What Was the Context for the Collapse of the USSR in 1991?

Russia – The Collapse of the Soviet Union, 1985-1991

In this course, Professor Richard Sakwa (University of Kent) discusses the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In the first lecture we explore the context for the ultimate collapse of the USSR in 1991, looking back through the leadership of Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev and Brezhnev. In the second lecture we examine Mikhail Gorbachev’s political reforms, including Perestroika, Glasnost and Demokratizatsiya. In the third lecture we inquire into the economic and social reforms implemented by Gorbachev. In the fourth lecture, we highlight Gorbachev’s foreign policy, bringing the Cold War to an end and reconstructing relationships across Europe. In the fifth lecture, we identify Gorbachev’s nationalities policies, and the impact of policies such as Perestroika and Glasnost on the Soviet Socialist Republics. Finally, in the sixth lecture, we conclude with an overview of the multiple factors that led to the decline and fall of the USSR, questioning whether Gorbachev’s reforms were indeed the primary cause of collapse.

What Was the Context for the Collapse of the USSR in 1991?

In this lecture we think about the context for the collapse of the USSR, focussing on: (i) the impact of Gorbachev’s reforms, intending to revive the Soviet Union, but instead leading to its 1991 collapse and the independence of its republics; (ii) the extent to which the reforms were the main cause for collapse, exploring in conjunction the role played by global pressures; (iii) the lasting impact of the collapse of the Soviet Union, including strained relations like those between Russia and Ukraine.