The Fall of an Empire
In December of 1991, the vast Soviet Empire, the last empire on earth, crumbled before the world's astonished eyes. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR, disintegrated into fifteen separate countries. The West took this as testimony for the superiority of democracy over totalitarianism, of capitalism over socialism. In 1970, a man by the name of Andrei Amalrik asked whether the Soviet Union would survive until 1984. In the West, his question was met with surprise. (d'Encausse, x) After all, the USSR was a nation that had survived the Nazi assault of WWII, which had achieved military power and economic might. It was capable of murdering a fifth of its population. It spanned 13 million square miles and included some 260 million inhabitants. And yet, it suddenly ceased to exist. The Soviet Union collapsed under the weight of its own corruption, incompetence, and failure to understand the changes taking place in the world around it. There is no doubting that the USSR was a superpower, the equal of the United States. It was recognized as such by the international community at Helsinki in 1975. It was also an imperial power, twice over. It encompassed numerous ethnic groups within its borders. The USSR saw itself as a ne
It has been commonly thought that the Soviet Union collapsed because of its rotting economy. But the truth is that even though the Soviet Union could not provide a good life for its subjects, it was far from collapsing economically. When Gorbachev took power, economic growth had slowed to a snail's pace and the timer was ticking before it collapsed. But so what? The military still had control over more destructive power than any other on earth. Gorbachev could have ruled unchallenged for the rest of his natural life, enjoying all the luxuries an elite member of his class was accustomed to, despite the fact that the shops were empty, that he presided over a state that, at worst, would remain one of the world's two superpowers. As Yeltsin pointed out a short while later: In a country as ethnically diverse as the former Soviet Union, the need for some unifying factor was both immense and always pertinent. True, in the short run, economic goals or military force may slow the inevitable disintegration. The need for a common defense against a horrible foe may also unify, but eventually that foe will disappear. Without a living and vibrant ideology, a nation cannot overcome the inescapable moment of disappointment and catastrophe. (Starrfield.com, 1)
Some common words found in the essay are:
Soviet Union, Brezhnev Chernenko, Mikhail Gorbachev, Communist Party, War II, Soviet Empire, Soviet Government, Bergen's Soviet, Engels Lenin, Yeltsin Eklof, soviet union, union soviet socialist, union soviet, umicom 1, socialist republics, soviet socialist, soviet empire, soviet socialist republics, millar 42, soviet people, policy glasnost, online 28 feb, millar 41, soviet union collapsed, 28 feb 1999,
Approximate Word count = 2319
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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