The Disintegration of the Soviet Union: Systemic Change and Systematic Collapse

Abstract

This chapter analyses the disintegration of the Soviet Union in a historical perspective. The key argument is that the policy of democratic centralism led to the emergence of a highly centralised system. The state came to be ruled by the Party and the Party by an individual. The state did not tolerate dissent and was resistant to reforms. But with the economic stagnation starting from the late 1970s, reforms became a political necessity. Gorbachev tried to reform the system by introducing measures, such as perestroika and glasnost, but in the process unleashed forces which hastened the demise of the Soviet Union. The bitter political rivalry between Gorbachev and Yeltsin sealed the fate of the Soviet Union. This chapter combines structural deficiencies of the Soviet Union with the role of agencies to provide a holistic explanation of the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Structural variables include economic stagnation and the monolithic party system-operating in a highly centralised political system. The role of political elites and leaders constitute the agency factor.