. What led to the collapse of the USSR? How these events took place, not so distant, but had a huge impact on the further course of human history.

Reasons for the collapse of the USSR

Of course, such a large power could not collapse just like that. There were many reasons for the collapse of the USSR. The main one was the strong dissatisfaction of the overwhelming majority of the population with the existing regime. This dissatisfaction was of a socio-economic nature. Socially, people wanted freedom: Gorbachev’s perestroika, which initially raised expectations of change, did not live up to the people’s hopes. New slogans and ideas, new leaders, more courageous and radical (at least in words), found a much greater response in people's hearts than the actions of the existing government. In economic terms, monstrous fatigue has accumulated from constant shortages, queues, from the knowledge that there, in the distant capitalist West, people live much better. At that time, few people followed oil prices, the collapse of which was one of the reasons for the catastrophe in the economy. It seemed like change the system and everything would be fine. In addition, the Soviet Union was a multinational state, and at the time of crisis, national sentiments (as well as interethnic contradictions) manifested themselves especially clearly. But another important reason collapse of the USSR became the lust for power of the new leaders. The collapse of the country and the formation of several new ones allowed them to satisfy their ambitions, and therefore they took advantage of popular discontent and tore the Soviet Union into pieces. The public mind is quite easy to manipulate when people are angry. The people themselves went to the streets to rally and the new power-hungry, of course, could not help but take advantage of this. However, entering the realm of conjecture, one can assume that other countries actively tried to take advantage of the reasons that led to the collapse of the USSR. Unlike modern “orange-pink” revolutions, the collapse of the Soviet Union was not due to their political “technologies”, but they tried to grab all sorts of advantages for themselves by supporting certain individuals from among the “new leaders” in various ways.

Fall of communist regimes

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev, who started perestroika, introduced such concepts as “glasnost” and “democracy” into use. In addition, he made a sharp rapprochement with our former enemies: Western countries. The foreign policy of the USSR changed radically: “new thinking” required qualitative changes. A number of friendly meetings were held with the President of the United States of America, Ronald Reagan. In an effort to gain a reputation as a democratic leader, Mikhail Gorbachev behaved differently on the world stage than his predecessors. Sensing weakness, “our new friends” sharply became more active in the Warsaw Pact countries and began to use tactics of displacing undesirable regimes from within, which they then repeatedly used, and which later became known as “color revolutions.” The pro-Western opposition received great support, but most importantly, the people were actively instilled with the idea that the current leaders were guilty of all sins and that the “movement towards democracy” would bring people freedom and prosperity. Such propaganda ultimately led not only to the fall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe, but also to the collapse of the USSR: without realizing it, Gorbachev was cutting off the branch on which he was sitting. Poland was the first to rebel, then Hungary, followed by Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria. The transition from communism in these countries took place peacefully, but in Romania Ceausescu decided to suppress the uprising by force. But times have changed: the troops went over to the side of the protesters, and the communist leader was shot. Among these events, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the unification of the two Germanys stand out. The division of the former fascist power was one of the results of the Great Patriotic War, and to unite them simply the will of the people was not enough; the consent of the Soviet Union was a necessary condition. Subsequently, after the collapse of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, who agreed to the reunification of Germany, claimed that in exchange he received a promise from Western countries about the non-entry of the countries of the former Warsaw Pact into NATO, but this was not legally formalized in any way. Therefore, our “friends” rejected the fact of such an agreement. This is just one example of the numerous mistakes of Soviet diplomacy during the collapse of the USSR. The fall of communist regimes in 1989 became a prototype of what would begin to happen in the Soviet Union itself less than a year later.

Parade of sovereignties

Sensing the weakness of the regime, local leaders, indulging liberal and nationalist sentiments among the people (perhaps even encouraging them), began to take more and more power into their own hands and declare the sovereignty of their territories. While this has not yet led to the collapse of the Soviet Union, it has increasingly undermined it, just as pests gradually turn a tree into dust from the inside until it collapses. The population's trust and respect for the central government fell, following declarations of sovereignty, the priority of local laws over federal ones was announced, and tax revenues to the union budget were reduced, since local leaders kept them for themselves. All this was a strong blow to the economy of the USSR, which was planned, not market, and largely depended on the clear interaction of territories in the field of transport, industry, etc. And now in many areas the situation was increasingly reminiscent of the fable of the swan, the crayfish and the pike, which increasingly weakened the country’s already weak economy. This inevitably affected the people, who blamed everything on the communists and who increasingly wanted a transition to capitalism. The parade of sovereignties began with the Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, then Lithuania and Georgia followed suit. In 1990 and 1991, all union republics, including the RSFSR and some autonomous republics, declared their sovereignty. For leaders, the word “sovereignty” was synonymous with the word “power”; for ordinary people, it was synonymous with the word “freedom”. The overthrow of the communist regime and collapse of the USSR were approaching...

Referendum on preserving the USSR

An attempt was made to preserve the Soviet Union. In order to rely on broad sections of the population, the authorities offered the people to give the old state a renewed look. They seduced people with promises that the Soviet Union in a “new package” would be better than the old one and held a referendum on preserving the USSR in an updated form, which took place in March 1991. Three quarters (76%) of the population were in favor of maintaining the state, which was supposed to stop collapse of the USSR, preparation of the draft of a new Union Treaty began, the post of President of the USSR was introduced, which, naturally, became Mikhail Gorbachev. But when was this opinion of the people seriously taken into account in big games? Although the Union did not collapse, and the referendum was an all-Union one, some local “kings” (namely Georgian, Armenian, Moldavian and three Baltic) sabotaged the vote in their republics. And in the RSFSR, on June 12, 1991, elections for the President of Russia took place, which were won by Boris Yeltsin, one of Gorbachev’s opponents.

The August 1991 coup and the State Emergency Committee

However, Soviet party functionaries were not going to sit idly by and watch the collapse of the USSR, and, consequently, the deprivation of their power. Taking advantage of the absence of Gorbachev, who was on vacation in Faros, Crimea (by the way, whether he knew or not, The President of the USSR himself participated or did not participate in the putsch, there are different opinions), they staged a coup d'état with the declared goal of preserving the unity of the Soviet Union. Subsequently, it received the name of the August putsch. The conspirators created the State Committee for a State of Emergency, and put Gennady Yanaev at the head of the USSR. In the memory of Soviet people, the August putsch was remembered primarily for the round-the-clock showing of “Swan Lake” on TV, as well as for the unprecedented popular unity in overthrowing the “new government.” The putschists had no chance. Their success was associated with a return to earlier times, so the protest sentiments were too strong. The resistance was led by Boris Yeltsin. This was his finest hour. In three days, the State Emergency Committee was overthrown, and the legitimate President of the country was released. The country rejoiced. But Yeltsin was not the kind of person to pull chestnuts out of the fire for Gorbachev. Gradually he took more and more powers. And other leaders saw a clear weakening of central power. By the end of the year, all republics (except the Russian Federation) declared their independence and secession from the Soviet Union. The collapse of the USSR was inevitable.

Bialowieza Accords

In December of the same year, a meeting was held between Yeltsin, Kravchuk and Shushkevich (at that time - the Presidents of Russia, Ukraine and the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Belarus), at which the liquidation of the Soviet Union was announced and a decision was made to create the Union of Independent States (CIS). It was a strong blow. Gorbachev was indignant, but there was nothing he could do. On December 21, in the capital of Kazakhstan, Almaty, all other union republics, except the Baltic and Georgia, joined the CIS.

Date of collapse of the USSR

On December 25, 1991, the out-of-work Gorbachev announced his resignation as president “for reasons of principle” (what else could he do?) and handed over control of the “nuclear suitcase” to Yeltsin. The next day, December 26, the upper house of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted declaration No. 142-N, which stated the termination of the existence of the state of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In addition, a number of administrative institutions of the former Soviet Union were liquidated. This day is legally considered the date of the collapse of the USSR.

Thus occurred the liquidation of one of the largest and most powerful powers in history, due both to the “help of Western friends” and to the internal incapacity of the existing Soviet system.

December 26, 1991 is the official date of the collapse of the USSR. A day earlier, President Gorbachev announced that, for “reasons of principle,” he was resigning from his post. On December 26, the Supreme USSR adopted a declaration on the collapse of the state.

The collapsed Union included 15 Soviet Socialist Republics. The Russian Federation became the legal successor of the USSR. Russia declared sovereignty on June 12, 1990. Exactly a year and a half later, the country's leaders announced secession from the USSR. Legal "independence" December 26, 1991.

The Baltic republics were the first to declare their sovereignty and independence. Already on 16 1988, the Estonian SSR declared its sovereignty. A few months later in 1989, the Lithuanian SSR and the Latvian SSR also declared sovereignty. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania even received legal independence somewhat earlier than the official collapse of the USSR - on September 6, 1991.

On December 8, 1991, the Union of Independent States was created. In fact, this organization failed to become a real Union, and the CIS turned into a formal meeting of the leaders of the participating states.

Among the Transcaucasian republics, Georgia wanted to secede from the Union the fastest. The independence of the Georgian Republic was declared on April 9, 1991. The Republic of Azerbaijan declared independence on August 30, 1991, and the Republic of Armenia on September 21, 1991.

From August 24 to October 27, Ukraine, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan declared their withdrawal from the Union. Besides Russia, Belarus (left the Union on December 8, 1991) and Kazakhstan (withdrew from the USSR on December 16, 1991) took the longest to declare their secession from the USSR.

Failed attempts at independence

Some Autonomous Regions and Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics also previously tried to secede from the USSR and declare independence. They eventually succeeded, albeit together with the republics that these autonomies were part of.

On January 19, 1991, the Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, which was part of the Azerbaijan SSR, tried to secede from the Union. After some time, the Nakhichevan Republic, as part of Azerbaijan, managed to leave the USSR.

Currently, a new union is being formed in the post-Soviet space. The unsuccessful project of the Union of Independent States is being replaced by integration in a new format - the Eurasian Union.

Tatarstan and Checheno-Ingushetia, which had previously tried to leave the USSR on their own, left the Soviet Union as part of the Russian Federation. The Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic also failed to gain independence and left the USSR only together with Ukraine.

Modern political scientists name many versions of the reasons for the collapse of the once powerful state

PHOTO: wikipedia.org

Chronologically, the events of December 1991 developed as follows. The heads of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine - then still Soviet republics - gathered for a historic meeting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, more precisely, in the village of Viskuli. On December 8 they signed an Agreement on the Establishment Commonwealth of Independent States(CIS). With this document they recognized that the USSR no longer exists. In fact, the Belovezhskaya Accords did not destroy the USSR, but documented the already existing situation.

On December 21, a meeting of presidents was held in the Kazakh capital Alma-Ata, at which 8 more republics joined the CIS: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. The document signed there is known as the Almaty Agreement. Thus, the new commonwealth included all the former Soviet republics except the Baltic ones.

President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev did not accept the situation, but his political position after the 1991 coup was very weak. He had no choice, and on December 25, Gorbachev announced the termination of his activities as President of the USSR. He signed a decree resigning as Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Armed Forces, handing over the reins to the President of the Russian Federation.

On December 26, the session of the upper house of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted declaration No. 142-N on the termination of the existence of the USSR. During these decisions and the signing of documents on December 25-26, the authorities of the USSR ceased to be subjects of international law. Membership continuator USSR Russia has become a member of international institutions. She assumed the debts and assets of the Soviet Union, and also declared herself the owner of all property of the former union state located outside the former USSR.

Modern political scientists name many versions, or rather points of the general situation, for which the collapse of the once powerful state occurred. Frequently cited reasons can be combined into the following list.

1. The authoritarian nature of Soviet society. To this point we include persecution of the church, persecution of dissidents, forced collectivism. Sociologists define: collectivism is the willingness to sacrifice personal good for the sake of the common good. A good thing sometimes. But elevated to a norm, a standard, it neutralizes individuality and blurs the personality. Hence - a cog in society, sheep in the herd. Depersonalization weighed heavily on educated people.

2. Dominance of one ideology. To maintain it there is a ban on communication with foreigners, censorship. Since the mid-70s of the last century there has been obvious ideological pressure on culture, propaganda of ideological consistency of works to the detriment of artistic value. And this is hypocrisy, ideological narrow-mindedness, in which it is stifling to exist, and there is an unbearable desire for freedom.

3. Failed attempts to reform the Soviet system. First they led to stagnation in production and trade, then they led to the collapse of the political system. The sowing phenomenon is attributed to the economic reform of 1965. And at the end of the 1980s, they began to declare the sovereignty of the republic and stopped paying taxes to the union and federal Russian budgets. Thus, economic ties were severed.

4. General deficit. It was depressing to see the situation in which simple things like a refrigerator, a TV, furniture, and even toilet paper had to be “taken out,” and sometimes they were “thrown away”—unpredictably put up for sale, and citizens, abandoning everything they were doing, almost fought in lines. It was not just a terrible lag behind the standard of living in other countries, but also an awareness of complete dependence: you can’t have a two-level house in the country, even a small one, you can’t have more than six “acres” of land for a garden...

5. Extensive economy. With it, production output increases to the same extent as the values ​​of used production fixed assets, material resources and the number of employees. And if production efficiency increases, then there is no money left to update fixed production assets - equipment, premises, and there is nothing to introduce scientific and technical innovations. The production assets of the USSR were simply worn out to the extreme. In 1987, they tried to introduce a set of measures called “Acceleration,” but they were no longer able to correct the deplorable situation.

6. Crisis of confidence in such an economic system. Consumer goods were monotonous - remember the furniture set, chandelier and plates in the houses of the heroes in Moscow and Leningrad in Eldar Ryazanov's film "The Irony of Fate". Moreover, domestic steel products are of low quality - maximum simplicity in execution and cheap materials. Stores were filled with scary goods that no one needed, and people were chasing shortages. The quantity was produced in three shifts with poor quality control. In the early 1980s, the word “low-grade” became a synonym for the word “Soviet” in relation to goods.

7. Wasting money. Almost all of the people's treasury began to be spent on the arms race, which they lost, and they also constantly gave away Soviet money to help the countries of the socialist camp.

8. Decline in world oil prices. As follows from the previous explanations, production was stagnant. So by the beginning of the 1980s, the USSR, as they say, was firmly sitting on the oil needle. The sharp decline in oil prices in 1985-1986 crippled the oil giant.

9. Centrifugal nationalist tendencies. The desire of peoples to independently develop their culture and economy, which they were deprived of under an authoritarian regime. Unrest began. December 16, 1986 in Alma-Ata - a protest demonstration against Moscow’s imposition of “its” first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the KazSSR. In 1988 - the Karabakh conflict, mutual ethnic cleansing of Armenians and Azerbaijanis. In 1990 - unrest in the Fergana Valley (Osh massacre). In Crimea - between returning Crimean Tatars and Russians. In the Prigorodny region of North Ossetia - between Ossetians and returning Ingush.

10. Monocentrism of decision-making in Moscow. The situation was later called the parade of sovereignties in 1990-1991. In addition to the severance of economic ties between the union republics, the autonomous republics are becoming isolated - many of them adopt Declarations of Sovereignty, which challenge the priority of all-union laws over republican ones. In essence, a war of laws has begun, which is close to lawlessness on a federal scale.

(average: 4,76 out of 5)

Exactly 20 years ago, on December 25, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev laid down his powers of the President of the USSR, and The Soviet Union ceased to exist.

Currently, there is no consensus among historians on what was the main reason for the collapse of the USSR, and also on whether it was possible to prevent this process.

We remember the events of 20 years ago.

Demonstration in the center of Vilnius for the independence of the Republic of Lithuania on January 10, 1990. In general, the Baltic republics were at the forefront of the struggle for independence, and Lithuania was the first of the Soviet republics to proclaim it on March 11, 1990. The USSR Constitution was terminated on the territory of the republic and the Lithuanian Constitution of 1938 was restored. (Photo by Vitaly Armand | AFP | Getty Images):

The independence of Lithuania was not recognized then either by the government of the USSR or by other countries. In response to the declaration of independence, the Soviet government undertook an “economic blockade” of Lithuania, and from January 1991 military force was used - the capture of television centers and other important buildings in Lithuanian cities.

In the Foto: USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev at a meeting with residents of Vilnius, Lithuania, January 11, 1990. (Photo by Victor Yurchenk | AP):

Weapons confiscated from local police in Kaunas, Lithuania, March 26, 1990. USSR President Gorbachev ordered Lithuania to hand over firearms to the Soviet authorities. (Photo by Vadimir Vyatkin | Novisti AP):

One after another, the Soviet republics declare their independence. In the Foto: crowd blocks the way to Soviet tanks on the approach to the city of Kirovabad (Ganja) - the second largest city in Azerbaijan, January 22, 1990. (AP Photo):

The collapse (collapse) of the USSR occurred against the backdrop of a general economic, political and demographic crisis. In the period 1989-1991. The main problem of the Soviet economy came to the surface - a chronic commodity shortage. Almost all basic goods, except bread, disappear from free sale. In almost all regions of the country, rationed sales of goods using coupons are being introduced. (Photo by Dusan Vranic | AP):

Rally of Soviet mothers near Red Square in Moscow, December 24, 1990. About 6,000 people died in 1990 while serving in the Soviet armed forces. (Photo by Martin Cleaver | AP):

Manezhnaya Square in Moscow was repeatedly the site of mass rallies, including unauthorized ones, during perestroika. In the Foto: another rally, at which more than 100 thousand participants demand the resignation of USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev, and also oppose the use of military force by the Soviet army against Lithuania, January 20, 1991. (Photo by Vitaly Armand | AFP | Getty Images):

Anti-Soviet leaflets on a wall erected in front of the Lithuanian parliament as a defense against an assault by Soviet troops, January 17, 1991. (Photo by Liu Heung Shing | AP):

On January 13, 1991, Soviet troops stormed the television tower in Vilnius. The local population offered active resistance, as a result, 13 people died and dozens were injured. (Photo by Stringer | AFP | Getty Images):

And again Manege Square in Moscow. March 10, 1991 was held here largest anti-government rally throughout the history of Soviet power: hundreds of thousands of people demanded Gorbachev’s resignation. (Photo by Dominique Mollard | AP):

A few days before the August coup. Mikhail Gorbachev at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, 1991

August putsch August 19, 1991 was an attempt to remove Gorbachev from the post of President of the USSR, undertaken by the State Committee for a State of Emergency (GKChP) - a group of figures from the leadership of the CPSU Central Committee, the USSR government, the army and the KGB. It led to radical changes in the political situation in the country and an irreversible acceleration of the collapse of the USSR.

The actions of the State Emergency Committee were accompanied by the declaration of a state of emergency, the deployment of troops into the center of Moscow, and the introduction of strict censorship in the media. The leadership of the RSFSR (Boris Yeltsin) and the leadership of the USSR (President Mikhail Gorbachev) qualified the actions of the Emergency Committee as a coup. Tanks near the Kremlin, August 19, 1991. (Photo by Dima Tanin | AFP | Getty Images):

Leaders of the August Coup, members of the State Emergency Committee from left to right: Minister of Internal Affairs Boris Pugo, Vice President of the USSR Gennady Yanaev and Deputy Chairman of the Defense Council under the President of the USSR Oleg Baklanov. Press conference on August 19, 1991 in Moscow. Members of the State Emergency Committee chose the moment when Gorbachev was away - on vacation in Crimea, and announced his temporary removal from power, allegedly for health reasons. (Photo by Vitaly Armand | AFP | Getty Images):

In total, about 4 thousand military personnel, 362 tanks, 427 armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles were brought into Moscow. In the Foto: the crowd is blocking the movement of the column, August 19, 1991. (Photo by Boris Yurchenko | AP):

Russian President Boris Yeltsin comes to the “White House” (Supreme Council of the RSFSR) and organizes a center of resistance to the actions of the State Emergency Committee. Resistance takes the form of rallies that gather in Moscow to defend the White House and create barricades around him, August 19, 1991. (Photo by Anatoly Sapronyenkov | AFP | Getty Images):

However, members of the State Emergency Committee did not have complete control over their forces, and on the very first day, parts of the Taman division went over to the side of the defenders of the White House. From the tank of this division he said his famous message to assembled supporters Yeltsin, August 19, 1991. (Photo by Diane-Lu Hovasse | AFP | Getty Images):

President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev delivers a video message August 19, 1991. He calls what is happening a coup d'état. At this moment, Gorbachev is blocked by troops at his dacha in Crimea. (Photo by NBC TV | AFP | Getty Images):

As a result of a clash with the military three people died- White House defender. (Photo by Dima Tanin | AFP | Getty Images):

(Photo by Andre Durand | AFP | Getty Images):

Boris Yeltsin speaks to supporters from the White House balcony, August 19, 1991. (Photo by Dima Tanin | AFP | Getty Images):

On August 20, 1991, more than 25,000 people gathered in front of the White House to support Boris Yeltsin. (Photo by Vitaly Armand | AFP | Getty Images):

Barricades at the White House, August 21, 1991. (Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images):

On the evening of August 21, Mikhail Gorbachev contacted Moscow and canceled all orders of the State Emergency Committee. (AFP Photo | EPA | Alain-Pierre Hovasse):

August 22 all members of the State Emergency Committee were arrested. The army began to leave Moscow. (Photo by Willy Slingerland | AFP | Getty Images):

The streets greet the news of the failed coup, August 22, 1991. (AP Photo):

President of the RSFSR Boris Yeltsin announced that a decision had been made to make a white-azure-red banner new state flag of Russia. (AFP Photo | EPA | Alain-Pierre Hovasse):

Announced in Moscow mourning for the dead, August 22, 1991. (Photo by Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images):

Dismantling the monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky at Lubyanka, August 22, 1991. It was a spontaneous outburst of revolutionary energy. (Photo by Anatoly Sapronenkov | AFP | Getty Ima):

Dismantling barricades near the White House, August 25, 1991. (Photo by Alain-Pierre Hovasse | AFP | Getty Images):

The August putsch led to irreversible acceleration of the collapse of the USSR. On October 18, the Constitutional Act “On State Independence of the Azerbaijan Republic” was adopted. (Photo by Anatoly Sapronenkov | AFP | Getty Images):

A month after the August events, on September 28, 1991, a grand rock festival "Monsters of Rock". The grandees and legends of world rock music “AC/DC” and “Metallica” took part in it. Neither before nor after, nothing else of this magnitude happened in the vastness of the Soviet Union. According to various estimates, the number of spectators ranged from 600 to 800 thousand people (the figure is also called 1,000,000 people). (Photo by Stephan Bentura | AFP | Getty Images):

Dismantled monument to Lenin from the center of Vilnius, Lithuania, September 1, 1991. (Photo by Gerard Fouet | AFP | Getty Images):

The joy of the local population about withdrawal of Soviet troops from Chechnya, Grozny, September 1, 1991. (AP Photo):

After the failure of the August putsch, on August 24, 1991, the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR adopted Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine. It was confirmed by the results of the referendum on December 1, 1991, in which 90.32% of the population who came to the polling stations voted for independence. (Photo by Boris Yurchenko | AP):

By December 1991, 16 Soviet republics declared their independence. On December 12, 1991, the withdrawal of the Russian Republic from the USSR, which actually ceased to exist, was proclaimed. Mikhail Gorbachev was still the president of a non-existent state.

December 25, 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev announces the termination of his activities as President of the USSR “for reasons of principle,” signed a decree resigning as Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Armed Forces and transferred control of strategic nuclear weapons to Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

Soviet flag has been flying over the Kremlin for the last few days. On New Year's Day 1991-1992, a new Russian flag was already flying over the Kremlin. (Photo by Gene Berman | AP)

Briefly speaking, the reasons for the collapse of the USSR are as follows:

1) a crisis provoked by the planned nature of the economy and leading to a shortage of many consumer goods;

2) unsuccessful, largely ill-conceived reforms that led to a sharp deterioration in living standards;

3)massive dissatisfaction of the population with interruptions in food supplies;

4) the ever-increasing gap in the standard of living between citizens of the USSR and citizens of the countries of the capitalist camp;

5) exacerbation of national contradictions; 6) weakening of central power;

7) the authoritarian nature of Soviet society, including strict censorship, the ban on the church, and so on. 8) failure of the coup; 9) failed perestroika, economic and political crisis; 10) distrust of Gorbachev. Yeltsin's authority; 11) lack of support from Western powers.

The processes that led to the collapse of the USSR became apparent already in the 80s. Against the backdrop of a general crisis, which only deepened by the beginning of the 90s, there was a growth in nationalist tendencies in almost all union republics. The first to leave the USSR were: Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. They are followed by Georgia, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Ukraine.

The collapse of the USSR was the result of the events of August - December 1991. After the August putsch, the activities of the CPSU party in the country were suspended. The Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Congress of People's Deputies lost power. The last Congress in history took place in September 1991 and declared self-dissolution. During this period, the State Council of the USSR became the highest authority, headed by Gorbachev, the first and only president of the USSR. The attempts he made in the fall to prevent both the economic and political collapse of the USSR did not bring success. As a result, on December 8, 1991, after the signing of the Belovezhskaya Agreement by the heads of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, the Soviet Union ceased to exist. At the same time, the formation of the CIS - the Commonwealth of Independent States - took place. The collapse of the Soviet Union was the largest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century, with global consequences.

Here are just the main consequences of the collapse of the USSR:

1) a sharp decline in production in all countries of the former USSR and a drop in the standard of living of the population; 2) the territory of Russia was reduced by a quarter; 3) access to seaports has again become more difficult; 4) the population of Russia has decreased - in fact, by half; 5) the emergence of numerous national conflicts and the emergence of territorial claims between the former republics of the USSR; 6) globalization began - processes gradually gained momentum, turning the world into a single political, informational, economic system; 7) the world has become unipolar, and the United States remains the only superpower. 8) the map of Europe has changed. 15 states added; 9) complete loss of the Cold War; 10) weakening the defense of new states; 11) deterioration in living standards in all former republics

36) USSR in 1985-1991. "perestroika" and "new political thinking"

“More than thirty years ago, at the 20th Congress of the CPSU, a fundamental the conclusion that there is no fatal inevitability of a new world war, and that it is possible to prevent it. It was not just about delaying the coming conflict, not just about extending the “peaceful respite”, about the possibility of peacefully overcoming this or that international crisis. Our party has declared its conviction that it is possible and necessary to eliminate the military threat as such, to eliminate war from the life of mankind. Then it was stated that war is by no means a necessary prerequisite for social revolutions. The principle of peaceful coexistence was developed taking into account the changes that occurred as a result of the Second World War.

During the years of detente, we tried to fill this principle with concrete content on the basis of equal international dialogue and cooperation. It was this period that was marked by the conclusion of a number of important treaties that ended, in fact, the “post-war” period in Europe, and the improvement of Soviet-American relations, which affected the entire world situation. The very logic of detente was dictated by an increasingly complete awareness of the impossibility of victory in a nuclear war. It is on this basis that five years ago we declared to the whole world that we would never be the first to use nuclear weapons against anyone.

A deep conceptual turn is associated with the April Plenum of the CPSU Central Committee in 1985, with the 27th Party Congress. This was a turn to new political thinking, to a new idea of ​​the relationship between class and universal principles in the modern world.

New thinking is not improvisation, not a game of the mind. This is the result of deep reflection on the realities of the modern world, the understanding that a responsible attitude to politics requires its scientific justification. And the rejection of some previously seemingly unshakable postulates. Bias in approach, concessions to the situation for the sake of achieving transitory goals, deviations from scientific rigor in analyzing the situation cost us dearly. We can say that new thinking was not easy for us, with painful thoughts. And we draw inspiration from Lenin. Every time you turn to him, “reading” Lenin’s works in a new way, you are amazed at his ability to penetrate into the essence of phenomena, to see the most complex dialectics of world processes. Being the leader of the party of the proletariat, theoretically and politically substantiating its revolutionary tasks, Lenin was able to see further, to go beyond their class boundaries. We understood the full depth and significance of these thoughts only now. They feed our philosophy of international relations and new thinking.

It may be objected: philosophers and theologians of all times have been engaged in the ideas of “eternal” universal human values. Yes. But then these were “mental constructions”, doomed to be utopia, dreams. In the 20th century, at the end of this dramatic century, humanity must recognize the vital necessity of the priority of the universal as the main imperative of the era. In foreign policy, as in domestic policy, from time immemorial class interest has been at the forefront. Of course, officially, as a rule, it was hidden behind something else - presented as national, state or bloc, obscured by references to the “common good” or religious motives. But, ultimately, according to the conviction of not only Marxists, but also many other soberly reasoning people, the policy of any state or union of states is determined by the interests of the socio-political forces dominant in them. Acute clashes of these interests in the international arena have led throughout history to armed conflicts and wars. And so it turned out that the political history of mankind is, to a large extent, the history of wars. Today this tradition leads straight to the nuclear abyss. All humanity is in the same boat, and we can only sink or swim together. Therefore, negotiations on disarmament are not a game to win. Everyone must win, otherwise everyone loses.

The core of the new thinking is the recognition of the priority of universal human values ​​and, more precisely, the survival of humanity. It may seem strange to some that communists place such emphasis on universal human interests and values. Indeed, the class approach to all phenomena of social life is the ABC of Marxism. This approach today fully corresponds to the realities of a class society in which class interests conflict, and to the realities of international life, also permeated by this confrontation. And until very recently, the class struggle remained the core of social development, and it remains so to this day in class-divided states. Accordingly, the class approach dominated in the Marxist worldview - in relation to the main issues of social existence. The concept of universality was considered as a function and the final result of the struggle of the working class - the last class, which, by freeing itself, frees the whole society from class antagonisms. But now, with the advent of mass weapons - universal! - extermination, an objective limit has appeared for class confrontation in the international arena: this is the threat of all destruction. For the first time, a real, and not speculative, modern, and not distant, universal interest arose - to avert catastrophe from civilization. In the spirit of new thinking, changes were made to the new edition of the CPSU Program adopted by the 27th Party Congress; in particular, we further considered it impossible to leave in it the definition of peaceful coexistence of states with different social systems as “a specific form of class struggle.”

It was generally accepted that the source of world war was the contradictions between two social systems. Until 1917, there was one system in the world - capitalist, and yet a world war broke out between the states of this one system. There were other wars. And, on the contrary, in the Second World War, within the framework of a single coalition, countries representing different systems fought against fascism and defeated it. The common interest of all peoples and states that faced the fascist threat exceeded the socio-political differences between them and provided the basis for the creation of an anti-fascist “supra-system” coalition. This means that even today - in the face of an even more terrible danger - states belonging to different social systems can and should cooperate with each other in the name of peace, in the name of solving universal, global problems. Modern historians identify the following stages of perestroika: 1) 1985 – 1986. 2)1987 – 1988 3)1989 – 1991 During the period of the beginning of perestroika from 1985 to 1986. there were no significant changes in the organization of government of the country. In the regions, power belonged to the Soviets, and at the highest level – to the Supreme Council of the USSR. But during this period, statements about transparency and the fight against bureaucracy were already heard. The process of rethinking international relations gradually began. Large-scale changes began somewhat later - from the end of 1987. This period is characterized by unprecedented freedom of creativity and the development of art. Author's journalistic programs are broadcast on television, and magazines publish materials promoting the ideas of reform. At the same time, the political struggle is clearly intensifying. Serious transformations are beginning in the sphere of government. Serious transformations are beginning in the sphere of government. Thus, in December 1988, at the 11th extraordinary session of the Supreme Council, the law “On Amendments and Additions to the Constitution” was adopted.

However, the third period of perestroika in the USSR turned out to be the most turbulent. In 1989, Soviet troops were completely withdrawn from Afghanistan. In fact, the USSR ceases to support socialist regimes on the territory of other states. The camp of socialist countries is collapsing. The most important, significant event of that period is the fall of the Berlin Wall and the unification of Germany.

In such conditions, talented scientists go to work abroad, or turn into businessmen. The financial situation of the majority of citizens is gradually deteriorating. However, the processes that took place during the period of perestroika in the USSR from 1985 to 1991 led to the collapse of the USSR and the aggravation of interethnic conflicts that had been smoldering for a long time. The weakening of power, both in the center and locally, a sharp decline in the standard of living of the population