Types of art during the Renaissance. Main features of Renaissance art

How did the collapse of the USSR happen? The causes and consequences of this event are still of interest to historians and political scientists. It is interesting because not everything is still clear about the situation that arose in the early 1990s. Now many residents of the CIS would like to return to those times and once again unite into one of the most powerful states in the world. So why then did people stop believing in a happy future together? This is one of the most important questions that interests many today.

The event, which occurred at the end of December 1991, led to the creation of 15 independent states. The reasons lie in the economic crisis of the country and the distrust of the ordinary Soviet people in power, no matter what party it represents. Based on this, the collapse of the USSR, the causes and consequences of this event are associated with the fact that the Supreme Council, after the self-recusal of the state president M.S. Gorbachev. decided to end the existence of a country that won two wars.

Currently, historians identify only a few reasons for the collapse of the USSR. Among the main versions are the following:

The political system in the country was too strict, which prohibited many liberties for the people in the sphere of religion, censorship, commerce, etc.;

Not entirely successful attempts by the Gorbachev government to rebuild political system Soviet Union through reforms that led to economic and;

Lack of power in the regions, because almost all important decisions were made by Moscow (even regarding those issues that were entirely within the competence of the regions);

The war in Afghanistan, the Cold War against the United States, constant financial support from other socialist states, despite the fact that some areas of life required significant reconstruction.

The causes and consequences attracted the fact that that time was transferred to the new 15 states. So maybe there was no need to rush into disintegration. After all, this declaration did not significantly change the situation among the people. Maybe in a few years the Soviet Union could level out and calmly continue its development?

Perhaps the causes and consequences of the collapse of the USSR are also related to the fact that some states were afraid new form power, when many liberals and nationalists entered parliament, and themselves left. Among these countries were the following: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Georgia, Armenia and Moldova. Most likely, it was they who set an excellent example for the rest of the republics, and they began to desire secession even more. What if these six states had waited a little longer? Maybe then it would be possible to maintain the integrity of the borders and political system Soviet Union.

The collapse of the USSR, the causes and consequences of this event were accompanied by various political congresses and referendums, which, unfortunately, did not bring the desired result. Therefore, at the end of 1991, almost no one believed in the future of the largest country in the world.

The most well-known consequences of the collapse of the Soviet Union are:

Instant transformation Russian Federation, where Yeltsin immediately carried out several economic and political reforms;

There were many interethnic wars (mostly these events took place in the Caucasian territories);

The division of the Black Sea Fleet, the collapse of the Armed Forces of the state and the division of territories that occurred between until recently friendly nations.

Everyone must decide for themselves whether we did the right thing in 1991, or whether we should have waited a little and allowed the country to recover from its many problems and continue its happy existence.

The collapse of the USSR occurred in 1991, and the history of Russia began. Many states that had recently called themselves “brothers forever” now fiercely defended the right to sovereignty, and even fought with each other.

Meanwhile reasons for the collapse of the USSR lie on the surface, moreover, the collapse of the Soviet empire was inevitable.

Reasons for the collapse of the USSR: why did the Union collapse?

Historians, sociologists and political scientists identify several main reasons collapse of the USSR:

• Totalitarian regime. A country where any dissent is punishable by death, imprisonment or a certificate of incapacity is doomed to destruction, so only the “capture” will be at least slightly weakened and citizens will be able to raise their heads.
• Interethnic conflicts. Despite the declared “brotherhood of peoples,” in reality Soviet state they simply turned a blind eye to interethnic strife, preferring not to notice and hush up the problem. Therefore, at the end of the 80s, a long-gestating explosion occurred in several places at once - Georgia, Chechnya, Karabakh, and Tatarstan.
• Economic recession. After the global fall in oil prices, the Union had a hard time - many still remember the total shortage of all products and huge queues.
• "Iron Curtain" and "Cold War". The Soviet Union artificially whipped up anti-Western hysteria, convincing its citizens that there were only enemies everywhere, spent huge amounts of money on defense and the arms race, and ridiculed and banned any trends from the rest of the world. The forbidden fruit is sweet, and over time, Soviet people began to feel much more trust in both the things and ideas of the Western world.

From the USSR to the CIS.

1991 became the year of the collapse of the USSR, and Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president. A new state emerged - Russia, and a new “union” of free independent countries - the CIS. This association included all the former republics of the Soviet Union - but now each of them lived according to its own laws, maintaining only neighborly relations with others.

The criteria for the power of all empires from antiquity to the present day are approximately the same - a thriving economy, a strong army, developed science and ambitious citizens. But all great powers die in different ways. What stands apart here is the USSR, which collapsed despite the presence of the main condition for its existence - a submissive population, ready to endure violations of human rights and inconveniences in everyday life in exchange for the greatness of their country. The mentality of this population has been preserved in modern capitalist Russia, but these people betrayed their socialist homeland in 1991 and did not preserve it.

The main reason is the fact that V.I. Lenin and the Bolsheviks managed to win over more people than other reformers. However, this was by no means a democratic process where people make informed and balanced choices.

The Bolsheviks achieved success thanks to several factors:

1. Their development program may not have been the best, but their slogans were simple and understandable to the illiterate majority of the population;
2. The Bolsheviks were more decisive and active than their political opponents, including in the use of violence;
3. Both whites and reds made mistakes and shed blood, but the latter felt better the mood and aspirations of the people;
4. The Bolsheviks managed to find foreign sources of financing for their activities.

The Soviet state was born as a result of a long-overdue revolution and bloody civil war. The monarchy brought the people down to such an extent that the model of development that was completely opposite to it seemed to many to be the only correct one.

What was really good about the USSR?

"Evil Empire" lived up to its name. Repressions, Gulags, mysterious deaths great poets and other unpleasant pages of history have not yet been thoroughly studied. However, there were some positive aspects:

• Elimination of illiteracy. Towards the end of existence Russian Empire According to various estimates, from 30 to 56 percent of the population were literate. It took about 20 years to improve this catastrophic situation;
• Lack of social stratification. If you do not take into account the ruling elite, then among citizens there was no such monstrous inequality in living standards and wages as in tsarist or modern Russia;
• Equality of opportunity. People from worker-peasant families could rise to senior positions. There were a majority of these in the Politburo;
• Cult of Science. Unlike today, on television and in the media great attention was paid not only to the activities of the top officials of the state, but also to science.

The world is not divided only into black and white; many phenomena in our lives are very contradictory. The USSR hindered the development of the Eastern European and Baltic countries, but provided medicine, education and infrastructure to the Central Asian republics.

In 1939, a non-aggression pact was signed, in the secret protocol of which the countries divided Eastern Europe. The same year was marked by a solemn parade of the Wehrmacht and the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army in Brest.

At first glance there was no reason for the war. But it started anyway and here’s why:

1. In 1940, the Soviet Union failed to reach an agreement with the Axis countries (Third Reich, Fascist Italy, Empire of Japan) on the terms of joining the Berlin Pact (a treaty on the division of Europe and Asia). Most big country There were few territories in the world that Germany offered, so it was not possible to reach an agreement. Many World War II experts believe that it was after these events that Hitler finally decided to attack the USSR;
2. According to the trade agreement, the Soviet Union already supplied raw materials and food to the Third Reich, but this was not enough for Hitler. He wanted to acquire the entire resource base of the USSR;
3. Hitler had a strong dislike for Jews and communism. In the Land of Soviets, his two main objects of hatred were intertwined together.

Here are the logical and obvious reasons attacks, what other ulterior motives Hitler was guided by is unknown.

The main reason is that people no longer wanted to live in this state. Observing today a large number of people who are nostalgic and want to revive the Union, we can conclude that in 1991 the majority did not make intellectual conclusions, but only wanted change because there was nothing to eat.

Among the others reasons for the collapse it is necessary to highlight the following:

• Inefficient economy. If the socialist system managed to solve at least the problem of food shortages, then the population could endure the lack of normal clothing, equipment and cars for a long time;
• Bureaucracy. It was not professionals in their field who were appointed to key and leadership positions, but members of the Communist Party who strictly followed instructions from above;
• Propaganda and censorship. The streams of propaganda were endless, and information about emergency situations and disasters were hushed up and hidden;
• Weak industry diversification. There was nothing to export except oil and weapons. When the price of oil collapsed, problems began;
• Lack of personal freedom. It was holding back creative potential people, including in the field scientific discoveries and innovation. The result has been technical lag in many industries;
• Isolation of the ruling elite from the population. While the people were forced to be content with the low-quality creations of the mass industry of the USSR, members of the Politburo had access to all the benefits of their ideological opponents from the West.

To finally understand the reasons for the collapse of the Soviet Union, you need to look at the modern Korean Peninsula. In 1945 South Korea fell under the jurisdiction of the United States, and the North - the USSR. IN North Korea in the 90s there was famine, and according to 2006 data, a third of the population was chronically undernourished. South Korea is the “Asian Tiger”, with a territory smaller than the Orenburg region, now this country produces everything from phones and computers to cars and the world’s largest sea vessels.

Video: 6 reasons for the collapse of the USSR in 6 minutes

In this video, historian Oleg Perov will tell you about the 6 main reasons why the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991:

Reasons for the collapse of the USSR

Let's consider the most basic versions of why the USSR collapsed. In order to analyze the reasons for the collapse of the USSR, some return to 1991, to the days of the August Putsch, and others to 1985, when the “perestroika” Gorbachev came to power. But personally, I am inclined to think that we need to move back to the 1980s, it was then that the so-called point of no return began, from which the countdown to the existence of the USSR began. So let's start in order.

1. Personnel shortage

   Probably one of the main reasons for the collapse of the USSR is the shortage of party personnel. To do this, it is enough to remember, thanks to whom the USSR was formed and who was its leadership initially? At first, these were, in fact, fanatics of their idea, revolutionaries who sought to overthrow the tsarist regime and build communism, where all people are equal and, working, will live in abundance. After the war, leading positions in the USSR were occupied by former military men, this disciplined old generation who had an ardent communist ideology, they really wanted to build communism. Most of them could not even admit the thought that even a single penny from the state budget was stolen, although they took advantage of state benefits and their official position, but this can not be taken into account at all, especially when compared with today's leaders. However, this old generation could not exist forever, when the leaders began to die; they could not find worthy personnel to replace them, or the worthy ones were simply not allowed in, since those who remained had their own plans.

   Probably, it all started from the moment when “dear” Leonid Ilyich became completely “bad”; many witnesses of that period noted that General Sec. I failed very much, and quite quickly and strongly. The reason for this, many historians call “Brezhnev’s injections”, which were injected into him by a nurse, a KGB employee. In this case it converges logical chain, the chairman of the KGB at that time was Andropov, he had long been aiming to replace Brezhnev, and it is quite possible that such injections were actually purposefully administered to worsen the health of Leonid Ilyich. Andropov's dream came true; in November 1982, he headed the state after the death of Brezhnev, at 69 years old.

   But Andropov’s reign ended after 15 months, since before taking office Secretary General he knew that he did not have long to live, but, nevertheless, he took such a high position. Andrpov's death was the second funeral in 2 years, when last funeral Soviet leader were in 1953. The second death in a row of the country's leader in such a short period of time could not but affect the country in all its spheres. Andropov’s place was taken by Chernenko, who at that time was already 72 years old, but Konstantin Ustinovich also died almost a year after his appointment to the country’s main position. The third funeral was a blow for the USSR, the country is losing the ideological fundamentalists of communism, and also does not have a clear path of development, since Andropov and Chernenko had their own plans, but did not have time to implement them.

   Jokes on this topic even began to circulate among the people. Understanding such an absurd situation, the Politburo decides to choose the relatively young Gorbachev as the leader of the country, who at that time was 54 years old, and he was really young in the political bureau. From that moment on, the collapse of the USSR began to occur at an irreversible pace, Gorbachev became the catalyst for this process.

   The incompetence of the new leadership led by Gorbachev, as well as new personnel in the political system. bureau and leadership of the country, who ultimately turned out to be traitors, the desire of the leaders of the union republics to secede and make their countries independent in order to lead them themselves - all this is the result of Gorbachev’s perestroika.

   

2. “Everyone pulled the blanket over themselves”

   As was said just above, all managers allied states“they pulled the blanket over themselves” and they all wanted independence. Perestroika weakened tight control over both leaders and people. As a result, all the leaders of the union states, one way or another, tried to secede and declare independence at the right opportunity. Destruction added fuel to the fire Berlin Wall and the unification of Germany. Mass protests and unrest in the Baltic states and some other republics contributed to their imbalance.

   The beginning of the end occurred in August 1991, when the “August Putsch” occurred; as a result of this coup d’etat, within a month, the Baltic countries left the USSR. After this, the Soviet Union began to crumble. This also includes the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, where a military clash began between the Armenian SSR and the Azerbaijani USSR, Moldova, etc.

   Against the backdrop of all these events, after the referendum on “preserving the union,” the leadership of the union republics nevertheless declared independence.

3. Ideology has outlived its usefulness

   It’s no secret that the USSR was based on communist ideology; it was propagated from everywhere. From birth, the child was instilled with communist values, even starting from kindergarten, and especially at school, in which all the students became Octobrists, and after that, pioneers, and so on. More than one generation lived according to this scheme, but the years passed, the world changed, and communist ideology could not resist it.

   The main ideologists of the country and leaders passed away and in their place, as was said in the first reason, incompetent people came who did not believe in communism, they did not need it. Moreover, people themselves stopped believing in him, especially when the crisis began.

   The rallies suppressed by the special services and the persecution of opposition figures were probably one of the keys to the successful existence of the USSR, but during perestroika, the oppositionists became more active and launched active, unhindered activities.

   Perhaps the Chernobyl disaster can be attributed to this reason, since it dealt a significant blow to both the reputation of the USSR and its leaders and affected people. The Soviet system, which forced builders into a framework for delivering projects within a certain time frame, and to coincide with communist holidays, made itself felt, and very cruelly - Chernobyl tragedy. The fourth power unit of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and exactly like all the previous three units, were put into operation with violations; according to experts, the fourth power unit could not be operated at all, since it did not meet safety standards; the builders needed to commission it on time. This factor, as well as the looseness of the system and the experiments carried out on that ill-fated night, became fatal in everything. The deliberate concealment of the consequences of the explosion further aggravated the situation. As a result, all this was a powerful blow to the entire Soviet system and the country as a whole.

4. Crisis in all areas

   As they say: the fish rots from the head, and this is what happened to the Soviet Union. Gorbachev was not a strong leader, but in order to keep such big country– needed strong man. The country needed radical reforms, but all the reforms undertaken were failures. Lack of goods on shelves, constant shortages, huge queues, depreciation of money - all these are the consequences of perestroika. People are simply tired of living like this, or rather surviving, without any prospect that this crisis will ever end.

   

5. "Pepsi-Cola and jeans"

   With Gorbachev coming to power iron curtain began to slowly rise, and Western fashion poured in, its main attributes, perhaps, being jeans and Pepsi-Cola. Seeing how they live in the West, how they dress, what they drive, etc. Soviet citizens wanted the same. By the end of the 80s, the words “Lenin” and “communism” became the subject of ridicule, people felt the smell of freedom and wanted change, which was reflected in V. Tsoi’s song.

6. The Americans still won

   Everyone knows that America was the main enemy of the USSR. There has always been confrontation between the USA and the USSR, and in almost everything. Both countries were considered superpowers and fought for world domination, and the ideologies and worldviews of the two countries were completely different.

   There is a version that Gorbachev collaborated with the United States, it was not for nothing that they called him “ good guy" There is also an opinion that Brezhnev, Andropov and Chernenko were killed, and all traces of these murders lead to the CIA. The neutralization of the entire old party nomenklatura, those hardened ones, and the appointment of Gorbachev, a pro-democratic politician, was to the advantage of the Americans. " Cold War"of that time ended peacefully and calmly. Why fight the system with weapons if you can help this system become obsolete...

These, in my opinion, are the main reasons why the Soviet Union collapsed. Someone, for sure, will be inclined to one of the versions, but someone, including myself, is inclined to all these versions, that is, all the reasons listed above collectively provoked the collapse of the USSR, some of them V to a greater extent, some to a lesser extent, but, nevertheless, all of the above played a role.

As for the consequences, we can see them ourselves; not a single country that was part of the USSR, after the collapse, acquired the values ​​it aspired to. But, nevertheless, there is no need to be nostalgic about the USSR, since life then was closed, people were simply kinder, and there was less theft by government managers, that’s the whole secret of the fabulous time.

Eleven years before the collapse of the USSR

On the morning of May 20, 1980, Ronald Reagan (US President) received William Casey (Director of the CIA), who presented Reagan with new information about the state of affairs in the USSR, namely, Casey presented unofficial secret materials about problems in the USSR economy. Reagan loved to read such information on the USSR, and in his diary on March 26, 1981, he wrote the following: The USSR is in a very bad situation, if we refrain from loans, they will ask others for help, because otherwise they will starve. Casey personally selected all the information on the USSR, bringing his old dream closer - collapse of the USSR.

On March 26, 1981, W. Casey arrived with a report to Reagan. Casey provided new information about the state of affairs in the USSR:
The USSR is in a very difficult situation, there is an uprising in Poland, the USSR is stuck in Afghanistan, Cuba, Angola and Vietnam. Casey insisted that there was no better time to collapse of the USSR does not exist. Reagan agreed and Casey began preparing his proposals for collapse of the USSR.

Members of the working group leading the collapse of the USSR

Ronald Reagan, William Joseph Casey,

George Bush Sr., Caspar Willard Weinberger

In early 1982, Casey, at a closed meeting in the White House, proposed plan for the collapse of the USSR. For some senior Reagan administration officials, the proposal collapse of the USSR came as a shock. Throughout the 70s, the West and Europe accustomed themselves to the idea that they should not fight with the USSR, but negotiate. The majority believed that there was simply no other way in the era of nuclear weapons. The NSDD plan was aimed in the other direction. On January 30, 1982, at a meeting of the working group, Casey's plan for the deployment of secret offensive operations against the USSR, classified top secret, it was called the “NSDD plan” (a directive of the Reagan administration in the matter of US strategy, goals and aspirations in relations with the USSR). The NSDD plan clearly stated that the next goal of the United States was no longer coexistence with the USSR, but a change in the Soviet system. All working group recognized the necessary achievement of one goal - collapse of the USSR!

The essence of the NSDD plan for the collapse of the USSR boiled down to the following:

1. Secret, financial, intelligence and political assistance to the Polish Solidarity movement. Goal: maintaining the opposition in the center of the USSR.
2. Significant financial and military assistance to the Afghan Mujahideen. Goal: the spread of war on the territory of the USSR.
3. Secret diplomacy in the countries Western Europe. Goal: limit the USSR's access to Western technologies.
4. Psychological and information warfare. Goal: technical disinformation and destruction of the USSR economy.
5. The growth of weapons and maintaining them at a high technological level. Goal: undermining the economy of the USSR and exacerbating the resource crisis.
6. Cooperation with Saudi Arabia to reduce world oil prices. Goal: a sharp reduction in the flow of hard currency into the USSR.

CIA Director W. Casey realized that it was useless to fight the USSR; the USSR could only be destroyed economically.

Preparatory stage for the collapse of the USSR

In early April 1981, CIA Director W. Casey went to the Middle East and Europe. Casey had to solve 2 problems: falling oil prices and increasing resistance in Afghanistan. Therefore, Casey visited Egypt (supplier of weapons to the Afghan mujahideen). Here Casey told President Mohammed Anwar al-Sadat (a friend of the CIA) that the weapons that Egypt was supplying to the Afghan Mujahideen were scrap! The USSR could not be defeated with it, and offered financial assistance so that the supply of modern weapons could begin. However, Sadat was not destined to carry out the instructions of the CIA chief, because. 6 months later he was shot dead. But the United States still managed to supply the Afghan Mujahideen with weapons worth $8 billion!!! This is how the Mujahideen acquired the first Stinger air defense system. This is the largest covert operation since World War II.

Next, the CIA chief visited Saudi Arabia. The CIA analytical department calculated that if oil prices on the world market fell by just 1 dollar, the USSR would lose from 500 million to 1 billion dollars a year. In return, Casey promised the sheikh protection from possible revolutions, protection for family members, supplies of weapons, and guaranteed the inviolability of personal deposits in US banks. The sheikh agreed to the proposal, and oil production in Saudi Arabia skyrocketed. So in 1986, the USSR's losses from falling oil prices amounted to $13 billion. Experts already realized then that Gorbachev would not be able to carry out any breakthrough or restructuring. Modernization required 50 billion dollars, which was taken away from the USSR by the NSDD plan.
Casey also managed to persuade the sheikh of the secret participation of Saudi Arabia in the Afghan war and the strengthening of the Afghan Mujahideen by the Saudis. The sheikh's money was used to recruit the modest owner of a construction company, Osama bin Laden (terrorist No. 1 in the world).

After Saudi Arabia, the CIA chief visited Israel. The first points have already begun to work, the next stage of the collapse of the USSR is information and psychological warfare, without which collapse of the USSR it might not have happened. According to Casey's plan, the Israeli intelligence service Mossad was supposed to play decisive role. Casey suggested that Israel use American spy satellites to obtain information about Iraq's nuclear facilities, as well as materials on Syria. In response, Israel opened part of its residency in the USSR to the CIA. The channels have been established.

The beginning of the implementation of the plan for the collapse of the USSR

The United States decided to carry out economic sabotage against Poland. One of the authors of this plan was Zbigniew Brzezinski. The meaning of this plan was that Western partners supplied enterprises to Poland with the assurance that they would take the products produced at these enterprises in the form of payment, and after the launch of the enterprise they refused to take the products. Thus, sales of products were slowed down, and the amount of Polish foreign currency debt went up. After this sabotage, Poland was in large debts; cards for goods began to be introduced in Poland (cards were even introduced for diapers and hygiene products). After this, workers' strikes began; the Poles wanted to eat. The burden of the Polish crisis fell on the economy of the USSR; Poland was provided with financial assistance in the amount of $10 billion, but Poland's debt remained in the amount of $12 billion. Thus began a revolution in one of the socialist countries.

The US administration was confident that the outbreak of a revolutionary fire in one of the USSR countries would lead to destabilization throughout the USSR. The Kremlin leadership, in turn, understood where the wind of change was blowing, intelligence reported that Polish revolutionaries were receiving financial assistance from Western countries (1.7 thousand newspapers and magazines, 10 thousand books and brochures were published underground, underground printing houses operated), on the radio “ Voice of America" ​​and "Free Europe" Polish revolutionaries received hidden orders about when and where to strike. Moscow has repeatedly pointed out the danger coming from abroad and has begun to prepare for intervention. CIA intelligence decided to counter Moscow with the following trump card: Casey flies to Rome, where a key figure with influence on the Poles was located - this was the Pole Karol Jozef Wojtyla, after his enthronement - John Paul II (Primate of the Roman Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005). The CIA remembered well how the Poles greeted John Paul II when he returned to his homeland. Then millions of excited Poles met their compatriot. After meeting Casey, he begins to actively support the Polish resistance and personally met with resistance leader Lech Walesa. Catholic Church begins to materially support resistance (distributes humanitarian aid, received from Western charitable foundations), provides shelters for oppositionists.

Report of the Director of the CIA on the collapse of the USSR

In February 1982, at a meeting in the oval office of the White House, the CIA director again reported on the work done. The loss of tens of millions of dollars, the tense situation in Poland, the protracted war in Afghanistan, instability in the socialist camp, all this led to the emptying of the USSR treasury. Casey also said that the USSR is trying to replenish the treasury with Siberian gas supplied to Europe - this is the Urengoy-6 project. This project was supposed to provide the USSR with colossal funds. In addition, Europe was very interested in the construction of this gas pipeline.

The failure of the Urengoy-6 project as one of the reasons for the collapse of the USSR

The Soviet Union was supposed to lay a gas pipeline from Siberia to the borders of Czechoslovakia, but imported pipes were required for the installation. It was then that the US administration imposed a ban on the supply of oil equipment to the USSR. But Europe, which was interested in gas, and which, by agreement with the USSR, had a significant 25-year discount on gas, secretly (the government secretly supported smuggled suppliers) continued to supply necessary equipment for the USSR. The US administration sent its own man to Europe, who campaigned for Europe for American coal, natural gas from the North Sea, as well as for synthetic fuels. But Europe, feeling the benefits of cooperation with the USSR, continued to secretly help the USSR build a gas pipeline. Then Reagan again ordered the CIA to deal with this problem. In 1982, the CIA developed an operation according to which gas equipment was supplied to the USSR through a long chain of intermediaries, software which intentionally introduced errors. These errors were exploited after installation, resulting in large explosions on highways. As a result of these sabotages, Urengoy-6 was never completed, and the USSR again suffered losses in the amount of 1 trillion. dollars. This became one of the reasons for the bankruptcy and collapse of the USSR.

Another secret operation to collapse the USSR

On March 23, 1983, Reagan proposed deploying a system that would destroy enemy nuclear missiles in space. Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) or " star Wars“The essence of the program was to create a large-scale missile defense system with space-based elements. According to this program, the United States was supposed to launch satellites with laser weapons into geostationary orbits, which would constantly be located above the base of nuclear missiles and at the time of their launch could shoot them down. The US administration, with the help of this program, intimidated the USSR and continued to deplete the USSR economy. The United States was led to believe that one day all Soviet missiles would become a pile of unnecessary metal. Soviet scientists began to study SDI and came to the conclusion that for laser weapons to work, powerful energy pumping was needed, and in order to hit a flying missile, the diameter of the laser beam had to be the size of a pinhead, and according to scientists’ calculations, the diameter of the missile’s laser beam turned into a circle of light diameter 100 sq. meters. Scientists have proven that SDI is a bluff! But the Soviet Union continued to devote too much effort and time to SDI, and the United States acted from a position of strength in the missile defense negotiations with the USSR.

Gorbachev also tried to somehow raise the economy of the USSR, he was counting on high oil prices, but oil prices fell from 35 to 10 dollars per barrel. Instead of improvement, Soviet citizens felt deterioration, store shelves became empty, and soon, as during the Second World War, cards appeared. The collapse of the USSR has entered its final stage.

Date of collapse of the USSR

Date of collapse of the USSR December 26, 1991. As a result collapse of the USSR The territory of Russia decreased compared to the territory of the USSR by 24%, and the population decreased by 49%. The unified armed forces and common currency disintegrated, and interethnic conflicts sharply escalated.

Everything changed on December 8, 1991, after the statement of three (President RSFSR – B. Yeltsin, President of Ukraine - L. Kravchuk, Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus – S. Shushkevich) independent states were formed . The Commonwealth of Independent Countries was formed.

This is how an event occurred that can be compared to a natural disaster, but which was much more tragic in its consequences. On December 9, 1991, we woke up in another country, and not many people still know what kind of country it is. Cracks occurred not only across the earth, but also through the destinies of the nation and peoples; each seceding country had to survive alone, and Russia too. Because the Soviet Union lived and developed as a single organism, the separated parts took with them objects vital for the country.

Baltic states ( Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) the most modern ports, a nuclear power plant, and many high-tech industries have moved away.
Became independent Ukraine And Moldova and the centuries-old economic ties that united the coal, industrial, metallurgical, transport and food systems were broken.
Traditional holiday destinations remained abroad Crimea And Transcaucasia(Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan).
The pride of the Soviet Union, the Baikonur cosmodrome, began to belong to Kazakhstan.
Cotton plantations and deposits of strategic raw materials in Central Asia gained independence ( Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan), but at the same time all the country’s borders were wide open.

Modern Russia moved east and north. We were left with a terrain unsuitable for farming, coupled with impressive distances and a harsh climate. The regions of the far north occupy more than 2/3 of the territory of our country. Yes, they say we have fantastic natural resources, but they are located in inaccessible, sparsely populated and completely undeveloped areas of the Arctic, eastern Siberia and the Far East, in the so-called global refrigerator.

We can cope with the global refrigerator, but along the perimeter of the Russian borders, many hotbeds of tension have arisen, this is so natural, any state tries to improve, increase its territory and power at the expense of a weakened country.
For example, Norway wouldn’t mind annexing a piece of the Arctic, how many oil and gas rigs can be placed there? How many fish should I catch? And the Russian fleet can be locked in rocky bays so as not to interfere.
Finns- the people are peace-loving and cautious, but they are absolutely sure that Karelia would be managed more efficiently.
European Union inspired by Germany – feels incomplete without the Kaliningrad region.
Along the southern border of our State ( Georgia), a fuse is laid, which flares up at the command of the directors of world politics. Interesting technology, first former Soviet Republic declares its neutrality, demands the withdrawal Russian troops and military bases, then conducts exercises with NATO peacekeepers and, forgetting about neutrality, opens the doors to the “masters of the new world order.” It's no secret that with the collapse of the USSR, the republics of the former Soviet Union, as well as central Asia, the USA declared a zone of its own national interests. It seems that the so-called Islamic threat is designed specifically for “ New Russia»
China: When 2 billion people are suffocating in the space they occupy, they involuntarily look for somewhere to spill out.
Japan: the Japanese, with their characteristic pedantry, decide to transfer 4x to them Kuril Islands, having in the future the large Kuril Islands and Sakhalin.
Once upon a time, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union, the generous Georgian Shevardnadze, gave his American friends a royal gift - the richest part of the Bering Sea.
Finally "global community" in general, is considering the option of Russia abandoning the Arctic sector and transferring it under international control.
In the apt expression of D. Mendeleev: Russia lies between the hammer of Europe and the anvil of Asia.

So-called sanitary cordons are being formed along the perimeter of our borders.

According to the idea of ​​​​creating buffer states, Ukraine, Moldova and the Baltic states, Western strategists have assigned the role of this very buffer, for which they are united in the “Baltic sanitary belt”, by the way, not for the first time in history.

In matters of global geopolitical strategy, the initiative belongs to the United States. The American administration clearly sets goals and clearly achieves their implementation.

What are the interests of our Motherland?

Why does Russia need the Kuril Islands? Just think of some rocks in the ocean! Let's figure it out. It doesn’t matter at all who discovered the islands, the important thing is that the Sea of ​​Okhotsk freezes in winter, so much so that if at least one island goes to Japan, from October to April the Pacific naval fleet will be closed in the bays Far East. And we will buy the fish resources of the Kuril-Kamchatka trench from the Japanese, the price of the issue is 2.5 billion. dollars per year.

Amber region provides Russia with its presence in the Baltic. We have been fighting for access to this sea for many centuries. Our country is surrounded from the west by the NATO military bloc, and former compatriots (Ukraine and the Baltic states) would like to represent its interests.

IN Kaliningrad region our last trade and technological showcase in the Western world, if the western gates of Russia close, then our European friends will immediately lower a new iron curtain in front of us.

North: Why do we need such uncomfortable spaces? People who thought about the future of Russia called the Arctic coast its seaside settlement. Our combat lines (missile shield, submarine fleet), our storerooms (oil, gas, gold, diamonds) are located here. In the 20th century, it was we Russians who built the Northern Sea Route - the shortest road between Asia and Europe. There is also a transpolar air bridge across the Arctic - a promising route between America and Asia. This is probably why the world community decided that it itself would breathe life into these lifeless spaces.

If this happens, Russia will slowly die in armed conflicts in its backyard on the borders with China, Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Geography, the most fundamental factor in the life of our State, is the most constant. Rulers come and go, but the territory remains, and it must be preserved.
I'd like to believe that good attitude between States, is formed thanks to the friendly feelings of their leaders, but all 5 thousand years of history international relations, do not confirm such a belief in any way.

“We especially need well-educated people who closely know Russian nature,
our entire reality, so that we can make independent,
and not imitative steps in the development of one’s country.”
D. I. Mendeleev