The fall of the Soviet Union was due to multiple external and internal factors. Invasion by the West was the first external factor that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. America, Britain, and other west nations adopted a containment strategy that compelled the Soviet Union’s to be more aggressive, spend more on military expansionism, than economic growth. Additionally, sanctions which reduced oil income caused the United States to seperate the Soviet Union from its global economy. Due to the fall in oil prices the Soviet Union became unable support its own economy, and it collapsed. Perestroika, the Soviet Union’s glasnost program by Gorbachev made it seem weak. In order to create a free and open market, government control was lessened. This led to growing protests and demands for freedom that ultimately resulted in the collapse of the Soviet Union (Duiker 2014). The third factor that contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union was the rise in nationalist movements. It was comprised fifteen very different states. Their feelings of nationalism were aggravated by the exclusion of ethnic minorities, leading to their independence which was detrimental for the state.
Due to the start of the Cold War, the Soviet Union made expensive investments in an armies race that threatened its economy. The Soviets spent millions on a race for nuclear arms against the United States. They already owned nuclear weapons. Hammond (2016) estimates that the Soviet Union lost around 15% of its GDP due to the nuclear arms race and armaments. A high level of poverty was a result of Soviet economic dangers. Additional millions were spent by the government on the Chernobyl nuke catastrophe which has harmed the economy. In response to the invasion by western powers, the nation had to invest millions in maintaining its army. Excessive investment in the military led to high inflation and famine and an increase in unemployment, leading to protests.
Perhaps the Soviet Union’s disintegration was due to its complex structure that included over fifteen republics. It was home to a variety of incompatible languages and cultures. Their marginalization forced them to rebel and seek liberty. The state was undermined by nationalist movements that saw Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary withdrawing from the Soviet Union (Duiker W., 2014). Nationalist movements weakened Soviet Union’s central power, making it ineffective at containing rebellion.
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