There is a saying that goes, “Nothing lasts forever.” The Soviet Union thought that they would always have power and the nations they had control over would never break away however he USSR and the Eastern Bloc nations did break away. The Cold War started in 1947, a couple years after the end of World War II and ended in 1991. The Cold War was fought using proxy wars fought off their land such as the Korean War and the Vietnam War. In 1985, the Soviet economy was stagnant and faced a sharp fall in foreign currency earnings as a result of the downward slide in oil prices in the 1980s. By 1989, the Soviet alliance system was on the brink of collapse, and, deprived of Soviet military support, the Communist leaders of the Warsaw Pact states were
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In 1999, The Afghan War and Breakdown of the Soviet Union by Rafael Reuvny and Aseem Prakash stated that “Since many Afgantsy belonged to the non-Russian nationalist, opposition to the war from citizens in non-Russian Soviet republics increased...these Afgantsy became bitter and openly critical of the Soviet leaders.” Similarly, a research conducted on July 5, 1988 by Pamiati A. Bennigsen claimed that, “It would be demonstrated that Soviet might was not invincible and that resistance is possible. What are the Afghans for Central Asia? It is a small, wild, and poor country. So then, if the Afghans could inflict a military and political defeat, then that makes anything possible. And everyone in Central Asia knows that. I think that the Soviet Russia they know it too.” Both studies showed that rebellion was begging to happen. The Afghanistan showed that the Soviets were not invincible and people could fight back. And finally, in the CIA Report, USSR: Domestic Fallout From the Afghan War stated that, “Military involvement in AFghanistan has lasted longer than any previous Soviet war and, we estimate has cost the USSR more than 12,000 lives and 15 billion rubles… The war has intensified some societal and health problems…” The war affected the Soviet Union in both its society and its economy. These problems would have led to the breakup of the USSR and the Eastern Bloc because again, the problems would …show more content…
In a speech by Mikhail S. Gorbachev, he said “At the present stage…. the Party will promote the development of opinions in society and the broadening of glasnost in the interests of democracy and the people.” Equivalently, Aleksander Yakoblev said, “...From that moment on people began tos ay that the system is un-reformable and the Party is unreformable. There did remain some illusions, some hopes, that it could all be done without major conflicts.” These quotes showed how the Soviet Union was changing; and how it was slowly changing into a democracy giving people got a choice. Likewise, in “The Collapse of Communism: The Winter of 1988-89”, “‘I hope this is for real,’ said Boris Mamecov, a court clerk, at his voting place in sout Moscow. ‘We never had anything like it before: discussions, debates. Before people dropped a piece of paper in a slot. You couldn’t describe it as a choice.’” The citizens of the Soviet Union now had a voice which meant they could choose their form of government. This would lead to the collapse of the Soviet Union because most people probably did not want to keep their old form of government. In conclusion, the breakup between the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc was inevitable due to the USSR’s economic state, the Afghanistan war, and the Soviet reforms. These three would have lead to the breakup because they all could possibly lead to a revolution.
In 1999, The Afghan War and Breakdown of the Soviet Union by Rafael Reuvny and Aseem Prakash stated that “Since many Afgantsy belonged to the non-Russian nationalist, opposition to the war from citizens in non-Russian Soviet republics increased...these Afgantsy became bitter and openly critical of the Soviet leaders.” Similarly, a research conducted on July 5, 1988 by Pamiati A. Bennigsen claimed that, “It would be demonstrated that Soviet might was not invincible and that resistance is possible. What are the Afghans for Central Asia? It is a small, wild, and poor country. So then, if the Afghans could inflict a military and political defeat, then that makes anything possible. And everyone in Central Asia knows that. I think that the Soviet Russia they know it too.” Both studies showed that rebellion was begging to happen. The Afghanistan showed that the Soviets were not invincible and people could fight back. And finally, in the CIA Report, USSR: Domestic Fallout From the Afghan War stated that, “Military involvement in AFghanistan has lasted longer than any previous Soviet war and, we estimate has cost the USSR more than 12,000 lives and 15 billion rubles… The war has intensified some societal and health problems…” The war affected the Soviet Union in both its society and its economy. These problems would have led to the breakup of the USSR and the Eastern Bloc because again, the problems would …show more content…
In a speech by Mikhail S. Gorbachev, he said “At the present stage…. the Party will promote the development of opinions in society and the broadening of glasnost in the interests of democracy and the people.” Equivalently, Aleksander Yakoblev said, “...From that moment on people began tos ay that the system is un-reformable and the Party is unreformable. There did remain some illusions, some hopes, that it could all be done without major conflicts.” These quotes showed how the Soviet Union was changing; and how it was slowly changing into a democracy giving people got a choice. Likewise, in “The Collapse of Communism: The Winter of 1988-89”, “‘I hope this is for real,’ said Boris Mamecov, a court clerk, at his voting place in sout Moscow. ‘We never had anything like it before: discussions, debates. Before people dropped a piece of paper in a slot. You couldn’t describe it as a choice.’” The citizens of the Soviet Union now had a voice which meant they could choose their form of government. This would lead to the collapse of the Soviet Union because most people probably did not want to keep their old form of government. In conclusion, the breakup between the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc was inevitable due to the USSR’s economic state, the Afghanistan war, and the Soviet reforms. These three would have lead to the breakup because they all could possibly lead to a revolution.