Russia Communism, the Cold

War, & the Collapse of the Soviet

Union

Communism vs. Democracy

CommunismOfficials get into office by force

or are elected by the Communist party.

People have very little freedoms.

Owns all property and dominates all forms of life.

Controls economy.

DemocracyOfficials are elected to their

positions by the masses.

People have many freedoms like religion, press, speech and assembly.

Government has very little control over economy.

Communist Soviet Union

• Russian government suppressed many rights like religion and freedom of speech.

• 2/3 of the population considered themselves atheist.

• Government wanted people to consider them the highest entity to worship.

• People were put into gulags when trying to go against the government.

• There were unauthorized search and seizures of documents of dissidents.

Command vs. Market

Command EconomyCentral government makes

all decisions

Government decides which goods to produce, how much to produce, and the prices.

No country has a purely command economy.

Market EconomyBased on private ownership,

free trade and competition.

Individuals and businesses are free to buy/sell what they wish.

Prices are determined by supply and demand.

The Cold War• The Cold War was a period of tension and hostility between

the United States of America and the Soviet Union from the mid-40s to the late 80s.

• In 1945 the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) included Russia various countries in Eastern Europe that now exist individually (Ukraine, Georgia, etc).

• The Soviet Union is another name for the USSR.

• The Cold War began with the end of the Second World War.

• It was called the Cold War because there was no active war between the two nations, which was probably due to the fear of nuclear escalation.

The Cold War• Many believed that because the USA and the USSR fought as

allies during World War II, their relationship after the war would be friendly.

• This never happened, and any appearance that these two powers were friendly during the war is false.

• Before World War II, these countries were distrustful of each other.

• The ‘friendship’ between the USA & USSR during the war was simply the result of having a mutual enemy - Nazi Germany.

• At the end of WWII, the USSR had the most powerful army in the world and the USA had the most powerful weapon in the world, the A-bomb.

The Policy of Containment

• The Policy of Containment was the name given to the US strategy of using military, economic, and diplomatic tactics to stop the spread of Communism.

• The policy was in response to the moves made by the Soviet Union to expand Communism into other parts of the world, including Eastern Europe, China, and Korea.

• The US was trying to prevent the “domino effect”.

Causes of the Cold War• The Soviet Union wanted to spread its ideology of

communism worldwide, which alarmed the Americans who followed democracy.

• The acquisition of atomic weapons by America caused fear in the Soviets.

• Both countries feared an attack from each other.• The Soviet Union’s action of taking control over Eastern

Europe was a major factor for US suspicions.• The US President had a personal dislike of the Soviet leader

Josef Stalin.• America was annoyed by the Soviet Union’s actions in the part

of Germany it had occupied.

Effects of the Cold War • Both the United States of America and the Soviet Union built

up huge arsenals of atomic weapons and ballistic missiles.• It led to destructive conflicts like the Vietnam War and the

Korean War.• The Soviet Union collapsed due to economic weaknesses.• The Berlin Wall was demolished and the two German nations

were unified.• The Baltic States and some former Soviet republics achieved

independence.• America became the sole superpower of the world.• Communism collapsed worldwide

The Collapse of the Soviet Union

• Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the USSR– His first order of business was to reduce government

control and introduce some democracy and freedoms.

• Gorbachev was opposed by nationalistic (communistic) views throughout the Soviet Union.

• The USSR continued to fund large scale military campaigns throughout the region.

• Even with the increased freedoms, several parts of the USSR wanted their independence.– This created a domino effect that, coupled with the

military expense of trying to keep everyone in line, eventually brought down the Soviet Union.

• On December 25th, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the USSR

• The following day the Supreme Soviet officially dissolved the Soviet Union.

Coup of 1991• Military leaders in the Soviet Union disagreed with Gorbachev’s

attempts to bring some democratic ideas into the USSR• They staged a coup- a sudden change in government illegally or

by force• Yeltsin stood atop a tank in protest of the coup.• If the coup had succeeded, more harsh communist leaders

would have come back to the USSR.• Communism had led to high unemployment rates and mass

poverty. The Soviets probably didn’t want communism back• Do you think going through all these changes in government

types is relatively easy? Why or why not?• Fortunately, the coup fails and Gorbachev resigns• Yeltsin becomes the first democratically elected president!

Yeltsin

• Yeltsin= the first democratically elected president. • Became president after Gorbachev resigned and Soviet

Union fell apart• His leadership is marred by corruption. • Not well liked!

Putin

• Putin= second president of the Federation

• Brought great reforms to Russia and helped them to revive.

• After two terms (he could not be elected anymore) he was appointed Prime Minister

• Very well liked!