THE DREAM THAT FAILED: THE FALL OF THE SOVIET EMPIRE Research Question: What factors contributed to the collapse of the USSR in 1991? Paper Word Count: 3‚982 The work contained within is my own – unless otherwise cited _________________________________________
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Savannah McCombs Mr.VanMeter March 21‚ 2014 What is the Soviet Union? The Soviet Union is a former country that was the modern day Russian federation. The USSR was a major world power during its existence‚ which began with the Russian Revolution of 1917 and continued until its collapse in 1991. The Soviet Union and the United States were major rivals from the end of WWII until the late 1980s‚ creating a conflict known as the "Cold War" where the superpowers fought each
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subversive to Soviet youth by the Communist leaders. In fact until the late 1980’s‚ Beatle music was banned or very difficult to obtain in Russia.(Woodhead) Their music was smuggled into the country. If a person was caught‚ he would be punished by the KGB. Yet‚ despite the efforts of the authorities‚ the youth of Russia managed to listen to the music. They knew the Beatles names‚ their hair styles and their music. The Beatles were a major factor in bringing down the Soviet Union by changing the
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who lived in Russia. Communism did call for a role of socialist dictatorship to help control any form of protest. Through persuasive tactics this new government seized power and in 1917 Vladimir Ilich Lenin came to power. Under his control the Soviet Union underwent many radical changes that led to the development of NEP (New Economic Policy). This policy called for some private ownership of the means of production and business. Still the government controlled the majority of production. Throughout
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The fall of the Soviet Union resulted in a major collapse of many countries. Bulgaria and Romania were two countries that had ties and many distinctions. They both consisted of a strong‚ violent communist leader that resulted the demolishment of communism at the end. Each of these leaders was cruel and harsh on the people of their country. Injustice played a big role between the two countries that led to war and inhumane actions. Ethnical and race feuds became an eye opening event for the citizens
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Gorbachev‚ Perestroika and the Fall of the Soviet Union In the late 1980s‚ the Soviet Union was undergoing massive changes in its policies‚ both domestically and internationally. More and more it seemed that the Cold War was coming to a close‚ and the Soviets were certainly not winning. The exact ending of the Cold War is a matter of some contention between several historians‚ but the certain absolute end would be the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The events leading up to this
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economic philosophy. In a communist economy‚ the government owns most of the firms‚ subsequently controlling production and allocation of resources. One of the most well-known and well-documented cases of a communist government took place in the Soviet Union‚ beginning in 1917 and eventually falling in 1992. Idealistically‚ communism eliminates social classism and provides equal work for all in a particular society. The government appoints a central planning board to “determine production goals
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The Soviet Union formally collapsed on December 26th‚ 1991. The dissolution of the world’s first and largest Communist state also marked the end of the Cold War. Mikhail Gorbachev (in office from May 25th‚ 1989- December 25th‚ 1991) was the leader of the Soviet Union mainly credited in driving the Soviet Union into near disaster. This collapse has been debated by many historians‚ whether it was inevitable or it was pressured into collapse. I focused my research on the causes of the collapse
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The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Russian: Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик‚ tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik) abbreviated to USSR (Russian: СССР‚ tr. SSSR) or the Soviet Union (Russian: Советский Союз‚ tr. Sovetsky Soyuz)‚ was a constitutionally socialist state that existed between 1922 and 1991‚ ruled as a single-party state by the Communist Party with its capital as Moscow.[3] A union of 15 subnational Soviet republics‚ its government and economy were highly
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Changes in Europe since the fall of the Soviet Union Since the fall of the Soviet Union 1991 many changes have been brought to Europe. After the fall of the Soviet Union newly formed countries of Eastern Europe found themselves brought into a new era‚ many of the people had relied on the Soviet Union’s system of socialism to help them with every detail of their lives and to dictate their lives but with this newfound freedom citizens had many changes forced upon them. All they once knew had been
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