Effects of the Collapse of the Soviet Union

In 1992, USSR collapsed after the fall of the communist regime and the independence of several states from Asian and European parts of the USSR. The Soviet Union was a superpower before its dissolution. It is the reason that this collapse not only changed the political and economic condition in the areas directly related to USSR, but it impacted heavily on a global scale also.

The following are notable long and short-term effects that appeared after the collapse of the Soviet Union. 

End of the Cold War

Soon after the end of World War 2 in 1945, USA and USSR emerged as two superpowers leading two opposite economic systems, capitalism and communism. Both countries tried to spread their respective economic system and influence in other parts of the world, resulting in hostility between the two superpowers. But both these superpowers had dangerous and lethal weapons (including nuclear weapons), and their direct conflict could have destroyed the whole world.

Therefore, both countries tried to spread their influence and stop the other from doing the same through the cold war. Both formed various defense alliances. They also backed regimes or oppositions in different parts of the world according to their political benefit. Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War, conflict in the Middle East, and Soviet invasion of Afghanistan were a few examples of when these two powers tried to harm each other with their proxies.

But the invasion of Afghanistan proved disastrous for USSR. It exhausted the Soviet Union militarily and economically, resulting in the disintegration of the USSR and its conversion to the Russian Federation. After this military failure, the cold war ended due to the weakness of the newly established Russian Federation. Its influence and power diminished miserably, and it could not even protect its allies (e.g., Yugoslavia).

Independence of Several Countries

The Soviet Union was the unification of Russia and many of its semi-autonomous federations. But in reality, these federations, with the non-Russian ethnic majority population, were under the strict control of the USSR, where people were not allowed to oppose the communist system. Only the people of the Communist party were allowed to rule these semi-autonomous areas. People in these areas were accustomed to harsh treatment and several restrictions. They faced famines, tortures, forced migrations, religious persecutions, and several other ill-treatments but were unable to win freedom due to the military might of the USSR.

But the situation changed after the failed Russian invasion of Afghanistan as it depleted its financial reserves and ended the fear of its once-considered undefeatable army. Now the USSR was also not in a position to keep these federations with it. At the start of the 1990s, all 13 federations of Central Asia and Eastern Europe voted for independence almost unanimously. It resulted in the emergence of Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, and Turkmenistan. 

Fall of the USSR resulted in the independence of several countries

Apart from these federations, East and West Germany reunited again with the fall of the Berlin Wall. The people of Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia, and others also gained independence after the breakage of Yugoslavia. Czechoslovakia also disintegrated into Slovakia and Czech Republic, and both countries also abolished communism. 

Decline of Communism

Modern communism gained fame after the release of The Communist Manifesto in 1848 by German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The basis of this ideology was the poor financial and social conditions of factory workers, who faced exploitation by their owners. The purpose of this movement was to nationalize the means of production and the distribution of money among people according to their needs which would eliminate social classes. 

The Soviet Union became the first communist country after taking power in 1922. USSR adopted communism in the country and also tried to export communism to different parts of the world. But the famines in the initial stage of communism and the worse economic conditions in the USSR in its later stages turned people from different parts of the world, even Russia itself, against the communist system.

People felt that expectations from communism are nothing more than beautiful dreams. Soon after the end of communism in the USSR, the system also weakened in other parts of the world. Most former communist states have abolished this system, which is present in very few countries (China, Cuba, N. Korea, etc.).

USA as the sole Super Power

After the fall of the Soviet Union, there was no country so much powerful (militarily, economically, and scientifically) that could replace USSR as the second superpower against the USA. Due to this, the USA became the only superpower that remained on earth. It was later evident that the US didn’t face severe opposition in its military conflicts (especially wars in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and Iraq) due to the absence of any other superpower.