The End of Bipolarity

D isintegrate ? How did the second most powerful country in the world suddenly disintegrate? This is a question worth asking not just to understand the Soviet Union and the end of communism but also because it is not the first and may not be the last political system to collapse. While there are unique features of the Soviet collapse, there may be more general lessons to be drawn from this very important case.

There is no doubt that the internal weaknesses of Soviet political and economic institutions, which failed to meet the aspirations of the people, were responsible for the collapse of the system. Economic stagnation for many years led to severe consumer shortages and a large section of Soviet society began to doubt and question the system and to do so openly. Why did the system become so weak and why did the economy stagnate? The answer is partially clear.

The Soviet economy used much of its resources in maintaining a nuclear and military arsenal and the development of its satellite states in Eastern Europe and within the Soviet system (the five Central Asian Republics in particular). This led to a huge economic burden that the system could not cope with. At the same time, ordinary citizens became more knowledgeable about the economic advance of the West. They could see the disparities between their system and the systems of the West.

After years of being told that the Soviet A Communist Party bureaucrat drives down from Moscow to a collective farm to register a potato harvest. “Comrade farmer, how has the harvest been this year?” the official asks. “Oh, by the grace of God, we had mountains of potatoes,” answers the farmer. “But there is no God,” counters the official.

“Huh”, says the farmer, “And there are no mountains of potatoes either.” Nikita Khrushchev ( - ) Leader of the Soviet Union ( - ); denounced Stalin’s leadership style and introduced some reforms in ; suggested “peaceful coexistence” with the West; involved in suppressing popular rebellion in Hungary and in the Cuban missile crisis. I am amazed! How could so many sensitive people all over the world admire a system like this?