The Collapse of the Soviet Union

The collapse of the Soviet Union began in the late 1980s and was completed on December 25, 1991, when the country split into 15 independent nations. This meant the end of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Mikhail Gorbachev Becomes General Secretary

Mikhail Gorbachev was elected General Secretary of the Soviet Union in 1985. His intention when he took over the Soviet Union’s economy was to reform the economy and modernize the political situation in the country.

Glasnost and Perestroika

Gorbachev's reform had two main platforms. First, he enacted Glasnost. Glasnost allowed for more freedom of speech and openness in government. Government officials would be held accountable to the people for their actions. Although Glasnost was a good thing for the people, it allowed people to protest and the media to report on problems for the first time. Most of the outer states used this newfound freedom to express their desires for independence. The other major reforms were called Perestroika. Perestroika meant “restructuring.” Gorbachev wanted to restructure the Soviet economy to run more efficiently. He allowed for some private ownership and loosened the government’s tight grip on the economy. However, the people and the economy of the Soviet Union were doing everything the government could. Because of this, everything got worse.

The Baltic Region

With the newfound freedom in Gorbachev’s reforms, some of the outer Soviet states began to revolt. The first states to demand their freedom were the Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia.

Spread of Nationalism

Soon, more states began to demand their independence, including Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Georgia. The central government of the Soviet Union began to feel the pressure from many of the states demanding independence.

Government Takeover Attempt

As the Communist government was on the brink of collapse, hard-line leaders of the Soviet Union decided to make a move. In August 1991, they kidnapped Gorbachev and announced to the world that he was too ill to run the country. They would take over the government. As Soviet citizens began to protest, they began to bring out the soldiers into the streets. However, the soldiers refused to shoot and arrest their own people. Without the army to back them up, this takeover attempt had failed.

The Soviet Union Splits Up

On December 24, 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved. At the same time, Mikhail Gorbachev announced his resignation. The Soviet Union split into 15 separate independent nations: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Facts About the Collapse of the Soviet Union

Under international law, Russia was recognized as the successor to the Soviet Union. This meant that it kept the nuclear weapons and Russia’s seat on the United Nations Security Council. Most of the former Soviet Union countries still have strong economic ties with each other. Some of the new countries have democratic governments, while others are still under authoritarian rule. One of Gorbachev's reforms was to limit alcohol consumption to reduce alcoholism in the Soviet Union. Boris Yeltsin became the first President of Russia.