The Soviet Union: Rise and Fall of a Superpower

1. The Soviet Union: Rise and Fall of a Superpower Bell work #4 George orwells novel animal farm is the story of animals these behave much like human beings the behaviors are frightening

2. Stalin’s Successors • The Soviet Union emerged from World War II a superpower. • Stalin returned to his ruthless prewar policies. He filled slave labor camps with “enemies of the state.” He seemed ready to launch a new wave of purges when he died in 1953.

3. Khrushchev • Nikita Khrushchev emerged as the new Soviet leader. In 1956, he shocked top Communist party members when he publicly denounced Stalin’s abuse of power. Khrushchev then pursued a policy of de- Stalinization. He did not change Soviet goals but did free many political prisoners and eased censorship. He sought a thaw in the Cold War, calling for “peaceful coexistence” with the West. • The thaw had limits, though. When Hungarians revolted against communist rule in 1956, Khrushchev sent tanks to smash them. When critics at home grew too bold, he clamped down.

4. Brezhnev • In 1964, economic and foreign policy setbacks resulted in Khrushchev’s removal form office. In time, Leonid Brezhnev took over the Soviet Union, holding power until his death in 1982. Brezhnev rigorously suppressed dissidents, people who spoke out against the government. Critics faced arrest and imprisonment. Some were locked away in insane asylums, a policy once used by czarist Russia.

5. Collapse of the Soviet Empire • In 1985, and energetic new leader. Mikhail Gorbachev, took up the reins of power. Gorbachev was eager to reform inefficiencies in government and the economy. The changes he unloosed, however, spiraled out of his control, swamping him and the Soviet Union.

6. The Gorbachev Revolution • Gorbachev sought and end to costly cold War tensions. He renounced the Brezhnev Doctrine, signed arms control treaties with the United States, and eventually pulled Soviet troops out of Afghanistan. • At home, Gorbachev launched a two pronged effort at reform. First, he called for glasnost, or openness. He ended censorship and encouraged people to discuss publicly the country’s problems. Second, he urged the restructuring of government and the economy, called perestroika. Streamlining government and reducing the size of the bureaucracy, he hoped would boost efficiency and output. He backed some free market ideas, including limited private enterprise, but wanted to keep the essence of communism. • Corrupt or incompetent officials were dismissed. To increase food supplies, farmers were allowed more land on which to grow food to sell on the free market.

7. Unexpected Results • Such rapid change brought economic turmoil. Shortages grew worse and prices soared. Factories that could not survive without government help closed, throwing thousands out of work. • In mid 1991, hardliners tried to overthrow Gorbachev and restore the old order. Their coup failed, but it further weakened Gorbachev. By year’s end, as other Soviet republics declared independence, Gorbachev resigned as president. After 74 years, the Soviet Union ceased to exist.

8. The Russian Republic • After the breakup, Russia and its president, Bores Yeltsin, faced a difficult future. • Yeltsin clashed repeatedly with parliament. Many members were former Communists who wanted to turn the clock back. Others were extreme nationalist ho rejected western ideas and called for a revival of the Russian empire. Whether democracy would survive the turmoil remains to be seen.

9. Economic Problems • To solve Russia’s economic problems and gain western aid, Yeltsin had to privatize more state-run industries and collective farms. The changeover to a market economy was painful. Unemployment soared. Without government controls, prices skyrocketed. • A world Power- Russia reduced its nuclear stockpile after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Still, with its large military and nuclear arsenal, Russia exercised influence as a world power. Its old rival, the U.S. hoped Russia might work to resolve global problems. Yet Eastern European nations were alarmed when Russian nationalists and former Communists called for Russia to reassert its power. At the same time, Russia objected to efforts by Eastern European nations to join NATO, fearing a threat to its own security.