The reasons for the collapse of the Soviet Union

1. External: the defeat of the Soviet Union in the Cold War, opponents of

subversive activities in the international arena, the weakness of the Allies (east

block).

2. Inside: the weakness of the political regime; disturbing influence of

Khrushchev and Brezhnev's reforms increase social, national and economic

problems.

3. The collapse of the USSR - the result of the struggle of political elites for

national and regional level for political influence.

None of these reasons is not the key, the issue is systemic.

It is important to perceive the collapse of the State as a particular process

that has no event-driven nature.

Components of the process: national problems, especially acute for the

Caucasus, the Baltic countries, internal conflicts, languished in an undemocratic

society.

The conflict was of long latency component of the character, appearances

were implicit in nature: kitchen conversations fartsovka as a manifestation of the

shadow economy, the creation of dissidents picture perfect society of market

economy on the example of U.S. and Western Europe.

Political problems:

- unfinished reforms of Khrushchev and Brezhnev shook the foundations of

the political regime and created a different political framework;

There was some regionalization of political power: the leaders of regions

and republics have additional powers, significantly increased the authority of

regional and national political leaders. They subsequently become mouthpieces of

the political ideas of the Soviet collapse.

- Instability of the external political environment: the aggravation of

relations with the leadership of the Eastern bloc, the war in Afghanistan.

Economic problems:

- the militarization of the economy, the uneven distribution of MIC among

the Soviet republics;

- completion of an energy crisis, reducing the impact of energy exports;

- Shortage economy, the problem of providing consumer goods in a society

of consumer orientation;

- forming the black market at the level of state-owned enterprises and private

entrepreneurship;

- imbalances in the economic mechanism, caused by inefficient state

planning.

Politico-ideological reasons:

- forming layers the party-state nomenclature, received certain powers in

terms of regionalization of governance and the hardships of micromanagement

center;

- The weakening of the influence of state ideology, the subversive activities

of the dissident movement, which creates prerequisites for the formation of an

alternative ideology;

- Growth of the national problems caused by the emergence of new national

elites: Gamsahudia, Landsbergis, etc. These political forces were the most

cohesive, defending the most simple and clear to all objective.

It is not surprising that national political forces before any organization

decided, the ideological platform was faster than anyone else developed. In this

case, the basic requirements were destructive in nature: if a complete collapse is

impossible, should significantly change the scope of the union agreement.

Another feature of the movement - a complete failure to address the

economic feasibility of national reform.

Restucturing processes:

Stage 1: an attempt of economic reform without political modernization: the

acceleration of socio-economic development, public acceptance as a way to

improve product quality, the struggle with alcoholism (a kind of Prohibition) to

improve labor discipline.

Stage 2: the assumption of private property, encouraging private initiative,

the advantage of the collective, cooperative ownership over private, the beginning

of political reform: critique of Stalinism, openness and new political thinking.

Step 3: catching up political change: the political multiparty, competitive

elections, changing the political system (the introduction of the post of president of

the USSR, the Congress of Soviets as an alternative political body), development

of a new union treaty.

Aggravation of national issues: the political conflict in Kazakhstan,

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the national speech

in Georgia, the Baltic republics attempts to revise the outcome of the Second

World War, the parade of sovereignties (adoption of the Declaration on State

Sovereignty of the Soviet republics).

Attempts to solve national problems: the armed suppression of national

appearances in Georgia and Azerbaijan, the beginning of the development of a new

union contract, holding in the national republics of the referendum March 17, 1991

about the possibility of preservation of the USSR, Meeting in New Ogarevo and

the completion of a new treaty of alliance, the August coup as an attempt by force

to stop the decay process of statehood.