Reasons for the Collapse of the Soviet Union

The Soviet Union was a world power after its establishment in 1922 and became a superpower after World War 2 in 1945. After World War 2, the Soviet Union established a communist bloc that remained hostile to the US-led bloc. Both USA and USSR continuously clashed indirectly between 1945 and 1990. During this period, these superpowers avoided a full-fledged war but opposed each other in various conflicts through their proxies. The whole era is known for the ‘Cold War’ between the two superpowers.

This situation ended in 1992 with the collapse of the USSR, after which the USA emerged as the sole superpower. The main reasons behind the collapse of the USSR are the following.

Long-standing Cold War Against USA

After World War 2 in 1945, the Soviet Union captured the whole of Eastern Europe and parts of Central Europe, while its influence spread to several areas of Asia, Africa, and South America. The USA and its allies formed Western Bloc to counter this situation. This global division into two parallel blocks initiated the ‘Cold War’ between the USSR, the USA, and their allies.

The Korean War (1950-53), Cuban Crisis (1963), Vietnam War (the 1960s), and Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan (1979-88) were major confrontations between the two blocs, while USA and USSR assisted their proxies in several other regional conflicts also. This continuous warfare put a burden on the economy of the USSR, and it weakened continuously over time. It proved to be one of the most significant reasons for the collapse of the USSR.

Invasion of Afghanistan

In December 1979, USSR invaded Afghanistan to protect its proxy regime of Afghanistan against any Afghan resistance. Russian invasion ringed alarm bells in neighboring countries of Afghanistan, especially Pakistan, where this invasion and capture by the USSR was considered a part of their plan to reach the warm waters (Arabian Sea). Pakistan supported the resistance movement of Afghans against the Soviet invasion from its start. Later, they received substantial military and financial support from the USA and several other Muslim and European countries. The motivation behind this war was religious fervor against the ‘Atheist invaders’ (USSR). 

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan proved disastrous due to stiff resistance

Soviet forces and their Afghan supporters failed to suppress the guerilla warfare of Afghan opponents who were continuously supported by rich and advanced Western and Muslim countries, militarily and economically. The failed invasion by USSR not only drained the economy of the Soviet Union but also erased the title of the Soviet Army as ‘undefeatable.’ It ultimately resulted in the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of many countries.

Oppression against Opponents

The Soviet Union was a one-party government with no place for opposition to the Communist regime, while the persecution of opponents was not unusual. During the Russian Civil War (1918-22), the Russian secret police assassinated thousands of peasants and industrial workers. This period also saw the establishment of Gulags (labor camps), and they continued their operations till the 1950s. Millions of people were thrown in these camps for forced labor, resulting in numerous deaths. 

But the most horrific period came during the era of Joseph Stalin. He suppressed anyone considered against his communist ideology through his intelligence agencies and secret police. He assassinated his rivals in the communist party like Leon Trotsky (founder of the Red Army), Nikolai Yezhov (head of the Soviet secret agency NKVD), and several others during Great Purge (1936-38) to ‘cleanse’ the communist party and red army from undesired persons. Gulags also expanded during his era. On several occasions, the whole population of different areas was transferred to other destinations by the Soviets. This forced displacement took the lives of various people and changed the ethnic composition of several regions. 

These oppressive measures consolidated the communist rule in occupied areas. But people in these areas never accepted the tyrant regime by heart. Therefore, when they got an opportunity to choose their destiny (at the start of the 1990s), people of these areas immediately voted in favor of freedom from the USSR.

Policies against Religions

USSR was an atheist regime where the communist party had complete control over the government, and one had to be an atheist to be a part of the communist party. But it didn’t end there as religions and followers of these religions faced victimization by the Soviet regime. Christians and Muslims faced the worst persecution under the Soviet Union during various eras. 

Several religious buildings were demolished in USSR

Christianity (Russian Orthodox) lost its status as the official religion in USSR that it was enjoying during the Russian Empire. Soviet authorities locked and demolished several Churches and Mosques during the whole Soviet era, and there were restrictions on religious practices. Several priests and clergy suffered execution during the starting era of the Soviet Revolution. There were around 25,000 mosques in Central Asia in 1917, while their numbers reduced to only 500 in the 1970s. 

Due to this brutal treatment of religions, the Christians and Muslims of several republics in the USSR favored the independence of their states from the Soviet Union at the start of the 1990s. This religious animosity also played its part in Afghanistan, where the fighters were motivated to fight on religious grounds against the atheist Soviet Union.

Famines

The Soviet Union faced several famines due to wars and its economic policies. The first famine was the famine of 1921-23 that took the lives of around 5 million people in the regions of the Volga and Ural rivers. This famine happened due to the Russian Civil War and the Soviet policy of ‘confiscation of grain.’ 
  

The collectivization of the agriculture sector, adopted by Stalin, resulted in the most severe famine of 1932-33. It ended after taking the lives of around 6 million people, notably in Ukraine and the North Caucasus. 

The third major famine occurred in 1946-47, killing over 1 million people. Soviet economic policies and World War 2 were the primary causes of this famine.

These famines proved that the economic policies of the USSR were unrealistic. Furthermore, the authorities were more interested in concealing the number of deaths instead of providing food to the affected people. Non-Russian people were the main targets of these famines, and it created such hatred against communism and USSR in their hearts that they were ready to accept any chance provided for their freedom from USSR.