What destroyed the Soviet Union?

[The Sotoan Union]

Obviously the Soviet Union collapsed for a number of reasons. But what do you think was the biggest factor NSG?

Personally I think it was a number of these factors, but with Ronald Reagan being the biggest factor.

[United Marxist Nations]

There was no one reason.

You had ethnic tensions, the delaying of multi-candidate elections, and Perestroika allowing the establishment of small-scale capitalism. Had multi-candidate elections been allowed much earlier (either 1936 when they were first proposed or in the 1950's-60's), then the people would have been content with the system, most likely.

EDIT: But yeah, building up the military in response to Reagan was also a big no-no.

[Genivaria]

There was no one reason, a combination of Gorbachav's reforms and American foriegn policy.
Picked the Jews for the Shiggles.

[Faustin Land]

Let's all agree to disagree that it wasn't the jews.

[The Sotoan Union]

Yes we all know there was no one reason. Can we pick the biggest factor so there is something to discuss though?

[Korouse]

The Soviet Union sucked, that's why it fell.

[United Marxist Nations]

There is no "biggest" reason. It was a combination of the many that led to the cocktail.

[Libhiriya]

Well there's this

http://www.theblaze.com/blog/2014/03/19 ... listened/#

[United Marxist Nations]

The Soviet Union sucked, that's why it fell.

It was better than a lot of countries around today (for many, a lot better), yet those are still around.

[Hundermenschen]

I would say their economy. The US just outspent them and eventually the Soviet Union went bankrupt.

[The Sotoan Union]

There is no "biggest" reason. It was a combination of the many that led to the cocktail.

So say ethnic tensions were completely equal to economic problems?

[Padnak]

Stagnation

[Kazomal]

ME.

[United Marxist Nations]

There is no "biggest" reason. It was a combination of the many that led to the cocktail.

So say ethnic tensions were completely equal to economic problems?

Yes, if anything, they had more to do with it. Plenty of countries have survived far worse economic problems than the USSR was putting up with.

[The Sotoan Union]

So say ethnic tensions were completely equal to economic problems?

Yes, if anything, they had more to do with it. Plenty of countries have survived far worse economic problems than the USSR was putting up with.

So they would be a bigger factor. Doesn't this mean that some factors were more important?

[Occupied Deutschland]

'All of the Above'.
Yes, even the Jews.
How the Jews, you may ask?
Well explain this:
Soviet Union collapses pre-Jewish-state-in-Israel: 0
Soviet Union collapses post-Jewish-state-in-Israel: 1

Soviet military funding was always ridiculously large and a heavy burden on their economy. Reagan's batshit craziness (Star Wars being a prime example) only encouraged this.

Glasnost and perestroika, far from restructuring the system of the USSR, only encouraged and heightened internal and external calls to breakaway from it. They went far enough to offer that encouragement while still retaining vestiges of the earlier censorship and political oppression that characterized the USSR.

Then of course 'blue jeans and rock'n'roll' won over on the cultural front of things, and were a chiefly western/American brand. The rise of globalization and globalized information-sharing they represented were also strong drivers of events (glasnost and perestroika coming at this time only furthering their reach).

General internal failings of the Soviet Union as a whole (the reliance on dominating Eastern Europe via military might and exportation of goods, as well as typical corruption and justice failings) definitely contributed.

And then, of course as I proved earlier, there was the Jews.

[Nuevo Meshiko]

Wow, that is one biased poll if I ever saw one.

[United Marxist Nations]

Stagnation

If it's Stagnation, then the US is in trouble, because last year, our annual GDP growth was about the same as that of the USSR in the early '80's.

Like I said, other countries had survived the economic problems worse than what the USSR was going through.

[Napkiraly]

Various reasons. Economic, social, political, etc.

[The Sotoan Union]

'All of the Above'.
Yes, even the Jews.
How the Jews, you may ask?
Well explain this:
Soviet Union collapses pre-Jewish-state-in-Israel: 0
Soviet Union collapses post-Jewish-state-in-Israel: 1

(Image)

Soviet military funding was always ridiculously large and a heavy burden on their economy. Reagan's batshit craziness (Star Wars being a prime example) only encouraged this.

Glasnost and perestroika, far from restructuring the system of the USSR, only encouraged and heightened internal and external calls to breakaway from it. They went far enough to offer that encouragement while still retaining vestiges of the earlier censorship and political oppression that characterized the USSR.

Then of course 'blue jeans and rock'n'roll' won over on the cultural front of things, and were a chiefly western/American brand. The rise of globalization and globalized information-sharing they represented were also strong drivers of events (glasnost and perestroika coming at this time only furthering their reach).

General internal failings of the Soviet Union as a whole (the reliance on dominating Eastern Europe via military might and exportation of goods, as well as typical corruption and justice failings) definitely contributed.

And then, of course as I proved earlier, there was the Jews.

Israel strongest there is!

[The Sotoan Union]

Wow, that is one biased poll if I ever saw one.

Could you elaborate?

[Furry Alairia and Algeria]

I honestly doubt it was the Jews. I do think though it was a combined effort that was planned by Ronald Reagan and played with what seemed to be his pawn, Mikhail, since he got to Mikhail very easily.

[United Marxist Nations]

Yes, if anything, they had more to do with it. Plenty of countries have survived far worse economic problems than the USSR was putting up with.

So they would be a bigger factor. Doesn't this mean that some factors were more important?

I never said ethnic tensions were the biggest factor, just bigger than economic problems. If I had to pick one, I would say it was that the USSR had not introduced multicandidate elections and greater freedom of information and speech earlier, which could have prevented the wave of unrest.

[American Soviet Socialist States]

Communism is the perfect form of government when done right. Most people think that it's bad because some Socialist/Communist leaders gave it a bad name. I wish that more countries were communist, especially Russia.

[Lift]

Cheap Vodka comrade.