Causes of the Downfall of the USSR
Shawn Huang
Background of the USSR
-The USSR was a multinational state, a state with two or more distinct groups of people with different ethnicities.
-The USSR contained 15 republics: Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Belorussia, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia
-The USSR dissolved on December 25, 1991
Problems leading to the USSR's Dissolution
2) Ethnic Tensions/Republics vs. Communists
3) Gorbachev's Reforms
Economic Stagnation and Decline
The USSR's Economy Problem
-Fluctuating demands of global economy vs. rigid, state-controlled economy
-Corruption of owners and managers who lie on production reports
-Skewed data on reports prevented economic planners from predicting and analyzing the demands of the people, so industries and production of consumer goods could not be handled well.
2) Technological Lag
-Technologies available to the Western countries came from the strive to improve, innovate, and engineer to fit the peoples' and the nations' needs
-USSR limited technology in fear that the people would use it to access outside information and to plot counterattacks against the USSR
-Very little computerization
-Only 9% of the people had cars
-Lower standard of living
3) Nuclear Arms Race
-building nuclear bombs were very costly
-Communism vs. Capitalism
-Reagan's firm stance against the USSR and increased funding in building nuclear weapons made the USSR feel threatened, so it built more nuclear arms as well
-Nuclear Arms Competition: the USSR could not keep up with the US
Ethnic Tensions/Republics vs. Communists
The Multinational State
- Republics wished to improve themselves economically and politically. They stopped paying taxes and took control of industries under centralized control
- The Baltic States- Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia were the first republics to demand autonomy (1987-1990)
- The Armenian region, Nagorno-Karabagh, within Azerbaijan demanded to secede and join the Republic of Armenia; USSR denied secession and violent disputes erupted (1988)
- Non-seceding republics agreed to form a confederation of republics in place of the centralized USSR
-Communists viewed the establishment of a confederation as a sign of weakness, and as a last resort, made one final attempt at unifying the USSR under communism; it ultimately failed
Gorbachev's Reforms
THE USSR UNDER GORBACHEV
-means "openness"
-people were free to express criticism towards central government
-fueled nationalism movements
-Perestroika- Economic Reform
-means "restructuring"
-June 1987- Central Committee meeting declares that competitive markets were necessary
-1988- some privatization allowed
-strived for a more open economy that was based on the people not the government
-attempted to increase productivity and reduce waste
-Democratic Reform
-new election system (Communist Party vs. Non-Communist Parties)
-removed Communist Party's "special status"
-state power given to Congress of People's Duties of the USSR
Connection to Animal Farm
-harvests (money) were not as bountiful and food shortages became more prevalent
-spent a lot of money on a certain project (windmill/nuclear arms)
-corruption of the usage of money
Multinational Characteristics in Animal Farm society:
-a great variety of animals in Animal Farm, representing many different opinions and beliefs in their society
-pigs (Communist Party) led the society, while the other animals were forced to abide by their every word (the Republics)
Social Characteristics in Animal Farm society:
-the majority of the animals (the public) were not allowed to see what the pigs (Communist Party) was doing- (before Gorbachev's reforms that increased government transparency)