Collapse Of The Soviet Union example essay topic

After World War II, the Soviet Union's economy had declined. Mikhail Gorbachev, the leader of the Soviet Union, felt compelled to do something to reverse the economic decline and decay. Gorbachev believed that the Soviet Union needed a change and he wanted his nation to catch up with the economic advances of other nations. "Gorbachev's aim had been to strengthen the political and economic systems that he inherited, to strip away their Stalinist accretions and made the Soviet Union a modern dynamic state".

He tried doing this by implementing 3 policies - glasnost, democratization, and perestroika. Although in the end, Gorbachev's policies did worsen the Soviet Union's economy. The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union were inevitable occurrences. Mikhail Gorbachev and America were influences of these occurrences.

In the article written by Joshua Muravchik, How the Cold War Really Happened, he proclaims that the "fundamental underlying cause of the Cold War was the belief in both the Soviet Union and the United States that confrontation was unavoidable". Gorbachev paid close attention to all moves made by the American president, Ronald Reagan, which influenced him in many ways. When Ronald Reagan was elected, he immediately began to promote anti-communism among his nation and rewarded those who followed him. After World War II, America had come out hoping to maintain it's friendly relations with the USSR; but Moscow conquered Eastern Europe and searched further provoking a defensive response from the United States.

Reagan was a powerful President because of the speed at which he regained military strength and political assertiveness and the way he spoke about his concern for democracy and freedom. Gorbachev received threats from the United States, so to avoid any possible nuclear war or World War ; and decided to make some changes. After facing these threats, Gorbachev eliminated the use of missiles in the Soviet Union, took out the soviet army from Afghanistan and also became a member of Germany in NATO. Gorbachev also implemented 3 policies - glasnost (opening), democratization, and perestroika (reconstructing). While these policies were being put in place, Gorbachev announced that the Cold War must reach an end. There are many arguments concerning whether America or the Soviet Union ended the Cold War but George F. Kennan believed "Nobody - no country, no party, no person - "won" the cold war.

It was long lasting political rivalry, fueled on both sides by unreal and exaggerated estimates of the intentions and strength of the other party". The two party's, not really knowing, worked together to end the Cold War. In Muravchilk's article, he explains that, ultimately, it was the pressure from the United States that caused Gorbachev to end the Cold War. Although it was Gorbachev's final decision to end of the Cold War, there were a lot of external influences, such as the United States and the benefits the end would bring to his nation. Gorbachev believed most of the Soviet Union had to be reconstructed and for this to be done the war must end.

The contrary argument to this is stated in the article, Why did the Cold War End? , written by, Raymond L. Garth off. He states "only a Soviet leader could have ended the Cold War, and Gorbachev set out deliberately to do so". Grat hoff believed that although the United States was involved they were not primary influence in Gorbachev's final decision of ending the war. Gorbachev believed that advancing the economy required a significant amount of participation, higher morale among the Soviet Union's work force, and more freedom and openness - glasnost. His vision of a resurrected socialism built on the foundation of successful perestroika and demokratizatsiya was never a realistic possibility. The three policies he had put in place failed and whether he knew of this probable outcome is not known.

However, the policies that were enforced did lead to an end of the Cold War. Many argue that the Soviet Union's economic status during the late 1980's through to 1991 was another large influence of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Muravchik argues in his article that although economic growth held when Gorbachev came into power, the Soviet Union was still profitable because they contained destructive power over any other country at the time. On the other side of the spectrum, in Michael Mandelbaum's article, Coup de Grace, he argues that Gorbachev's campaign against alcohol affected the Soviet Union's economy. Gorbachev then had a fiscal imbalance which was his main concern. During the duration of the Cold War, the Soviet Union had some of its worst tax strikes.

These strikes caused Gorbachev to make changes in government. This then caused the Soviet Union to begin its downfall and eventually collapse. The end of the Cold War was a result of many historical events. Gorbachev brought the end of the Cold War by withdrawing its nuclear weapons, helping the Soviet Union develop a new economic status and promoting world peace. Gorbachev won a Noble Price in 1990 for his popularity with the Soviets.

As Gorbachev was in power the Soviet Union collapsed as a result of his new implementation in government, and the Soviet army deteriorated, the communist party seized and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics deteriorated until it was no more. Both the United States and the Soviet Union benefited from Gorbachev's leadership. They did not have to use their nuclear arms in self defense but could still maintain their powerful armies. The American's no longer had to worry about communism and the Soviet Union was able to decolonize itself and start over. They were able to do this without fear of historical occurrences of dreadful and dehumanizing communist leaders, such as Hitler and Stalin.

Gorbachev was ultimately responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Union; however, there were great influences such as the United States and the Soviet Union's economic status that Gorbachev entered into. At the end of it all, the other former Soviet Republics followed the Russian Republic into independence. Abroad, all Soviet embassies and consulates became Russian embassies and consulates. The Soviet Union had ceased to exist as a legal entity, ending the cold war. Derfler, Leslie, and Patricia Kol lander.

An Age of Conflict: Readings in Twentieth- Century European History. Florida: Harcourt College Publishers, 2002.