SOVIET SYSTEM : CAUSES AND REASONS OF DISINTEGRATION OF USSR

THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLIC (USSR) came into being after the socialist revolution in RUSSIA in 1917. The revolution was inspired by the ideologies of SOCIALISM and the need for an EGALITARIAN SOCIETY. So what was USSR? What was its origin? how it came into being ?

To start with , after the RUSSIAN REVOLUTION OF 1917 , Radical LEFTIST revolutionaries overthrew Russia’s CZAR NICHOLAS 2 , ending the centuries of ROMANOV rule. The world’s first Marxist-Communist state was then formed by leaders of BOLSHEVIK COMMUNIST PARTY by giving the primacy to the state and the institution of the party. Founder of the party was Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924) , he was an outstanding theoretician and practitioner of Marxism and a source of inspiration for communists all over the world.

*COUNTRIES OF UNION * =Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

SIGNIFICANCE of USSR :-

1. The Soviet Political system centred around the communist party; no other opposition political party was allowed.
2. The economy was planned and controlled by the state.
3. The group of countries was also called “Socialist bloc”
4. It became a great power after the 2nd World War.
5. It had a domestic consumer industry that produced everything from “pins to cars”
6. The Soviet state ensured a minimum standard of living for all citizens and the government subsidised basic necessities.
7. State ownership was Dominant form of Ownership, all land and productive assets were controlled by the Soviet State.
8. In reality Russia dominated everything; people from other parts pften felt neglected .

CAUSES AND REASONS OF DISINTEGRATION OF USSR

• SOVIET UNION lagged behind the West in Technology , Infrastructure and most importantly in fulfilling the political and economic needs of the citizens. The Soviet Invasion of AFGHANISTAN in 1979 weakened the system severely. The productivity and tecnology fell considerably behind in comparison to the West. Shortage of consumer goods , increase in food imports and faltering of the Soviet economy of 1970s major reasons which lead to the disintegration of USSR.
• MIKHAIL GORBACHEV (General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Union ) in 1985, tried to introduce reforms to help the union from annihilation but it did not go down well with the Union as the EAST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES started protest against their own government. Later the reforms, after initiation were opposed by the leaders of the Communist Party within itself.
• Economic Stagnation led to severe consumer shortages and a large section of society questioned it openly who were earlier denied various freedoms like freedom of speech and private ownership. Also the Soviet Union deployed major chunk of its economy and resources into the acquisition and development of Nuclear and Military Arsenals. Leading to economic burden that the system could not cope with.
• People did not identify with the system and with the rulers anymore and the government continuously lost popular backing as The Soviet Union had become stagnant in an administrative and political sense . the government was not at all accountable to its people . Above all the reforms that GORBACHEV initiated disbelief among the government members as they felt that their power and privileges were eroding and Gorbachev was moving too quickly. In the end even Gorbachev himself could not defend his own policies.
• A coup took place in 1991 that was encouraged by Communist party hardliners. BORIS YELTSIN emerged as a national hero in opposing the coup. But, now power began to shift from the soviet centre to the REPUBLICS especially in the more European part of the Soviet Union, which saw themselves as Sovereign States.
• In December 1991 under the leadership of BORIS YELTSIN – RUSSIA, UKRAINE AND BELARUS , three major republics of USSR declared that the Soviet Union was disbanded.
• The rise of Nationalism and the desire for Sovereignty within various republics including Russia and the Baltic Republics (ESTONIA, LATVIA, LITHUANIA), UKRAINE, GEORGIA and others proved to be the final and most immediate cause for the disintegration USSR.
• CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT was a NUCLEAR accident that occurred on 26th April 1986.at the NO. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of PRIPYAT in the north of UKRAINE of SOVIET UNION. This event indeed is a cause to the Disintegration of the Soviet Union as the then Govt was focusing more developing the Nuclear capabilities instead of focusing on protecting its people. 

MAJOR RESULT AFTER THE DISINTEGRATION

1. Russia was now accepted as the successor state of the Soviet Union .
2. Russia inherited the Soviet seat in th UN SECURITY COUNCIL.
3. Russia accepted all the international treaties and commitments of the Soviet State

TIMELINE OF DISINTEGRATION OF THE SOVIET UNION

• 1985 MARCH MIKHAIL GORBACHEV INITIATES A SERIES OF REFORMS
• 1988 INDEPENDENCE MOVTS. IN LITHUANIA, ESTONIA AND LATVIA
• 1989 NOVEMBER BERLIN WALL FALLS
• 1990 MARCH LITHUANIA BECOMES THE FIRST OUT OF 15 TO DECLARE ITS INDEPENDENCE
• 1990 JUNE RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT DECLARES ITS INDEPENDENCE
• 1991 JUNE BORIS LEAVES COMMUNIST PARTY, BECOMES THE PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA
• 1991 DECEMBER 25 GORBACHEV RESIGNS AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE SOVIET UNION MARKING THE END OF THE SOVIET UNION.

REFERENCES

1. CONTEMPORARY WORLD POLITICS NCERT
2. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS PEARSONS
3. WIKIPEDIA ( NAMES OF THE COUNTRIES IN USSR)
4. BRITANNICA DICTIONARY

-Abheet