The Soviet Union formed in Russia after a civil war in 1921. The Soviet Union became the world’s first Marxist-Communist state. They also became one of the biggest and most powerful nations in the world. They managed to occupying nearly one-sixth of Earth’s land surface, before their ultimate fall in 1991.The Soviet Union split into 15 separate countries.
During the 1960s and 1970s the Communist Party rapidly gained wealth and power. However, at this time millions of average Soviet citizens faced starvation. The Soviet Union pushed to industrialize, which resulted in frequent shortages of food and consumer goods. Soviet citizens often did not have access to basic needs, such as clothing or shoes. There was backlash from younger people who refused to adopt Communist Party ideology as their parents had.
Mikhail Gorbachev was a Soviet official who rose to power in 1985. He was the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1985 to 1991. He was also president of the Soviet Union in 1990–1991, and would be their last leader. At this time the country was having severe economic and political problems. Mikhail Gorbachev worked to rebuild the economy. He initiated a policy for freedom of speech. The problem with giving people freedom of expression was that it unleashed emotions and political feelings that had been building up for decades. Some people even point the fall of communism on the Beatles and rock culture because the Soviet people saw what they were missing. They constantly criticized Gorbachev for his failure to improve the economy.
The USSR also faced foreign attacks on the Soviet economy. In the 1980s, the United States under President Ronald Reagan isolated the Soviet economy from the rest of the world and helped drive oil prices to lower levels. When the Soviet Union’s oil and gas revenue dropped dramatically, the USSR began to lose its hold on Eastern Europe.
Gorbachev tried to democratize his country’s political system and decentralize its economy. He helped end the Soviet Union’s domination over eastern Europe. Gorbachev’s reforms did more to hasten the collapse of the Soviet Union than to help it. Gorbachev resigned as leader of the USSR on December 25, 1991 and the Soviet Union collapsed on December 31. The end of the USSR meant the end of the cold war, and the victory of America and the anti communists. Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1990.
During the 1960s and 1970s the Communist Party rapidly gained wealth and power. However, at this time millions of average Soviet citizens faced starvation. The Soviet Union pushed to industrialize, which resulted in frequent shortages of food and consumer goods. Soviet citizens often did not have access to basic needs, such as clothing or shoes. There was backlash from younger people who refused to adopt Communist Party ideology as their parents had.
Mikhail Gorbachev was a Soviet official who rose to power in 1985. He was the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1985 to 1991. He was also president of the Soviet Union in 1990–1991, and would be their last leader. At this time the country was having severe economic and political problems. Mikhail Gorbachev worked to rebuild the economy. He initiated a policy for freedom of speech. The problem with giving people freedom of expression was that it unleashed emotions and political feelings that had been building up for decades. Some people even point the fall of communism on the Beatles and rock culture because the Soviet people saw what they were missing. They constantly criticized Gorbachev for his failure to improve the economy.
The USSR also faced foreign attacks on the Soviet economy. In the 1980s, the United States under President Ronald Reagan isolated the Soviet economy from the rest of the world and helped drive oil prices to lower levels. When the Soviet Union’s oil and gas revenue dropped dramatically, the USSR began to lose its hold on Eastern Europe.
Gorbachev tried to democratize his country’s political system and decentralize its economy. He helped end the Soviet Union’s domination over eastern Europe. Gorbachev’s reforms did more to hasten the collapse of the Soviet Union than to help it. Gorbachev resigned as leader of the USSR on December 25, 1991 and the Soviet Union collapsed on December 31. The end of the USSR meant the end of the cold war, and the victory of America and the anti communists. Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1990.