The criteria for the power of all empires from antiquity to the present day are approximately the same - a thriving economy, a strong army, developed science and ambitious citizens. But all great powers die in different ways. What stands apart here is the USSR, which collapsed despite the presence of the main condition for its existence - a submissive population, ready to endure violations of human rights and inconveniences in everyday life in exchange for the greatness of their country. The mentality of this population has been preserved in modern capitalist Russia, but these people betrayed their socialist homeland in 1991 and did not preserve it.
The main reason is the fact that V.I. Lenin and the Bolsheviks managed to win over more people than other reformers. However, this was by no means a democratic process where people make informed and balanced choices.
The Bolsheviks achieved success thanks to several factors:
- Their development program may not have been the best, but their slogans were simple and understandable to the illiterate majority of the population;
- The Bolsheviks were more decisive and active than their political opponents, including in the use of violence;
- Both whites and reds made mistakes and shed blood, but the latter felt better the mood and aspirations of the people;
- The Bolsheviks managed to find foreign sources of financing for their activities.
The Soviet state was born as a result of a long-overdue revolution and a bloody civil war. The monarchy brought the people down to such an extent that the model of development that was completely opposite to it seemed to many to be the only correct one.
What was really good about the USSR?
"Evil Empire" lived up to its name. Repressions, Gulags, mysterious deaths great poets and other unpleasant pages of history have not yet been thoroughly studied. However, there were some positive aspects:
- Elimination of illiteracy. Towards the end of existence Russian Empire According to various estimates, from 30 to 56 percent of the population were literate. It took about 20 years to improve this catastrophic situation;
- Lack of social stratification. If you do not take into account the ruling elite, then among citizens there was no such monstrous inequality in living standards and wages as in tsarist or modern Russia;
- Equality of opportunity. People from worker-peasant families could rise to senior positions. There were a majority of these in the Politburo;
- Cult of Science. Unlike today, on television and in the media much attention was paid not only to the activities of the top officials of the state, but also to science.
The world is not divided only into black and white; many phenomena in our lives are very contradictory. The USSR hindered the development of the Eastern European and Baltic countries, but provided medicine, education and infrastructure to the Central Asian republics.
In 1939, a non-aggression pact was signed, in a secret protocol of which the countries divided Eastern Europe. The same year was marked by a solemn parade of the Wehrmacht and the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army in Brest.
At first glance there was no reason for the war. But it started anyway and here’s why:
- In 1940, the Soviet Union failed to reach an agreement with the Axis countries (Third Reich, Fascist Italy, Empire of Japan) on the terms of joining the Berlin Pact (a treaty on the division of Europe and Asia). Most big country There were few territories in the world that Germany offered, so it was not possible to reach an agreement. Many World War II experts believe that it was after these events that Hitler finally decided to attack the USSR;
- According to the trade agreement, the Soviet Union already supplied raw materials and food to the Third Reich, but this was not enough for Hitler. He wanted to acquire the entire resource base of the USSR;
- Hitler had a strong dislike for Jews and communism. In the Land of Soviets, his two main objects of hatred were intertwined together.
The logical and obvious reasons for the attack are listed here; it is unknown what other hidden motives Hitler was guided by.
The main reason is that people no longer wanted to live in this state. Observing today a large number of people who are nostalgic and want to revive the Union, we can conclude that in 1991 the majority did not make intellectual conclusions, but only wanted change because there was nothing to eat.
Among the others reasons for the collapse it is necessary to highlight the following:
- Inefficient economy. If the socialist system managed to solve at least the problem of food shortages, then the population could endure the lack of normal clothing, equipment and cars for a long time;
- Bureaucracy. It was not professionals in their field who were appointed to key and leadership positions, but members of the Communist Party who strictly followed instructions from above;
- Propaganda and censorship. The streams of propaganda were endless, and information about emergencies and disasters was hushed up and hidden;
- Weak industry diversification. There was nothing to export except oil and weapons. When the price of oil collapsed, problems began;
- Lack of personal freedom. This hindered people's creative potential, including in the field of scientific discoveries and innovations. The result has been technical lag in many industries;
- Isolation of the ruling elite from the population. While the people were forced to be content with the low-quality creations of the mass industry of the USSR, members of the Politburo had access to all the benefits of their ideological opponents from the West.
To finally understand the causes of the crash Soviet Union you need to look at the modern Korean Peninsula. In 1945 South Korea fell under the jurisdiction of the United States, and the North - the USSR. IN North Korea in the 90s there was famine, and according to 2006 data, a third of the population was chronically undernourished. South Korea is the “Asian Tiger”, with a territory smaller than the Orenburg region, now this country produces everything from phones and computers to cars and the world’s largest sea vessels.
Video: 6 reasons for the collapse of the USSR in 6 minutes
In this video, historian Oleg Perov will tell you about the 6 main reasons why the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991:
The Soviet Union was dissolved December 26, 1991. This was announced in Declaration No. 142-N issued by the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union. The Declaration recognized the independence of the former Soviet republics and created the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), although five of its signatories ratified it much later or did not do so at all.
The day before, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev resigned and transferred his powers, including control over the launch codes of Soviet nuclear missiles, to Russian President Boris Yeltsin. That same evening at 7:32 the Soviet flag was replaced by the pre-revolutionary Russian flag.
A week before the official termination Union of 11 republics signed the Alma-Ata Protocol, which formally created the CIS. The collapse of the USSR also marked end cold war .
Some of the republics have maintained close ties with the Russian Federation and have created multilateral organizations, such as:
- Eurasian Economic Community;
- Union State;
- Eurasian Customs Union and Eurasian Economic Union.
On the other hand, the Baltic countries have joined NATO and the European Union.
Spring 1989 The people of the Soviet Union, in a democratic choice, albeit limited, for the first time since 1917, elected a new Congress of People's Deputies. This example prompted the events that began to occur in Poland. The communist government in Warsaw was overthrown, which in turn sparked coups that overthrew communism in the other five Warsaw Pact countries before the end of 1989. The Berlin Wall was torn down.
These events showed that the people of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union did not support Gorbachev's desire to modernize the communist system.
October 25, 1989 The Supreme Council voted to expand the power of the republics in local elections, allowing them to decide for themselves how to organize voting. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have already proposed laws on direct presidential elections. Local elections in all republics were scheduled for the period from December to March 1990.
In December 1989 The Congress of People's Deputies took place and Gorbachev signed the report of the Yakovlev Commission condemning the secret protocols of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
The constituent republics of the union began to declare their national sovereignty and “war of laws” with the central government of Moscow; they rejected national legislation that conflicted with local laws, asserted control over the local economy, and refused to pay taxes. These processes began to occur everywhere and simultaneously.
Rivalry between the USSR and the RSFSR
March 4, 1990 The RSFSR Republic held relatively free elections. Boris Yeltsin was elected representing Sverdlovsk with 72 percent of the vote. On May 29, 1990, Yeltsin was elected chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, despite the fact that Gorbachev asked Russian deputies not to vote for him.
Yeltsin was supported by democratic and conservative members of the Supreme Soviet, who were seeking power in the evolving political situation. Arose new fight for power between the RSFSR and the Soviet Union. On July 12, 1990, Yeltsin resigned from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in a dramatic speech at the 28th Congress.
Lithuania
11th of March The newly elected parliament of the Lithuanian SSR proclaimed the Law on the Restoration of Lithuania, making it the first republic to separate from the USSR.
Estonia
March 30, 1990 Estonia declared the Soviet occupation of Estonia after World War II illegal and began to restore Estonia as an independent state.
Latvia
Latvia announced the restoration of independence May 4, 1990 with a declaration providing for a transition period for full independence.
Ukraine
July 16, 1990 Parliament overwhelmingly approved the Declaration of Sovereignty of Ukraine - 355 votes and four against. People's Deputies voted 339–5 to declare July 16 a national holiday in Ukraine.
March 17, 1991 At the all-Union referendum, 76.4 percent of people were in favor of preserving the Soviet Union. Boycotted the referendum:
- Baltic republics;
- Armenia;
- Georgia;
- Moldova;
- Checheno-Ingushetia.
In each of the remaining nine republics, a majority of voters supported maintaining the reformed Soviet Union.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin and the attempted coup
June 12, 1991 Boris Yeltsin won democratic elections, defeating Gorbachev's preferred candidate, Nikolai Ryzhkov. After Yeltsin's election to the presidency, Russia declared itself independent.
Faced with growing separatism, Gorbachev sought to rebuild the Soviet Union into a less centralized state. On August 20, 1991, the Russian SSR was supposed to sign a union treaty that would turn the Soviet Union into a federation. This was strongly supported by the Central Asian republics, who needed the economic benefits of a common market to prosper. However, this would mean some degree of continuation of the Communist Party over economic and social life.
More radical reformists increasingly convinced of the need for a rapid transition to market economy, even final result meant the collapse of the Soviet Union into several independent states. Independence also suited Yeltsin's wishes, as well as regional and local authorities authorities will get rid of Moscow's large-scale control.
In contrast to the warm reaction of the reformers to the treaty, the conservatives, "patriots" and Russian nationalists of the USSR, still strong within the CPSU and the military, opposed the weakening of the Soviet state and its centralized power structure.
August 19, 1991 years, high-ranking officials of the USSR formed the “General Committee for emergency situations" The leaders of the coup issued an emergency decree to suspend political activity and the banning of most newspapers.
The organizers of the coup expected public support, but found that public opinion was major cities and the republics were mostly against them. This manifested itself in public demonstrations, especially in Moscow. RSFSR President Yeltsin condemned the coup and received popular support.
After three days, August 21, 1991, the coup collapsed. The organizers were detained, and Gorbachev was restored as president, although his power was greatly shaken.
August 24, 1991 Gorbachev dissolved the Central Committee of the CPSU, resigned as the party's general secretary and dissolved all party units in the government. Five days later, the Supreme Council indefinitely suspended all activities of the CPSU on Soviet territory, effectively ending communist rule in the Soviet Union and destroying the only remaining unifying force in the country.
In what year did the USSR collapse
Between August and December, 10 republics declared their independence, largely out of fear of another coup. By the end of September, Gorbachev no longer had the authority to influence events outside Moscow.
September 17, 1991 General Assembly resolutions 46/4, 46/5 and 46/6 recognized Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as members of the United Nations in accordance with Security Council resolutions No. 709, 710 and 711, adopted on 12 September without a vote.
The final round of the collapse of the Soviet Union began with a popular referendum in Ukraine on December 1, 1991, in which 90 percent of voters chose independence. The events that took place in Ukraine destroyed any real chance for Gorbachev to preserve the USSR, even on a limited scale. The leaders of the three main Slavic republics: Russia, Ukraine and Belarus agreed to discuss possible alternatives to the USSR.
December 8 The leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus met secretly in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, in western Belarus, and signed a document that stated that the USSR had ceased to exist and announced the creation of the CIS. They also invited other republics to join the CIS. Gorbachev called it an unconstitutional coup.
Doubts remained as to whether the Bialowieza Agreement was legal, since it was signed by only three republics. However, on December 21, 1991, representatives of 11 of the 12 remaining republics, except Georgia, signed a protocol that confirmed the dissolution of the Union and officially formed the CIS.
On the night of December 25, at 19:32 Moscow time, after Gorbachev left the Kremlin, the Soviet flag was lowered for the last time and in its place the Russian tricolor was raised, symbolically signifying the end of the Soviet Union.
That same day, United States President George W. Bush made a short televised speech officially recognizing the independence of the 11 remaining republics.
Alma-Ata Protocol also touched on other issues, including UN membership. Notably, Russia was authorized to accept membership of the Soviet Union, including its permanent seat on the Security Council. The Soviet Ambassador to the UN sent a letter to the UN Secretary General dated December 24, 1991, signed by Russian President Yeltsin, informing him that by virtue of the Alma-Ata Protocol, Russia had become the successor state of the USSR.
After being circulated to other UN member states without objection, the statement was declared accepted on the last day of the year, December 31, 1991.
Additional Information
According to a 2014 survey, 57 percent of Russian citizens regretted the collapse of the Soviet Union. Fifty percent of respondents in Ukraine in a February 2005 survey said they also regretted the collapse of the USSR.
The collapse of economic ties that occurred during the collapse of the Soviet Union led to a serious economic crisis and a rapid decline in living standards in the post-Soviet states and the former Eastern Bloc.
Membership in the United Nations
In a letter dated December 24, 1991 President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin informed Secretary General United Nations that membership in UN bodies continues Russian Federation with the support of 11 member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Belarus and Ukraine by this time were already members of the UN.
Other twelve independent states, created from former Soviet republics, were also admitted to the UN:
- 17 September 1991: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania;
- March 2, 1992: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan;
- July 31, 1992: Georgia.
Video
From the video you will learn about the reasons for the collapse of the USSR.
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In March 1990, at an all-Union referendum, the majority of citizens spoke in favor of preserving the USSR and the need to reform it. By the summer of 1991, a new Union Treaty was prepared, which gave a chance to renew the federal state. But it was not possible to maintain unity.
Possible reasons include the following:
· The USSR was created in 1922. as a federal state. However, over time, it increasingly turned into a state controlled from the center and leveling out the differences between the republics and subjects of federal relations. The problems of inter-republican and interethnic relations have been ignored for many years. During the years of perestroika, when interethnic conflicts became explosive and extremely dangerous, decision-making was postponed until 1990-1991. The accumulation of contradictions made disintegration inevitable;
· The USSR was created on the basis of recognition of the right of nations to self-determination; the federation was built not on a territorial, but on a national-territorial principle. In the Constitutions of 1924, 1936 and 1977. contained norms on the sovereignty of the republics that were part of the USSR. In the context of a growing crisis, these norms became a catalyst for centrifugal processes;
· the unified national economic complex that developed in the USSR ensured the economic integration of the republics. However, as economic difficulties grew, economic ties began to break down, the republics showed tendencies towards self-isolation, and the center was not ready for such a development of events;
· the Soviet political system was based on strict centralization of power, the real bearer of which was not so much the state as the Communist Party. The crisis of the CPSU, its loss of its leading role, its collapse inevitably led to the collapse of the country;
· the unity and integrity of the Union was largely ensured by its ideological unity. The crisis of the communist value system created a spiritual vacuum that was filled with nationalist ideas;
· political, economic, ideological crisis that the USSR experienced in last years its existence, led to the weakening of the center and the strengthening of the republics and their political elites. For economic, political, and personal reasons, the national elites were interested not so much in preserving the USSR as in its collapse. The “Parade of Sovereignties” of 1990 clearly showed the mood and intentions of the national party-state elites.
Consequences:
· the collapse of the USSR led to the emergence of independent sovereign states;
· the geopolitical situation in Europe and throughout the world has radically changed;
· the breakdown of economic ties has become one of the main reasons for the deep economic crisis in Russia and other countries - successors of the USSR;
· serious problems have arisen related to the fate of Russians who remained outside Russia, and national minorities in general (the problem of refugees and migrants).
1. Political liberalization has led to an increase in the number of informal groups that have become involved in political activities since 1988. The prototypes of future political parties were unions, associations and popular fronts of different directions (nationalist, patriotic, liberal, democratic, etc.). In the spring of 1988, the Democratic Bloc was formed, which included Eurocommunists, Social Democrats, and liberal groups.
An opposition Interregional Deputy Group was formed in the Supreme Council. In January 1990, an opposition democratic platform emerged within the CPSU, whose members began to leave the party.
Political parties began to form. The CPSU's monopoly on power was lost, and from mid-1990 a rapid transition to a multi-party system began.
2. The collapse of the socialist camp (“Velvet Revolution” in Czechoslovakia (1989), events in Romania (1989), the unification of Germany and the disappearance of the GDR (1990), reforms in Hungary, Poland and Bulgaria.)
3. The growth of the nationalist movement. Its reasons were the deterioration of the economic situation in national regions, conflict local authorities with "center") Clashes began on ethnic grounds; since 1987, national movements have acquired an organized character (the movement Crimean Tatars, movement for the reunification of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, movement for the independence of the Baltic states, etc.)
At the same time, a draft of a new Union Treaty was developed, significantly expanding the rights of the republics.
The idea of a union treaty was put forward by the popular fronts of the Baltic republics back in 1988. The center adopted the idea of a treaty later, when centrifugal tendencies were gaining strength and there was a “parade of sovereignties.” The question of Russian sovereignty was raised in June 1990 at the First Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian Federation. The Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Russian Federation was adopted. This meant that the Soviet Union as a state entity was losing its main support.
The Declaration formally delimited the powers of the center and the republic, which did not contradict the Constitution. In practice, it established dual power in the country.
The example of Russia strengthened separatist tendencies in the union republics.
However, the indecisive and inconsistent actions of the country's central leadership did not lead to success. In April 1991, the Union Center and nine republics (with the exception of the Baltic, Georgia, Armenia and Moldova) signed documents declaring the provisions of the new union treaty. However, the situation was complicated by the outbreak of a struggle between the parliaments of the USSR and Russia, which turned into a war of laws.
At the beginning of April 1990, the Law on Strengthening Responsibility for Encroachments on the National Equality of Citizens and Violent Violation of the Unity of the Territory of the USSR was adopted, which established criminal liability for public calls for the violent overthrow or change of the Soviet social and state system.
But almost simultaneously with this, the Law on the Procedure for Resolving Issues Related to Exit was adopted. union republic from the USSR, which regulated the order and procedure for secession from the USSR through a referendum. A legal way to leave the Union was opened.
The Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR in December 1990 voted to preserve the USSR.
However, the collapse of the USSR was already in full swing. In October 1990, at the congress of the Ukrainian Popular Front, the struggle for the independence of Ukraine was proclaimed; The Georgian parliament, in which nationalists received a majority, adopted a program for the transition to a sovereign Georgia. Political tension remained in the Baltic states.
In November 1990, the republics were offered a new version of the union treaty, in which, instead of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics was mentioned.
But at the same time, bilateral agreements were signed between Russia and Ukraine, mutually recognizing each other’s sovereignty regardless of the Center, between Russia and Kazakhstan. A parallel model of the union of republics was created.
4. In January 1991, a monetary reform was carried out, aimed at combating the shadow economy, but which caused additional tension in society. The population expressed dissatisfaction with the shortage of food and necessary goods.
B.N. Yeltsin demanded the resignation of the President of the USSR and the dissolution of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
A referendum on the issue of preserving the USSR was scheduled for March (opponents of the Union questioned its legitimacy, calling for the transfer of power to the Federation Council, consisting of the top officials of the republics). The majority of voters were in favor of preserving the USSR.
5. At the beginning of March, miners of Donbass, Kuzbass and Vorkuta began a strike, demanding the resignation of the President of the USSR, the dissolution of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, a multi-party system, and the nationalization of the property of the CPSU. The official authorities could not stop the process that had begun.
The referendum on March 17, 1991 confirmed the political split in society; in addition, a sharp increase in prices increased social tension and swelled the ranks of strikers.
In June 1991, elections for the President of the RSFSR were held. B.N. was elected Yeltsin.
Discussion of drafts of the new Union Treaty continued: some participants at the meeting in Novo-Ogarevo insisted on confederal principles, others on federal ones. It was supposed to sign the agreement in July - August 1991.
During the negotiations, the republics managed to defend many of their demands: the Russian language ceased to be the state language, the heads of the republican governments participated in the work of the Union Cabinet of Ministers with the right to a decisive vote, enterprises of the military-industrial complex were transferred to the joint jurisdiction of the Union and the republics.
Many questions about both the international and intra-Union status of the republics remained unresolved. Questions about union taxes and the management of natural resources, as well as the status of the six republics that did not sign the agreement, remained unclear. At the same time, the Central Asian republics concluded bilateral agreements with each other, and Ukraine refrained from signing an agreement until the adoption of its Constitution.
In July 1991, the President of Russia signed a decree on departition, which prohibited the activities of party organizations in enterprises and institutions.
6. On August 19, 1991, the State Committee for the State of Emergency in the USSR (GKChP) was created, declaring its intention to restore order in the country and prevent the collapse of the USSR. A state of emergency was established and censorship was introduced. Armored vehicles appeared on the streets of the capital.
The President and Parliament of the RSFSR refused to obey the orders of the State Emergency Committee, adopting their own decrees and orders.
The indecisiveness of the members of the State Emergency Committee, the split in the troops, the resistance of the population of large cities (Moscow, Leningrad, etc.), the support provided to the President of the RSFSR Yeltsin by a number of governments around the world, etc., led to the failure of the attempt to restore order in the country.
Gorbachev, who returned to Moscow on August 22, lost his political initiative, influence and power. After the August events, the process of the collapse of the USSR and the liquidation of central government institutions accelerated.
The Central Committee of the CPSU was dissolved, the party's activities were suspended and then banned by the President of Russia. The competence of the KGB has been sharply reduced by removing a number of functions and departments from it. There have been significant personnel changes in the power structures and management of the media.
Following the failure of the coup, eight republics declared their independence, and the three newly formed independent Baltic states were recognized by the USSR in September.
In December, the Presidents of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus in Minsk announced that the Soviet Union no longer exists and that they formed the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), open to all states of the former Union (Belovezhskaya Agreement). Later, eight more republics joined the CIS, after which Gorbachev announced the termination of his functions as President of the USSR.
Eleven years before the collapse of the USSR
On the morning of May 20, 1980, Ronald Reagan (US President) received William Casey (Director of the CIA), who presented Reagan with new information about the state of affairs in the USSR, namely, Casey presented unofficial classified materials about problems in the USSR economy. Reagan loved to read such information on the USSR and in his diary on March 26, 1981, he wrote the following: The USSR is in a very bad situation, if we refrain from loans, they will ask others for help, because otherwise they will die of hunger. Casey personally selected all the information on the USSR, bringing his old dream closer - collapse of the USSR.
On March 26, 1981, W. Casey arrived with a report to Reagan. Casey provided new information about the state of affairs in the USSR:
The USSR is in a very difficult situation, there is an uprising in Poland, the USSR is stuck in Afghanistan, Cuba, Angola and Vietnam. Casey insisted that there was no better time to collapse of the USSR does not exist. Reagan agreed and Casey began preparing his proposals for collapse of the USSR.
Members of the working group leading the collapse of the USSR
Ronald Reagan, William Joseph Casey, George H. W. Bush, Caspar Willard Weinberger
In early 1982, Casey, at a closed meeting in the White House, proposed plan for the collapse of the USSR. For some senior Reagan administration officials, the proposal collapse of the USSR came as a shock. Throughout the 70s, the West and Europe accustomed themselves to the idea that they should not fight with the USSR, but negotiate. The majority believed that there was simply no other way in the era of nuclear weapons. The NSDD plan was aimed in the other direction. On January 30, 1982, at a meeting of the working group, Casey’s plan for launching covert offensive operations against the USSR was adopted; classified as top secret, it was called the “NSDD plan” (directive of the Reagan administration in the matter of US strategy, goals and aspirations in relations with the USSR). The NSDD plan clearly stated that the next goal of the United States was no longer coexistence with the USSR, but a change in the Soviet system. All working group recognized the necessary achievement of one goal - collapse of the USSR!
The essence of the NSDD plan for the collapse of the USSR boiled down to the following:
- Secret, financial, intelligence and political assistance to the Polish Solidarity movement. Goal: maintaining the opposition in the center of the USSR.
- Significant financial and military assistance to the Afghan Mujahideen. Goal: the spread of war on the territory of the USSR.
- Secret diplomacy in the countries Western Europe. Goal: limit the USSR's access to Western technologies.
- Psychological and information warfare. Goal: technical disinformation and destruction of the USSR economy.
- The growth of weapons and maintaining them at a high technological level. Goal: undermining the economy of the USSR and exacerbating the resource crisis.
- Cooperation with Saudi Arabia to reduce world oil prices. Target: a sharp decline receipts of hard currency in the USSR.
CIA Director W. Casey realized that it was useless to fight the USSR; the USSR could only be destroyed economically.
Preparatory stage for the collapse of the USSR
In early April 1981, CIA Director W. Casey went to the Middle East and Europe. Casey had to solve 2 problems: falling oil prices and increasing resistance in Afghanistan. Therefore, Casey visited Egypt (supplier of weapons to the Afghan mujahideen). Here Casey told President Mohammed Anwar al-Sadat (a friend of the CIA) that the weapons that Egypt was supplying to the Afghan Mujahideen were scrap! The USSR could not be defeated with it, and offered financial assistance so that the supply of modern weapons could begin. However, Sadat was not destined to carry out the instructions of the CIA chief, because. 6 months later he was shot dead. But the United States still managed to supply the Afghan Mujahideen with weapons worth $8 billion!!! This is how the Mujahideen acquired the first Stinger air defense system. This is the largest covert operation since World War II.
Next, the CIA chief visited Saudi Arabia. The CIA analytical department calculated that if oil prices on the world market fell by just 1 dollar, the USSR would lose from 500 million to 1 billion dollars a year. In return, Casey promised the sheikh protection from possible revolutions, protection for family members, supplies of weapons, and guaranteed the inviolability of personal deposits in US banks. The sheikh agreed to the proposal, and oil production in Saudi Arabia skyrocketed. So in 1986, the USSR's losses from falling oil prices amounted to $13 billion. Experts already realized then that Gorbachev would not be able to carry out any breakthrough or restructuring. Modernization required 50 billion dollars, which was taken away from the USSR by the NSDD plan.
Casey also managed to convince the Sheikh of the secret participation of Saudi Arabia in Afghan war and the strengthening of the Afghan Mujahideen by the Saudis. The sheikh's money was used to recruit the modest owner of a construction company, Osama bin Laden (terrorist No. 1 in the world).
After Saudi Arabia, the CIA chief visited Israel. The first points have already begun to work, the next stage of the collapse of the USSR is information and psychological warfare, without which collapse of the USSR it might not have happened. According to Casey, the Israeli intelligence service Mossad was to play a decisive role. Casey suggested that Israel use American spy satellites to obtain information about Iraq's nuclear facilities, as well as materials on Syria. In response, Israel opened part of its residency in the USSR to the CIA. The channels have been established.
The beginning of the implementation of the plan for the collapse of the USSR
The United States decided to carry out economic sabotage against Poland. One of the authors of this plan was Zbigniew Brzezinski. The meaning of this plan was that Western partners supplied enterprises to Poland with the assurance that they would take the products produced at these enterprises in the form of payment, and after the launch of the enterprise they refused to take the products. Thus, sales of products were slowed down, and the amount of Polish foreign currency debt went up. After this sabotage, Poland was in large debts; cards for goods began to be introduced in Poland (cards were even introduced for diapers and hygiene products). After this, workers' strikes began; the Poles wanted to eat. The burden of the Polish crisis fell on the economy of the USSR; Poland was provided with financial assistance in the amount of $10 billion, but Poland's debt remained in the amount of $12 billion. Thus began a revolution in one of the socialist countries.
The US administration was confident that the outbreak of a revolutionary fire in one of the USSR countries would lead to destabilization throughout the USSR. The Kremlin leadership, in turn, understood where the wind of change was blowing, intelligence reported that Polish revolutionaries were receiving financial assistance from Western countries (1.7 thousand newspapers and magazines, 10 thousand books and brochures were published underground, underground printing houses operated), on the radio “ Voice of America" and "Free Europe" Polish revolutionaries received hidden orders about when and where to strike. Moscow has repeatedly pointed out the danger coming from abroad and has begun to prepare for intervention. CIA intelligence decided to counter Moscow with the following trump card: Casey flies to Rome, where a key figure with influence on the Poles was located - this was the Pole Karol Jozef Wojtyla, after his enthronement - John Paul II (Primate of the Roman Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005). The CIA remembered well how the Poles greeted John Paul II when he returned to his homeland. Then millions of excited Poles met their compatriot. After meeting Casey, he begins to actively support the Polish resistance and personally met with resistance leader Lech Walesa. Catholic Church begins to financially support the resistance (distributes humanitarian aid received from Western charitable foundations), provides shelters for oppositionists.
Report of the Director of the CIA on the collapse of the USSR
In February 1982, at a meeting in the oval office of the White House, the CIA director again reported on the work done. The loss of tens of millions of dollars, the tense situation in Poland, the protracted war in Afghanistan, instability in the socialist camp, all this led to the emptying of the USSR treasury. Casey also said that the USSR is trying to replenish the treasury with Siberian gas supplied to Europe - this is the Urengoy-6 project. This project was supposed to provide the USSR with colossal funds. In addition, Europe was very interested in the construction of this gas pipeline.
The failure of the Urengoy-6 project as one of the reasons for the collapse of the USSR
The Soviet Union was supposed to lay a gas pipeline from Siberia to the borders of Czechoslovakia, but imported pipes were required for the installation. It was then that the US administration imposed a ban on the supply of oil equipment to the USSR. But Europe, which was interested in gas, and which, by agreement with the USSR, had a significant 25-year discount on gas, secretly (the government secretly supported smuggled suppliers) continued to supply necessary equipment for the USSR. The US administration sent its own man to Europe, who campaigned for Europe for American coal, natural gas from the North Sea, and also for synthetic fuels. But Europe, feeling the benefits of cooperation with the USSR, continued to secretly help the USSR build a gas pipeline. Then Reagan again ordered the CIA to deal with this problem. In 1982, the CIA developed an operation according to which gas equipment was supplied to the USSR through a long chain of intermediaries, the software of which was deliberately introduced with errors. These errors were exploited after installation, resulting in large explosions on highways. As a result of these sabotages, Urengoy-6 was never completed, and the USSR again suffered losses in the amount of 1 trillion. dollars. This became one of the reasons for the bankruptcy and collapse of the USSR.
Another secret operation to collapse the USSR
On March 23, 1983, Reagan proposed deploying a system that would destroy enemy nuclear missiles in space. Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) or " star Wars“The essence of the program was to create a large-scale missile defense system with space-based elements. According to this program, the United States was supposed to launch satellites with laser weapons into geostationary orbits, which would constantly be located above the base of nuclear missiles and at the time of their launch could shoot them down. The US administration, with the help of this program, intimidated the USSR and continued to deplete the USSR economy. The United States was led to believe that one day all Soviet missiles would become a pile of unnecessary metal. Soviet scientists began to study SDI and came to the conclusion that for laser weapons to work, powerful energy pumping was needed, and in order to hit an incoming missile, the diameter laser beam should be the size of a pinhead, and according to scientists, the diameter of the laser beam from the rocket turned into a circle of light with a diameter of 100 square meters. meters. Scientists have proven that SDI is a bluff! But the Soviet Union continued to devote too much effort and time to SDI, and the United States acted from a position of strength in the missile defense negotiations with the USSR.
Gorbachev also tried to somehow raise the economy of the USSR, he was counting on high oil prices, but oil prices fell from 35 to 10 dollars per barrel. Instead of improvement Soviet citizens felt the deterioration, store shelves became empty, and soon, as during the Second World War, cards appeared. The collapse of the USSR has entered its final stage.
Date of collapse of the USSR
Date of collapse of the USSR December 26, 1991. As a result collapse of the USSR The territory of Russia decreased compared to the territory of the USSR by 24%, and the population decreased by 49%. The unified armed forces and common currency disintegrated, and interethnic conflicts sharply escalated.
Exactly 20 years ago, on December 25, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev laid down his powers of the President of the USSR, and The Soviet Union ceased to exist.
Currently, there is no consensus among historians on what was the main reason for the collapse of the USSR, and also on whether it was possible to prevent this process.
We remember the events of 20 years ago.
Demonstration in the center of Vilnius for the independence of the Republic of Lithuania on January 10, 1990. In general, the Baltic republics were at the forefront of the struggle for independence, and Lithuania was the first of the Soviet republics to proclaim it on March 11, 1990. The USSR Constitution was terminated on the territory of the republic and the Lithuanian Constitution of 1938 was restored. (Photo by Vitaly Armand | AFP | Getty Images):
The independence of Lithuania was not recognized then either by the government of the USSR or by other countries. In response to the declaration of independence, the Soviet government undertook an “economic blockade” of Lithuania, and from January 1991 military force- capture of television nodes and other important buildings in Lithuanian cities.
In the Foto: USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev at a meeting with residents of Vilnius, Lithuania, January 11, 1990. (Photo by Victor Yurchenk | AP):
Weapons confiscated from local police in Kaunas, Lithuania, March 26, 1990. USSR President Gorbachev ordered Lithuania to hand over firearms to the Soviet authorities. (Photo by Vadimir Vyatkin | Novisti AP):
One after another, the Soviet republics declare their independence. In the Foto: crowd blocking the road Soviet tanks on the approach to the city of Kirovabad (Ganja) - the second largest city in Azerbaijan, January 22, 1990. (AP Photo):
The collapse (collapse) of the USSR occurred against the backdrop of a general economic, political and demographic crisis. In the period 1989-1991. comes to the surface the main problem Soviet economy - a chronic commodity shortage. Almost all basic goods, except bread, disappear from free sale. In almost all regions of the country, rationed sales of goods using coupons are being introduced. (Photo by Dusan Vranic | AP):
Rally of Soviet mothers near Red Square in Moscow, December 24, 1990. About 6,000 people died in 1990 while serving in the Soviet armed forces. (Photo by Martin Cleaver | AP):
Manezhnaya Square in Moscow was repeatedly the site of mass rallies, including unauthorized ones, during perestroika. In the Foto: another rally, at which more than 100 thousand participants demand the resignation of USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev, and also oppose the use of military force Soviet army in relation to Lithuania, 20 January 1991. (Photo by Vitaly Armand | AFP | Getty Images):
Anti-Soviet leaflets on a wall erected in front of the Lithuanian parliament as a defense against an assault by Soviet troops, January 17, 1991. (Photo by Liu Heung Shing | AP):
On January 13, 1991, Soviet troops stormed the television tower in Vilnius. The local population had active resistance, as a result, 13 people died and dozens were injured. (Photo by Stringer | AFP | Getty Images):
And again Manege Square in Moscow. March 10, 1991 was held here largest anti-government rally throughout the history of Soviet power: hundreds of thousands of people demanded Gorbachev’s resignation. (Photo by Dominique Mollard | AP):
A few days before the August coup. Mikhail Gorbachev at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, 1991
August putsch August 19, 1991 was an attempt to remove Gorbachev from the post of President of the USSR, undertaken by the State Committee for a State of Emergency (GKChP) - a group of figures from the leadership of the CPSU Central Committee, the USSR government, the army and the KGB. It led to radical changes in the political situation in the country and an irreversible acceleration of the collapse of the USSR.
The actions of the State Emergency Committee were accompanied by the declaration of a state of emergency, the deployment of troops into the center of Moscow, and the introduction of strict censorship in the media. The leadership of the RSFSR (Boris Yeltsin) and the leadership of the USSR (President Mikhail Gorbachev) qualified the actions of the Emergency Committee as a coup. Tanks near the Kremlin, August 19, 1991. (Photo by Dima Tanin | AFP | Getty Images):
Leaders of the August Coup, members of the State Emergency Committee from left to right: Minister of Internal Affairs Boris Pugo, Vice President of the USSR Gennady Yanaev and Deputy Chairman of the Defense Council under the President of the USSR Oleg Baklanov. Press conference on August 19, 1991 in Moscow. Members of the State Emergency Committee chose the moment when Gorbachev was away - on vacation in Crimea, and announced his temporary removal from power, allegedly for health reasons. (Photo by Vitaly Armand | AFP | Getty Images):
In total, about 4 thousand military personnel, 362 tanks, 427 armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles were brought into Moscow. In the Foto: the crowd is blocking the movement of the column, August 19, 1991. (Photo by Boris Yurchenko | AP):
Russian President Boris Yeltsin comes to the “White House” (Supreme Council of the RSFSR) and organizes a center of resistance to the actions of the State Emergency Committee. Resistance takes the form of rallies that gather in Moscow to defend the White House and create barricades around him, August 19, 1991. (Photo by Anatoly Sapronyenkov | AFP | Getty Images):
However, members of the State Emergency Committee did not have complete control over their forces, and on the very first day, parts of the Taman division went over to the side of the defenders of the White House. From the tank of this division he said his famous message to assembled supporters Yeltsin, August 19, 1991. (Photo by Diane-Lu Hovasse | AFP | Getty Images):
President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev delivers a video message August 19, 1991. He calls what is happening a coup d'état. At this moment, Gorbachev is blocked by troops at his dacha in Crimea. (Photo by NBC TV | AFP | Getty Images):
As a result of a clash with the military three people died- White House defender. (Photo by Dima Tanin | AFP | Getty Images):
(Photo by Andre Durand | AFP | Getty Images):
Boris Yeltsin speaks to supporters from the White House balcony, August 19, 1991. (Photo by Dima Tanin | AFP | Getty Images):
On August 20, 1991, more than 25,000 people gathered in front of the White House to support Boris Yeltsin. (Photo by Vitaly Armand | AFP | Getty Images):
Barricades at the White House, August 21, 1991. (Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images):
On the evening of August 21, Mikhail Gorbachev contacted Moscow and canceled all orders of the State Emergency Committee. (AFP Photo | EPA | Alain-Pierre Hovasse):
August 22 all members of the State Emergency Committee were arrested. The army began to leave Moscow. (Photo by Willy Slingerland | AFP | Getty Images):
The streets greet the news of the failed coup, August 22, 1991. (AP Photo):
President of the RSFSR Boris Yeltsin announced that a decision had been made to make a white-azure-red banner new state flag of Russia. (AFP Photo | EPA | Alain-Pierre Hovasse):
Announced in Moscow mourning for the dead, August 22, 1991. (Photo by Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images):
Dismantling the monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky at Lubyanka, August 22, 1991. It was a spontaneous outburst of revolutionary energy. (Photo by Anatoly Sapronenkov | AFP | Getty Ima):
Dismantling barricades near the White House, August 25, 1991. (Photo by Alain-Pierre Hovasse | AFP | Getty Images):
The August putsch led to irreversible acceleration of the collapse of the USSR. On October 18, the Constitutional Act “On State Independence of the Azerbaijan Republic” was adopted. (Photo by Anatoly Sapronenkov | AFP | Getty Images):
A month after the August events, on September 28, 1991, a grand rock festival "Monsters of Rock". The grandees and legends of world rock music “AC/DC” and “Metallica” took part in it. Neither before nor after, nothing else of this magnitude happened in the vastness of the Soviet Union. According to various estimates, the number of spectators ranged from 600 to 800 thousand people (the figure is also called 1,000,000 people). (Photo by Stephan Bentura | AFP | Getty Images):
Dismantled monument to Lenin from the center of Vilnius, Lithuania, September 1, 1991. (Photo by Gerard Fouet | AFP | Getty Images):
The joy of the local population about output Soviet troops from Chechnya, Grozny, September 1, 1991. (AP Photo):
After the failure of the August putsch, on August 24, 1991, the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR adopted Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine. It was confirmed by the results of the referendum on December 1, 1991, in which 90.32% of the population who came to the polling stations voted for independence. (Photo by Boris Yurchenko | AP):
By December 1991, 16 Soviet republics declared their independence. On December 12, 1991, the withdrawal of the Russian Republic from the USSR, which actually ceased to exist, was proclaimed. Mikhail Gorbachev was still the president of a non-existent state.
December 25, 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev announces the termination of his activities as President of the USSR “for reasons of principle”, signed a decree resigning from the powers of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Union Armed Forces and transferred control of strategic nuclear weapons to Russian President Boris Yeltsin.
Soviet flag flutters over the Kremlin last days. IN New Year 1991-1992 a new Russian flag was already flying over the Kremlin. (Photo by Gene Berman | AP):
