History of the Soviet Union (1982–1991)
The history of the Soviet Union from 1982 through 1991 spans the period from the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev's death until the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Due to the years of Soviet military buildup at the expense of domestic development, and complex systemic problems in the command economy, Soviet output stagnated. Failed attempts at reform, a standstill economy, and the success of the proxies of the United States against the Soviet Union's forces in the war in Afghanistan led to a general feeling of discontent, especially in the Soviet-occupied Baltic countries and Eastern Europe.[1]
Final Years of Soviet Union
Soviet–Afghan War
Cambodian–Vietnamese War
Iran–Iraq War
Korean Airlines Flight 007
Kazakh protests
Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan
1989 Polish legislative election
1989 Sino-Soviet Summit
Pan-European Picnic
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Czechoslovak Velvet Revolution
SU-US Malta Summit
Romanian Revolution
Parade of sovereignties
War of Laws
Gulf War
Latvia: The Barricades
Lithuania: Bloody Sunday
Black January in Baku, Azerbaijan
April 9 Tbilisi tragedy
1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt
Independence of Ukraine
Belovezh Accords
Alma-Ata Protocol
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
Greater political and social freedoms, instituted by the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, created an atmosphere of open criticism of the communist regime, and also perestroika. The dramatic drop of the price of oil in 1985 and 1986 profoundly influenced actions of the Soviet leadership.[2]
Nikolai Tikhonov, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, was succeeded by Nikolai Ryzhkov, and Vasili Kuznetsov, the acting Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, was succeeded by Andrei Gromyko, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Several republics began resisting central control, and increasing democratization led to a weakening of the central government. The Soviet Union finally collapsed in 1991 when Boris Yeltsin seized power in the aftermath of a failed coup that had attempted to topple the reform-minded Gorbachev.
Rise of Gorbachev[edit]
In addition to the failing economy, the prolonged war in Afghanistan, often referred to as the Soviet Union's "Vietnam War", led to increased public dissatisfaction with the Communist regime. Also, the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 added motive force to Gorbachev's glasnost and perestroika reforms, which eventually spiraled out of control and caused the Soviet system to collapse.[20]
Historiography[edit]
According to Boris N. Mironov, by 2020 Russian scholars had produced over 300 books, 3000 articles, and 20 dissertations trying to explain the collapse. Two approaches were taken. The first is to look at the short term, 1985-1991, emphasizing personalities. external causes and policy mistakes. The second looks at long-term economic, political, cultural, and social structures.[45]