The collapse of the USSR

At the end of 1991 the Soviet Union, one of the two largest powers in the world, ceased to exist. What led to the collapse of the USSR? How did these events take place, not so distant, but having a huge impact on the further course of human history.

Causes of the collapse of the USSR

Of course, such a major power could not fall apart just like that. There were many reasons for the collapse of the USSR. Chief among them was the strong dissatisfaction of the vast majority of the population with the existing regime. This dissatisfaction was of a socio-economic nature. In social terms, people wanted freedom: Gorbachev's perestroika, which at first aroused expectations of change, did not justify the hopes of the people. New slogans and ideas, new leaders, more daring and radical (at least in words), found a much greater response in people's hearts than the actions of the existing government. In economic terms, a monstrous fatigue has accumulated from constant shortages, queues, from the realization that there, in the distant capitalist west, people live much better. At that time, few people followed oil prices, the collapse of which was one of the causes of the catastrophe in the economy. It seemed to change the system and everything will be fine. In addition, the Soviet Union was a multinational state, and at the time of the crisis, national sentiments (as well as interethnic contradictions) manifested themselves especially clearly. But there is another important reason collapse of the USSR was the lust for power of the new leaders. The collapse of the country and the formation of several new ones allowed them to satisfy their ambitions, and therefore they used popular discontent and tore the Soviet Union to pieces. Public consciousness is quite easy to manipulate when people are angry. The people themselves went to the streets to rally and, of course, the new power-hungry could not fail to take advantage of this. However, entering into the realm of conjecture, one can assume that other countries actively tried to take advantage of the reasons that led to the collapse of the USSR. Unlike the modern "orange-pink" revolutions, the collapse of the Soviet Union was not due to their political "technologies", but they tried to snatch all sorts of advantages for themselves, supporting certain individuals from among the "new leaders" in various ways.

Fall of communist regimes

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev, who started perestroika, introduced such concepts as "glasnost", "democracy" into everyday life. In addition, he went to a sharp rapprochement with our former enemies: the countries of the West. The foreign policy of the USSR changed radically: "new thinking" required qualitative changes. A number of friendly meetings were held with President of the United States of America Ronald Reagan. In an effort to acquire a reputation as a democratic leader, Mikhail Gorbachev behaved differently on the world stage than his predecessors. Sensing a weakness, “our new friends” sharply intensified in the Warsaw Pact countries and began to use the tactics of shifting objectionable regimes from within, which they then repeatedly used, and which later became known as “color revolutions”. The pro-Western opposition received great support, but most importantly, the people were actively inspired with the idea that the current leaders are to blame for all sins and that the “movement towards democracy” will bring people freedom and prosperity. Such propaganda eventually led not only to the fall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe, but also to the collapse of the USSR: without realizing it, Gorbachev cut the branch on which he sat. Poland was the first to rebel, then Hungary, followed by Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria. The transition from communism in these countries was peaceful, but in Romania, Ceausescu decided to suppress the uprising by force. But times have changed: the troops went over to the side of the protesters, and the communist leader was shot. In a series of these events, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the unification of the two Germanys stand apart. The division of the former fascist power was one of the results of the Great Patriotic War and to unite them, it was not enough just the will of the people, the consent of the Soviet Union was necessary condition. Subsequently, after the collapse of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, who agreed to the reunification of Germany, claimed that in exchange he received a promise from Western countries that the countries of the former Warsaw Pact would not join NATO, but this was not legally formalized. Therefore, our "friends" rejected the fact of such an agreement. This is just one example of the numerous mistakes of Soviet diplomacy during the collapse of the USSR. The fall of communist regimes in 1989 prefigured what would begin to happen in the Soviet Union itself less than a year later.

Parade of Sovereignties

Sensing the weakness of the regime, local leaders, indulging liberal and nationalist sentiments among the people (perhaps even encouraging them), began to take more and more power into their own hands and declare the sovereignty of their territories. So far, this has not led to the collapse of the Soviet Union, it has been undermining it more and more, as pests gradually turn a tree into dust from the inside until it collapses. The trust and respect of the population for the central government was falling, following the declarations of sovereignty, local laws were declared to take precedence over federal ones, and tax revenues to the union budget were reduced, since local leaders kept them for themselves. All this was a strong blow to the economy of the USSR, which was planned, not market, and largely dependent on the clear interaction of the territories in the field of transport, industry, etc. And now, in many areas, the situation more and more resembled a fable about a swan, a cancer and a pike, which increasingly weakened the already weak economy of the country. This inevitably affected people who blamed the communists for everything and who more and more wanted a transition to capitalism. The parade of sovereignties was started by the Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, then Lithuania and Georgia followed its example. In 1990 and 1991, all the union republics, including the RSFSR and part of the autonomous republics, declared their sovereignty. For leaders, the word "sovereignty" was synonymous with the word "power", for ordinary people - with the word "freedom". overthrow of the communist regime and collapse of the USSR were approaching...

Referendum on the preservation of the USSR

An attempt was made to preserve the Soviet Union. In order to rely on the broad sections of the population, the authorities offered the people to give the old state a renewed look. They tempted people with promises that the Soviet Union in a "new package" would be better than the old one and held a referendum on keeping the USSR in a renewed form, which was held in March 1991. Three-quarters (76%) of the population spoke in favor of maintaining the state, which should have stopped collapse of the USSR, the preparation of a draft of a new Union Treaty began, the post of President of the USSR was introduced, which, of course, became Mikhail Gorbachev. But when was this opinion of the people seriously taken into account in the big games? Although the Union did not collapse, and the referendum was all-Union, some local "kings" (namely, Georgian, Armenian, Moldovan and three Baltic ones) sabotaged the vote in their republics. And in the RSFSR, on June 12, 1991, elections of the President of Russia were held, which were won by Boris Yeltsin, one of Gorbachev's opponents.

August putsch of 1991 and the State Emergency Committee

However, Soviet party functionaries were not going to sit back and watch the collapse of the USSR, and, consequently, the deprivation of their power. Taking advantage of the absence of Gorbachev, who was on vacation in Faros, in the Crimea (by the way, whether he knew or did not know, the President of the USSR himself participated or did not participate in the putsch, there are different opinions), they staged a coup d'état with the declared goal of preserving the unity of the Soviet Union. Subsequently, he received the name of the August putsch. The conspirators created State Committee under a state of emergency, and Gennady Yanaev was put at the head of the USSR. In the memory of the Soviet people, the August coup was remembered primarily by the round-the-clock showing of Swan Lake on TV, as well as hitherto unprecedented popular unity in overthrowing the "new government". The putschists had no chance. Their success was associated with a return to the old days, so the protest mood was too strong. Boris Yeltsin led the resistance. It was his high point. In three days, the State Emergency Committee was overthrown, and the legitimate President of the country was released. The country rejoiced. But Yeltsin was not such a person to drag chestnuts out of the fire for Gorbachev. Gradually, he took more and more powers. And other leaders saw a clear weakening of the central government. Until the end of the year, all the republics (except Russian Federation) declared their independence and secession from the Soviet Union. The collapse of the USSR was inevitable.

Belovezhskaya agreements

In December of the same year, a meeting took place between Yeltsin, Kravchuk and Shushkevich (at that time the Presidents of Russia, Ukraine and the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Belarus), at which the liquidation of the Soviet Union was announced and a decision was made to create the Union of Independent States (CIS). It was a strong blow. Gorbachev was indignant, but there was nothing he could do about it. On December 21, in the capital of Kazakhstan, Alma-Ata, all other union republics, except for the Baltic states and Georgia, joined the CIS.

Date of the collapse of the USSR

On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev, who remained out of work, announced his resignation of presidential powers "for reasons of principle" (and what else was left for him?) And handed over control of the "nuclear suitcase" to Yeltsin. The next day, on December 26, the upper house of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted Declaration No. 142-N, which spoke of the termination of the existence of the state of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In addition, a number of administrative institutions of the former Soviet Union were liquidated. This day is legally considered the date of the collapse of the USSR.

Thus, the liquidation of one of the largest and most powerful powers in history took place, due both to the "help of Western friends" and the internal incapacity of the existing Soviet system.

and something so inspired ..., I remembered a long-delayed topic

Eleven years before the collapse of the USSR

On the morning of May 20, 1980, Ronald Reagan (President of the United States) received William Casey (CIA Director), who provided Reagan with new information about the state of affairs in the USSR, namely, Casey presented unofficial secret materials about problems in the USSR economy. Reagan liked to read such information about the USSR, and in his diary on March 26, 1981, he wrote the following entry: the USSR is in a very bad position, if we refrain from loans, they will ask for help from others, because otherwise they will starve to death. 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 position, there is an uprising in Poland, the USSR is stuck in Afghanistan, Cuba, Angola and Vietnam. Casey insisted that the best time to the collapse of the USSR does not exist. Reagan agreed and Casey began to prepare his proposals for collapse of the USSR.

Members of the working group leading the collapse of the USSR

Ronald Reagan, William Joseph Casey

George W. Bush, Caspar Willard Weinberger

In early 1982, Casey, in a private meeting at the White House, proposed plan for the collapse of the USSR. For some senior Reagan administration officials, the proposal for collapse of the USSR came as a shock. Throughout the 1970s, the West and Europe accustomed themselves to the idea that it was necessary not to fight with the USSR, but to negotiate. Most believed that there was simply no other way in the era of nuclear weapons. The NSDD plan went the other way. On January 30, 1982, at a meeting of the working group, the Casey plan was adopted to deploy covert offensive operations against the USSR, under the stamp of top secret it was called the "NSDD plan" (the Reagan administration's directive on the strategy, goals and aspirations of the United States in relations with the USSR). The NSDD plan clearly stated that the next US goal was no longer coexistence with the USSR, but to change the Soviet system. The whole 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 was as follows:

1. Secret, financial, intelligence and political assistance to the Polish Solidarity movement. Purpose: to preserve the opposition in the center of the USSR.
2. Significant financial and military assistance to the Afghan Mujahideen. Purpose: the spread of war on the territory of the USSR.
3. Secret diplomacy in the countries of Western Europe. Purpose: to limit the access of the USSR to Western technologies.
4. Psychological and information warfare. Purpose: technical misinformation and the destruction of the economy of the USSR.
5. The growth of weapons and maintaining them at a high technological level. Purpose: undermining the economy of the USSR and exacerbating the crisis of resources.
6. Cooperation with Saudi Arabia to reduce world oil prices. Purpose: a sharp decrease in the receipt 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.

The preparatory stage for the collapse of the USSR

In early April 1981, CIA Director W. Casey traveled to the Middle East and Europe. Casey had to solve 2 problems: lower oil prices and increased resistance in Afghanistan. Therefore, Casey visited Egypt (a supplier of weapons for the Afghan Mujahideen). Here Casey told President Mohammed Anwar al-Sadat (a friend of the CIA) that the weapons that Egypt supplies to the Afghan Mujahideen are scrap! The USSR cannot be defeated with him, and offered financial assistance in order to start deliveries modern weapons. However, Sadat was not destined to follow 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 dollars!!! So the Mujahideen got the first Stinger air defense system. This is the largest covert operation since World War II.

The CIA chief then visited Saudi Arabia. The analytical department of the CIA calculated that if oil prices on the world market fell by only $1, then the USSR would lose between $500 million and $1 billion a year. In return, Casey promised the sheikh protection from possible revolutions, protection for family members, the supply of weapons, guaranteed the inviolability of personal deposits in US banks. The sheikh agreed to the proposal, and oil production in Saudi Arabia jumped up sharply. So in 1986, the losses of the USSR from the fall in oil prices amounted to 13 billion dollars. Experts already realized then that Gorbachev would not be able to carry out any breakthrough and perestroika. Modernization required 50 billion dollars, and it was them that the NSDD plan took away from the USSR.
Casey also managed to persuade the sheikh of the secret participation of Saudi Arabia in the Afghan war and the strengthening of the Afghan Mujahideen by the Saudis. A modest owner was once recruited with the money of the sheikh 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 in the collapse of the USSR is an information and psychological war, without which the collapse of the USSR might not have been. As conceived by Casey, Israeli intelligence 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. 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, assuring 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, the sale of products was slowed down, and the amount of Polish foreign exchange debt climbed up. After this sabotage, Poland was heavily indebted, in Poland they began to introduce cards for goods (cards were even introduced for diapers and hygiene products). After that, workers' strikes began, the Poles wanted to eat. The burden of the Polish crisis fell on the economy of the USSR, Poland received financial assistance in the amount of 10 billion dollars, but Poland's debt remained at 12 billion dollars. Thus began a revolution in one of the socialist countries.

The US administration was sure that the revolutionary fire that had begun in one of the countries of the USSR would lead to destabilization throughout the USSR. The Kremlin leadership, in turn, understood where the wind of change was blowing from, intelligence reported that Polish revolutionaries were receiving financial assistance from Western countries (1.7 thousand newspapers and magazines were published underground, 10 thousand books and brochures were operating, underground printing houses were operating), on the radio " The Voice of America and Free Europe, Polish revolutionaries received covert orders about when and where to strike. Moscow repeatedly pointed out the outgoing danger from abroad and began to prepare for intervention. CIA intelligence decided to oppose Moscow with the following trump card: Casey flies to Rome, where there was a key figure with influence on the Poles - it was the Pole Karol Jozef Wojtyla, after 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 with 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 shelter for the opposition.

Report of the CIA director on the collapse of the USSR

In February 1982, at a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, the director of the CIA again reported on the work done. The loss of tens of millions of dollars, the tense situation in Poland, the protracted war in Afghanistan, the instability in the socialist camp, all this led to the fact that the treasury of the USSR was empty. 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 give the USSR colossal funds. In addition, Europe was strongly interested in the construction of this gas pipeline.

Disruption of the Urengoy-6 project as one of the reasons for the collapse of the USSR

From Siberia to the borders of Czechoslovakia, the gas pipeline was supposed to be laid by the Soviet Union, but imported pipes were required for laying. 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 smuggling suppliers) continued to supply the necessary equipment for the USSR. The US administration sent its man to Europe, who campaigned in Europe for American coal, natural gas from the North Sea, as well as 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 instructed 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 bugged. These bugs were exploited after installation, which led to large explosions on highways. As a result of these sabotage, Urengoy-6 was never completed, and the USSR again suffered losses in the amount of 1 trillion. dollars. This was one of the reasons for the bankruptcy and collapse of the USSR.

Another covert operation to destroy the USSR

On March 23, 1983, Reagan proposed deploying a system that was supposed to destroy enemy nuclear missiles in space. The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) or "Star Wars" was the essence of the program and was reduced to the creation of 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 be constantly above the place where nuclear missiles were based and could shoot them down at the time of their launch. The US administration, with the help of this program, intimidated the USSR and continued to drain the economy of the USSR. The United States was told 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 powerful energy pumping was needed for the operation of laser weapons, and in order to hit a flying rocket, the diameter of the 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 sq. meters. Scientists argued that SDI is a bluff! But the Soviet Union continued to devote too much time and effort to SDI, while the United States acted from a position of strength in negotiations on missile defense with the USSR.

Gorbachev also tried to somehow raise the economy of the USSR, he counted on high oil prices, but oil prices fell from 35 to 10 dollars per barrel. Instead of improvement, Soviet citizens felt worse, store shelves became empty, and soon, as during the Second World War, cards appeared. The collapse of the USSR entered its final stage.

Date of the collapse of the USSR

Date of the collapse of the USSR December 26, 1991. As a result the collapse of the USSR the territory of Russia has decreased in comparison with the territory of the USSR by 24%, and the population has decreased by 49%. The unified armed forces and the single currency fell apart, and interethnic conflicts sharply escalated.

Everything changed on December 8, 1991, after the announcement of three (President RSFSR – B. Yeltsin, President of Ukraine - L. Kravchuk, Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus - S. Shushkevich) formation of independent states . A Commonwealth of Independent Countries was formed.

This is how an event occurred that can be compared with natural disaster, but which, in terms of its consequences, was much more tragic. On December 9, 1991, we woke up in another country, and not many people still know what kind of country it is. Faults were not only on the ground, but also on the fate of the nation and peoples, each separated country had to survive alone, and Russia too. Insofar as Soviet Union lived and developed as a single organism, the separated parts carried away objects vital for the country.

Baltic States ( Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) moved the most modern ports, nuclear power plant, many high-tech industries.
Became independent Ukraine And Moldova and the well-established economic ties that united coal, industrial, metallurgical, transport and food systems were broken for centuries.
Remained abroad traditional places of rest in Crimea And Transcaucasia(Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan).
The pride of the Soviet Union - the Baikonur cosmodrome began to belong to Kazakhstan.
Cotton plantations and deposits of strategic raw materials gained independence in Central Asia ( Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan), but at the same time, all the borders of the country were wide open.

Modern Russia has moved east and north. We got a terrain unsuitable for farming, multiplied by impressive distances and a harsh climate. The regions of the far north occupy more than 2/3 of the territory of our country. Yes, they say we got fantastic natural resources, but they are located in hard-to-reach, sparsely populated and completely undeveloped regions of the Arctic, Eastern Siberia and the Far East, in the so-called global refrigerator.

We will cope with the global refrigerator, but along the perimeter of the Russian borders, many hotbeds of tension have arisen, it is so natural, any state is trying to improve, increase its territory and power at the expense of a weakened country.
For example, Norway not averse to joining a piece of the Arctic, how many oil and gas rigs can be put there? How many fish to catch? And the Russian fleet can be locked up in rocky bays so as not to interfere.
Finns- the people are peaceful and cautious, but they are absolutely sure that Karelia would have been disposed of with great sense.
European Union inspired by Germany - without the Kaliningrad region feels incomplete.
Along the southern border of our State ( Georgia), a Fickford cord is laid, which flares up at the command of the directors of world politics. The technology is interesting, first the former Soviet Republic declares its neutrality, demands the withdrawal of Russian troops and military bases, then conducts exercises with peacekeepers from NATO and, forgetting about neutrality, opens the door for the “masters of the new world order”. It's no secret that with the collapse of the USSR, the republics of the former Soviet Union, as well as Central Asia, the United States declared a zone of its national interests. It seems that the so-called Islamic threat is designed specifically for the "New Russia"
China: When 2 billion people suffocate in the space they occupy, they involuntarily look for where they will splash out.
Japan: the Japanese, with their characteristic pedantry, decide to pass them 4x Kuril Islands, having in perspective the big Kuriles and Sakhalin.
Once upon a time, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union, the generous Georgian Shevardnadze, gave his American friends a royal gift - the richest section of the Bering Sea.
Finally "global community" in general, it is considering the option of Russia's refusal from the Arctic sector, and its transfer to international control.
According to the apt expression of D. Mendeleev: Russia lies between the hammer of Europe and the anvil of Asia.

Along the perimeter of our borders, so-called cordon sanitaires are being formed.

According to the idea of ​​creating buffer states, Ukraine, Moldova and the Baltic States, Western strategists have been assigned the role of this very buffer, for which they are united in the “Baltic sanitary belt”, by the way, not for the first time in history.

In matters of global, geopolitical strategy, the initiative belongs to the United States. The American administration clearly sets goals and clearly achieves their implementation.

What are the interests of our motherland?

Why does Russia need the Kuriles? Think of some rocks in the ocean! Let's figure it out. It doesn’t matter at all who discovered the islands, the important thing is that the Sea of ​​Okhotsk freezes in winter, so much so that if at least one island goes to Japan, from October to April the Pacific navy will be closed in bays Far East. And the fish resources of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, we will buy from the Japanese, the issue price is 2.5 billion rubles. dollars a year.

Amber region provides Russia with its presence in the Baltic. For access to this sea, we fought for many centuries. From the west, our country is surrounded by the NATO military bloc, and former compatriots (Ukraine and the Baltic States) would like to represent its interests.

IN Kaliningrad region our last trading and technological showcase in the western world, if the western gates of Russia are closed, then our European friends will immediately lower a new iron curtain in front of us.

North: Why do we need such uncomfortable spaces? People who thought about the future of Russia, the Arctic coast called it a seaside settlement. Here are our battle lines (missile shield, submarine fleet), our pantries (oil, gas, gold, diamonds). In the 20th century, it was we Russians who built north sea route- the shortest route between Asia and Europe. A transpolar air bridge also lies across the Arctic - a promising road between America and Asia. This is probably why the world community decided that it would breathe life into these lifeless spaces on its own.

If this happens, Russia will slowly die in armed conflicts in its backyard on the borders with China, Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Geography, the most fundamental factor in the life of our State, is the most constant. Rulers come and go, but the territory remains, and it must be preserved.
I would like to believe that a good relationship between States develops thanks to the friendly feelings of their leaders, but all 5 thousand years of the history of international relations do not confirm such a belief.

“We especially need well-educated people who know Russian nature intimately,
all of our reality, so that we can make independent,
not imitative steps in the development of their country.
D. I. Mendeleev

December 26, 1991 is the official date of the collapse of the USSR. A day earlier, President Gorbachev announced that, for "reasons of principle," he was retiring from his post. On December 26, the Supreme USSR adopted a declaration on the collapse of the state.

The collapsed Union included 15 Soviet Socialist Republics. The successor of the USSR was the Russian Federation. Russia declared sovereignty on June 12, 1990. Exactly one and a half years later, the leaders of the country announced their withdrawal from the USSR. Legal "independence" December 26, 1991.

The Baltic republics proclaimed their sovereignty and independence earlier than anyone else. Already on 16 1988, the Estonian SSR declared its sovereignty. A few months later in 1989, the Lithuanian SSR and the Latvian SSR also declared sovereignty. Even Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania received legal independence somewhat earlier than the official collapse of the USSR - on September 6, 1991.

On December 8, 1991, the Union of Independent States was created. In fact, this organization failed to become a real Union, and the CIS turned into a formal meeting of the leaders of the participating states.

Among the Transcaucasian republics, Georgia was the fastest to secede from the Union. The independence of the Republic of Georgia was declared on April 9, 1991. The Republic of Azerbaijan declared independence on August 30, 1991, and the Republic of Armenia on September 21, 1991.

From August 24 to October 27, Ukraine, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan announced their withdrawal from the Union. For the longest time, besides Russia, Belarus (left the Union on December 8, 1991) and Kazakhstan (left the USSR on December 16, 1991) did not announce their withdrawal from the USSR.

Failed attempts at independence

Some Autonomous regions and the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics had also previously attempted to secede from the USSR and declare independence. In the end, they succeeded, though together with the republics to which these autonomies were part.

On January 19, 1991, the Nakhichevan ASSR, which was part of the Azerbaijan SSR, tried to secede from the Union. After some time, the Nakhichevan Republic, as part of Azerbaijan, managed to leave the USSR.

At present, a new union is being formed on the territory of the post-Soviet space. The unsuccessful project of the Union of Independent States is being replaced by integration in a new format - the Eurasian Union.

As part of the Russian Federation, Tatarstan and Checheno-Ingushetia left the Soviet Union, which had previously tried to leave the USSR on their own. The Crimean ASSR also failed to gain independence and withdrew from the USSR only together with Ukraine.

The collapse of the USSR is one of the most important events XX century. Until now, the meaning and causes of the collapse of the Union cause heated discussions and various kinds of disputes both among political scientists and ordinary people.

Causes of the collapse of the USSR

Initially, the highest ranks of the largest state in the world planned to preserve the Soviet Union. To do this, they had to take timely measures to reform it, but in the end it happened. There are various versions that convey in sufficient detail possible reasons. For example, researchers believe that initially, when the state was created, it should have become entirely federal, but over time the USSR turned into a state and this gave rise to a series of inter-republican and inter-republican problems that were not given due attention.

During the years of perestroika, the situation escalated considerably and acquired an extremely character. In the meantime, the contradictory ones were gaining more and more scale, economic difficulties became insurmountable, and it became completely clear that the collapse. It is also worth noting that in those days the most important role in the life of the state was played by the Communist Party, which even in a sense was a more significant bearer of power than the state itself. It was precisely what happened in the Communist system of the state that became one of the reasons why the Soviet Union collapsed.

The Soviet Union collapsed and ceased to exist at the end of December 1991. The consequences of the collapse took on an economic character, because it caused the collapse of a large number of established ties that were established between the subjects economic activity, and also led to the minimum value of production and its . At the same time, access to foreign markets ceased to have a guaranteed status. The territory of the collapsed state has also significantly decreased, and the problems associated with the insufficient development of infrastructure have become more tangible.

The collapse of the Soviet Union affected not only economic relations and the state, but still had political consequences. The political potential and influence of Russia has significantly decreased, and the problem of small segments of the population who lived at that time in the territory that did not belong to their fatherlands became acute. This is just a small part negative consequences that befell Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

"The indestructible union of the republics of the free" - with these words began the anthem of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. For decades, citizens of the largest state on the globe sincerely believed that the Union is eternal, and no one could even think about the possibility of its collapse.

The first doubts about the inviolability of the USSR appeared in the mid-1980s. 20th century. In 1986 there was a protest demonstration in Kazakhstan. The reason was the appointment to the post of General Secretary of the Central Committee communist party Republic of a man who had nothing to do with Kazakhstan.

In 1988, a conflict followed between Azerbaijanis and Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, in 1989 - clashes between Abkhazians and Georgians in Sukhumi, a conflict between Meskhetian Turks and Uzbeks in the Fergana region. The country, which until now was in the eyes of its inhabitants a "family of fraternal peoples", is turning into an arena of interethnic conflicts.

To a certain extent, this was facilitated by the crisis that hit the Soviet economy. For ordinary citizens, this meant a shortage of goods, including food.

Parade of Sovereignties

In 1990, competitive elections were held in the USSR for the first time. Nationalists who are dissatisfied with the central government gain an advantage in republican parliaments. The result was the events that went down in history as the "Parade of Sovereignties": the authorities of many republics begin to challenge the priority of all-union laws, establish control over the republican economies to the detriment of the all-union. In the conditions of the USSR, where each republic was a "workshop", the collapse of economic ties between the republics exacerbates the crisis.

Lithuania became the first union republic to declare its secession from the USSR, this happened in March 1990. Only Iceland recognized Lithuania's independence, the Soviet government tried to influence Lithuania through an economic blockade, and in 1991 applied military force. As a result, 13 people died and dozens of people were injured. The reaction of the international community forced an end to the use of force.

Subsequently, five more republics announced their independence: Georgia, Latvia, Estonia, Armenia and Moldova, and on June 12, 1990, the Declaration on State Sovereignty of the RSFSR was adopted.

union treaty

The Soviet leadership seeks to preserve the disintegrating state. In 1991, a referendum was held on the preservation of the USSR. In the republics that have already declared their independence, it was not held, but in the rest of the USSR, the majority of citizens are in favor of maintaining it.

A draft union treaty is being prepared, which was supposed to transform the USSR into a Union of Sovereign States, having the appearance of a decentralized federation. The signing of the agreement was planned on August 20, 1991, but was thwarted as a result of an attempted coup d'état undertaken by a group of politicians from the inner circle of Soviet President M. Gorbachev.

Belovezhskaya agreement

In December 1991, a meeting was held in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (Belarus), which was attended by the leaders of only three union republics - Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. It was planned to sign a union treaty, but instead, the politicians stated the cessation of the existence of the USSR and signed an agreement on the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States. It was not, and not even a confederation, but international organization. The Soviet Union ceased to exist as a state. Eliminate it power structures after that it was a matter of time.

The Russian Federation became the successor of the USSR in the international arena.

Sources:

• The collapse of the USSR in 2019

The disappearance of the state of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1991 happened almost imperceptibly for the citizens of the great country, who recently overwhelmingly voted in a national referendum for the preservation of the Union. The three leaders of the union republics - Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, without having any authority to do so, simply announced the dissolution of the USSR and the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), as if it were a question of changing the name of the state.

And the President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev, who was the guarantor of the existence of the country entrusted to him, preferred not to react to this in any way and "go down in history." Parliament - the Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR - tried to disavow the dissolution of the country, but the meeting was declared illegal, isolated, de-energized, and the deputies were threatened with imprisonment. After that, a version was launched that "the USSR collapsed on its own."

After 25 years, history has not yet fully emphasized who, how and why destroyed the great power. These events are currently different countries of the world are presented to schoolchildren, taking into account national specifics.

Immediately after the abolition of the State Emergency Committee, the President of the RSFSR B.N. Yeltsin suspended the activities of the CPSU on the territory of the Russian Federation, and in November 1991 banned it altogether, which inevitably led to the liquidation of the CPSU as a single all-union party. At the same time, the process of fragmentation of the USSR was growing. Already in August, the three Baltic republics announced their withdrawal from the USSR. President M.S. Gorbachev signed a decree recognizing this exit. The Extraordinary Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR (September 1991) announced self-dissolution.

Creation of the CIS
M.S. Gorbachev, having abandoned the post of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, continued to fight for a union treaty, receiving limited support only from the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Central Asian republics. In September, at the initiative of Gorbachev, the idea of ​​forming the Union of Sovereign States instead of the USSR began, which was supposed to be a de facto confederation, but with the institution of a single presidential power (very curtailed). In fact, this was the last attempt of the Center, agonizing under the powerful pressure of the Republican ruling elites striving for undivided power, to prevent the uncontrolled collapse of the USSR and the inevitable disasters of millions of ordinary people. History has judged in its own way.

On December 8, 1991, the leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus (B.N. Yeltsin, L.M. Kravchuk, S.S. Shushkevich) announced the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). This act went down in history as the Belovezhskaya agreement.
In the "Agreement on the Creation of the CIS" adopted at the same time, it was stated that " Union SSR as a subject international law and geopolitical reality ceases to exist.” However, formally, the Union continued to exist, since other republics, which, according to the Constitution, were co-founders of a single state on a par with Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, did not announce their withdrawal from it. Therefore, from the international legal point of view, the USSR disappeared from political map world on December 21, 1991, when in Alma-Ata the heads of eight more republics (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) joined the Belovezhskaya Agreement, faced with a fait accompli. December 25 M.S. Gorbachev resigned as President of the USSR. Three days later, the RSFSR was proclaimed the Russian Federation.

A.A. Levandovsky, Yu.A. Shchetinov, S.V. Mironenko. Russian history. XX- beginning of XXI century. Textbook for 11th grade educational institutions. Moscow, publishing house "Enlightenment", 2013

Belarus

On December 8, 1991, the 1922 treaty on the creation of the USSR was denounced (annulled) in Belovezhskaya Pushcha and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was created. The CIS includes 12 countries. The capital of the CIS was the city of Minsk.

After the declaration of independence, the formation of government bodies began, the armed forces were created, the customs service, the banking system, etc. were organized.

On December 8, 1991, the leaders of the Russian Federation, Belarus and Ukraine, in the absence of Gorbachev, created the Commonwealth of Independent States. On December 21 of the same year, representatives of 11 Soviet republics met and signed the documents establishing the CIS. Gathered in writing notified Gorbachev that the USSR no longer exists, and the latter was forced to admit this fact. On the evening of December 25, he announced his resignation from the top leadership post of the USSR, after which he transferred the right to dispose of nuclear weapons to Yeltsin.

After that, students are invited to think about two questions: “If it were not for the events of August 19, 1991, could the USSR continue to exist?” and “Even if the August events had not happened, would the collapse of the Soviet Union have been preordained?”

"The World History. XX century”, textbook for 9th grade of secondary school, team of authors, Renmin Jiaoyu Publishing House, Beijing, 2016

World History: Patterns of Interaction (World History: Patterns of Interaction). Textbook for high school. Team of Authors, MacDougal Littell Publishing, 2009

The coup attempt also played a decisive role in accelerating the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Estonia and Latvia quickly declared their independence. Other republics soon followed suit. Although Gorbachev advocated unity, no one listened to him. By early December, all 15 republics had declared independence.

Yeltsin met with the leaders of other republics in order to chart a new course. They agreed to form the Commonwealth of Independent States, or CIS, a loose federation of former Soviet territories. Only the Baltic republics and Georgia refused to join. The formation of the CIS meant the death of the Soviet Union. On Christmas (December 25, 1991 - Ed.) 1991, Gorbachev announced his resignation as President of the Soviet Union, a country that had ceased to exist.

The collapse of the USSR formally began in 1990, when individual Soviet republics declared independence. Lithuania was the first to do this, followed by Estonia and Latvia. The government of the USSR in September 1991 recognized the independence of the Baltic republics. In December 1991, Ukraine declared independence. Russian government, headed by Boris Yeltsin, also began to pursue an independent policy. At the end of December 1991, all Soviet republics became independent states.
The Commonwealth of Independent States emerged instead of the USSR.

Radosh Lusic, Lubodrag Dimic. History. Textbook for the eighth grade of elementary school. Freska Publishing House, Belgrade, 2016

Kazakhstan

The collapse of the USSR

December 1991 was full of political events. Among them, the main thing is the collapse of the USSR. On December 8, in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, the leaders of the RSFSR, Belarus, and Ukraine gathered and signed a document on the annulment of the 1922 treaty on the creation of the USSR.
“We,” the document said, “Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, who signed the Union Treaty in 1922 and are the founders of the USSR, declare that the USSR, as a subject of international law and from the point of view of the geopolitical position, has ceased to exist.”
Since that time, the USSR legally ceased to exist and the Commonwealth of Independent States appeared.
On December 13, 1991, a meeting of the leaders of the republics of Central Asia and Kazakhstan took place in Ashgabat. They announced their support for the decisions taken in Minsk.
Thus, one of the largest empires in the world, the Soviet Union, collapsed. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Estonia, which have been striving for freedom for centuries, have gained state independence. All these states have a thousand-year history, national economy and culture. Therefore, it would be unfair if these countries did not revive their national statehood.

"History of Kazakhstan (from the beginning of the 20th century to the present)", a textbook for 9th grade general education schools, M.K. Kozybaev, K.N. Nurpeis, K.M. Zhukeshev, publishing house "Mektep", Almaty, 2013

Bulgaria

As a result of the putsch and the ban of the Communist Party, which was the main unifying force in the USSR, all the republics declared their independence. Yeltsin and the presidents of Ukraine and Belarus decided to dissolve the USSR and instead decided to create the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The president of a state that no longer existed, Gorbachev, resigned on December 25, 1991.

Evgenia Kalinova, Serge Berstein, Pier Milza. History and civilization. Textbook 10 class. Sofia, publishing house Prosveta & Riva & Prozorets, 2012

E.I. Pometun, N.N. Gupan. History of Ukraine. Level 11 standard. Publishing house "Osvita".

On August 24, 1991, the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR temporarily stopped the activities of the Communist Party of Ukraine for supporting the rebellion and on the same day unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine.
The people of Ukraine demonstrated to the whole world their desire for freedom and their own statehood. Ukraine as a democratic state has embarked on the path of civilized development. The Day of Proclamation of the Act of Independence of Ukraine is celebrated as a public holiday - Independence Day.

In the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada "On the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine", it was decided on December 1, 1991 to hold a republican referendum to confirm the Act of Declaration of Independence. In accordance with this Act, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a Resolution “On military formations in Ukraine”, which subordinated all troops stationed on the territory of the republic to itself. The resolution provided for the creation of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of the Republic.

At the same time, an investigation began into the activities of the CPSU and KPU bodies on the territory of Ukraine during the coup.
The declaration of independence strengthened separatist tendencies in certain regions of Ukraine, in particular, a movement was launched for the annexation of the Crimean peninsula to Russia or even granting it the status of full independence. This movement was actively supported in the Crimea by the banned Communist Party of Ukraine. The separatist associations of Odessa, Nikolaev and Kherson came up with the idea of ​​forming the so-called Novorossiya in the south of Ukraine. The need to revive the artificially formed in 1918 Donetsk-Kryvyi Rih Republic was discussed in the Donbass.

Nevertheless, even under such circumstances, the Verkhovna Rada refused to sign the Union Treaty and scheduled an All-Ukrainian referendum for December 1, 1991.

To the question on the ballot for voting in the referendum: “Do you confirm the “Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine”?” 90.32% of voters answered: “Yes, I confirm.” In Crimea, 67.5% of citizens took part in the voting and 54.1% of them supported the idea of ​​Ukraine's independence.
Simultaneously with the All-Ukrainian referendum, for the first time in the history of the Ukrainian people, the President of Ukraine was popularly elected on an alternative basis. Six candidates were nominated, who became spokesmen for the ideas of various political parties and movements. According to the results of the elections that took place on December 1, 1991, Leonid Kravchuk became the first president after the declaration of independence of Ukraine.

On December 5, 1991, the Verkhovna Rada adopted an appeal to the parliaments of the peoples of the world, which noted the invalidity of the 1922 treaty on the formation of the USSR regarding Ukraine.

On December 8, 1991, in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (Belarus), President of Russia B. Yeltsin, President of Ukraine L. Kravchuk and Chairman of the Supreme Council of Belarus S. Shushkevich signed an agreement on the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

In most of the articles on our website, we touch on everyday issues and reveal the secrets of their solution. But sometimes, sitting at home in the evening, I want to read real secrets that relate to more global issues and topics that will cause questions and disputes for many generations. Today we will try to consider the reasons for the collapse of the USSR and touch on the consequences of its collapse a little, because this topic still causes an ambiguous opinion among the majority. But well, let's go back more than 20 years ago and evaluate the situation of that time.

Causes of the collapse of the USSR

Consider the most basic versions of why the USSR collapsed. In order to analyze the reasons for the collapse of the USSR, someone returns to 1991, during the days of the August Putsch, and someone returns to 1985, when the “perestroika” Gorbachev came to power. But personally, I am inclined to think that we need to go back to the 1980s, it was then that the so-called point of no return began, from which the countdown of the existence of the USSR started. So let's start in order.

1. Personnel shortage

   Probably one of the main reasons for the collapse of the USSR is the shortage of party personnel. To do this, it is enough to remember, thanks to whom the USSR was formed and who was its leadership initially? At first they were, in fact, fanatics of their idea, revolutionaries who sought to overthrow the tsarist regime and build communism, where all people are equal and, working, will live in abundance. After the war, the leadership positions in the USSR were occupied by ex-military, this disciplined old generation, which had an ardent communist ideology, they really wanted to build communism. Most of them could not even allow the thought that at least one penny from the state budget was stolen, although they used state benefits and their official position, but this can be ignored at all, especially when compared with today's leaders. However, this old generation could not last forever, when the leaders began to die to replace them, they could not find worthy personnel, or they simply did not let the worthy ones in, since the rest had their own plans.

   Probably, it all started from the moment when "dear" Leonid Ilyich became completely "bad", many witnesses of that period noted that Gen.Sek. very strongly "surrendered", and quite quickly and strongly. The reason for this, many historians call "Brezhnev's injections", which were pricked by a nurse, an employee of the KGB. At the same time, the logical chain converges, Andropov was the chairman of the KGB at that time, he had long been aiming for the place of Brezhnev, and it is quite possible that such injections were really purposefully administered to worsen the state of health of Leonid Ilyich. Andropov's dream came true, in November 1982 he headed the state after the death of Brezhnev, at the age of 69.

   But Andropov's reign ended after 15 months, because before taking up the post of General Secretary, he knew that he did not have long to live, but, nevertheless, he took such a high post. Andrpov's death was the second funeral, in 2 years, when last funeral Soviet leader were in 1953. The second consecutive death of the head of the country in such a short period of time could not but affect the country, in all its spheres. Andropov's place was taken by Chernenko, who at that time was already 72 years old, but Konstantin Ustinovich also died almost a year after his appointment to the main post of the country. The third funeral for the USSR was a blow, the country is losing the ideological fundamentalists of communism, and also does not have a clear development path, since Andropov and Chernenko had their own plans, but did not manage to realize them.

   Among the people even began to walk jokes on this topic. Understanding such an absurd situation, the Politburo decides to elect the relatively young Gorbachev as the head of the country, who at that time was 54 years old, and he was really young in the political bureau, from that moment the collapse of the USSR began to occur at an irreversible pace, Gorbachev became the catalyst for this process.

   The incompetence of the new leadership headed by Gorbachev, as well as new personnel in the political. the bureau and leadership of the country, who eventually turned out to be traitors, the desire of the leaders of the union republics to secede and make their countries independent in order to lead them themselves - all this is the result of Gorbachev's perestroika.

   

2. "Everyone pulled the blanket over himself"

   As mentioned above, all leaders allied states“pulled the blanket over themselves” and they all wanted independence. Perestroika weakened the tight control, both over the leaders and over the people. As a result, all the leaders of the allied states, one way or another, tried to convenient occasion secede and declare independence. The destruction of the Berlin Wall and the unification of Germany added fuel to the fire. Mass protests and unrest in the Baltic States and in some other republics brought their own imbalance.

   The beginning of the end happened in August 1991, when the " August coup”, as a result of this coup, within a month, the Baltic countries left the USSR. After that, the Soviet Union began to crumble. This also includes the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, where a military clash began between the Armenian SSR and the Azerbaijan USSR, Moldova, etc.

   Against the backdrop of all these events, after the referendum on "preserving the union", the leadership of the union republics nevertheless declared independence.

3. Ideology has outlived its usefulness

   It's no secret that the USSR rested on communist ideology, it was propagated from everywhere. From birth, the child was instilled with communist values, even starting from kindergarten, and especially at school, in which all students became Octobrists, and after that - pioneers, and so on. More than one generation lived according to this scheme, but the years passed, the world changed, and the communist ideology could not resist it.

   The main ideologists of the country and leaders passed away and in their place, as was said in the first reason, incompetent people came who did not believe in communism, they did not need it. Moreover, the people themselves stopped believing in him, especially when the crisis began.

   The rallies suppressed by special services and the persecution of opposition figures were probably one of the keys to the successful existence of the USSR, but during perestroika, the opposition became more active and launched an active unhindered activity.

   Perhaps, the Chernobyl disaster can also be attributed to this reason, since it dealt a significant blow both to the reputation of the USSR and its leaders, and affected people. The Soviet system, which forced builders into the framework for commissioning objects in certain deadlines, and to coincide with the communist holidays - made itself felt, and very cruelly - the Chernobyl tragedy. The fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, just like all the previous three units, was put into operation with violations, according to experts, the fourth power unit could not be operated at all, since it did not meet safety standards, the builders had to hand it over on time. This factor, as well as the looseness of the system and the experiments carried out on that ill-fated night, became fatal in everything. Deliberate concealment of the consequences of the explosion, further aggravated the situation. As a result, all this was a powerful blow to the entire Soviet system and the country as a whole.

4. Crisis in all areas

   As they say: the fish rots from the head, and so it happened with the Soviet Union. Gorbachev was not a strong leader, and in order to keep such a large country, one needs strong man. The country needed radical reforms, but all the reforms undertaken were failures. The lack of goods on the shelves, their constant shortage, huge queues, the depreciation of money - all these are the consequences of perestroika. People are simply tired of living like this, or rather, surviving, without any prospect that this crisis will ever end.

   

5. "Pepsi Cola and Jeans"

   With the advent of Gorbachev to power, the iron curtain began to slowly rise, and Western fashion poured in to us, its main attributes, perhaps, were jeans and Pepsi-Cola. Seeing how they live in the west, how they dress, what they drive, etc. Soviet citizens wanted the same. By the end of the 80s, the word "Lenin" and "communism" became the subject of ridicule, people smelled freedom and wanted change, which was reflected in the song of V. Tsoi.

6. The Americans still won

   Everyone knows that America was the main enemy of the USSR. There has always been a confrontation between the USA and the USSR, and in almost everything. Both countries were considered superpowers and fought for world domination, and the ideologies and worldviews of the two countries were completely different.

   There is a version that Gorbachev collaborated with the United States, it was not for nothing that they called him a “good guy”. There is also an opinion that Brezhnev, Andropov and Chernenko were killed, and all traces of these murders lead to the CIA. The neutralization of the entire old party nomenklatura, of that temper, and the appointment of Gorbachev, a pro-democratic politician, played into the hands of the Americans. " cold war that time ended peacefully and in cold blood. Why go to war with the weapon system if you can help this system outlive itself...

Afterword

These, in my opinion, are the main reasons why the Soviet Union collapsed. Someone, for sure, will be inclined to one of the versions, but someone, including myself, is inclined to all these versions, that is, all the reasons listed above provoked the collapse of the USSR in the aggregate, some of them to a greater extent, some to a lesser extent, but, nevertheless, all of the above played a role.

As for the consequences, we can see them ourselves, not a single country that was part of the USSR, after the collapse, acquired the values ​​that it aspired to. But, nevertheless, you should not be nostalgic about the USSR, since life was then closed, it’s just that people were kinder, and there was less theft of government officials, that’s the whole secret of a fabulous time.