Question

Two major theories have been suggested as the reason that the Soviet Union collapsed. One is that the U.S. (particularly Ronald Reagan) spent so much on defense that the Soviet Union went broke trying to keep up. The other explanation is that Soviet Communism “fell of its own weight”, because Communism simply doesn’t work. Which if these explanations do you find more convincing and why? Also, feel free to advance another theory.

Answer 1

The second explanation is better, because the problems generated by the bureaucratization of the Soviet government were worsening the social, political and economic situation of the country. The closure of the country to non-socialist nations forced the Soviet Union to undergo a process of economic backwardness that left Soviet industry behind. Moreover, the expenses generated by the Cold War arms race prevented the Soviet Union from being able to stand up to the capitalist powers.

The population that had access to higher education eventually realized that the socialist project was beginning to crumble. The promises of prosperity and equality, propagated by state media, contrasted with the privileges of a class that lived at the expense of government-controlled wealth. This privileged group, called the nomenklatura, advocated the maintenance of the one-party system and the centralization of political powers.