Historian explains collapse of the Soviet Union | Serhii Plokhy and Lex Fridman

Summary

The video script delves into the multifaceted explanations surrounding the collapse of the Soviet Union, exploring the intertwined processes of the fall of communism as an ideology, the end of the Cold War, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union itself. The speaker emphasizes the role of factors like nationalism, economic decline, and ideological implosion in precipitating the Soviet collapse, while also examining the influence of the United States and the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev. The script highlights Ukraine's pivotal role in the disintegration and discusses Vladimir Putin's perspective on the collapse as a geopolitical tragedy, underscoring the loss of Russia's great power status and the division of the 'Russian people.'

Takeaways

• ⚡️ The collapse of the Soviet Union was a distinct process from the collapse of communism as an ideology and the end of the Cold War, although they were interconnected.
• 🌐 The dissolution of the Soviet Union was part of the larger story of the disintegration of empires and the rise of nation-states in the 20th century.
• 🇺🇸 Contrary to popular belief, the United States did not actively seek the collapse of the Soviet Union and tried to prevent it until the very end.
• 🤔 There is room for speculation on alternative scenarios where reforms or lack thereof could have prolonged the existence of the Soviet Union.
• 🇺🇦 Ukraine's decision to declare independence played a pivotal role in precipitating the final dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
• 💥 The loss of Ukraine, as the second-largest Soviet republic, made it economically and geopolitically untenable for Russia to maintain the Soviet project.
• 👑 For Vladimir Putin, the collapse of the Soviet Union represented a significant loss of great power status and the division of the Russian people, rather than just a loss of life.
• 🗺️ The 20th century was defined by the redrawing of world maps and the disintegration of traditional European empires like the Soviet Union.
• 💰 The economic cost of maintaining an imperial project became increasingly unsustainable for the Soviet Union in its later years.
• 🇷🇺 Post-Soviet Russia has learned from the collapse and restructured itself as a more centralized and russified formation, distinct from its imperial past.

Q & A

What were the three major processes happening in the late 1980s and early 1990s in relation to the Soviet Union?

The three major processes were: 1) the collapse of communism as an ideology, 2) the end of the Cold War, and 3) the end of the Soviet Union itself.

Why does the speaker disagree with the idea that the ideological collapse alone explains the fall of the Soviet Union?

The speaker disagrees because the ideological collapse happened across the entire Soviet Union, but the fall of the Soviet Union itself is specifically about how different regions like Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus ended up becoming separate countries.

According to the speaker, what are the key theories or explanations for the collapse of the Soviet Union?

The key theories/explanations mentioned are: 1) mobilization from below, 2) collapse of the center against the background of economic collapse, 3) ideological implosion, and 4) the continuing disintegration of the Russian Empire.

What role did the United States play in the collapse of the Soviet Union?

The speaker argues that the United States did not want the Soviet Union to collapse and disintegrate, as they preferred working with Gorbachev and the Soviet Union as a junior partner. The US tried to keep the Soviet Union together until late 1991 when it became a lost cause.

Was there a possibility for the Soviet Union to continue existing under different circumstances, according to the speaker?

The speaker believes that while history doesn't allow for 'what ifs', the Soviet collapse was likely inevitable in one form or another, even if managed differently under Gorbachev or someone else, due to global processes and the disintegration of empires in the 20th century.

Why does the speaker refer to the Soviet Union as the 'last empire'?

The speaker uses the term 'last empire' to signify that the Soviet collapse marked the end of the major traditional European empires that existed in the 18th, 19th, and most of the 20th centuries, such as the Austrian, Ottoman, and British empires.

What critical role did Ukraine play in the collapse of the Soviet Union?

According to the speaker, Ukraine's referendum for independence in December 1991 was a pivotal event that led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union a week later. With Ukraine gone, Russia lost interest in continuing the Soviet project due to being outnumbered by Muslim republics and Ukraine's economic importance.

How does the speaker interpret Vladimir Putin's statement about the Soviet collapse being a 'geopolitical catastrophe'?

The speaker suggests that for Putin, the 'greatest tragedy' was not the loss of life but the loss of great power status and the division of what Putin considered the 'Russian nation' across different countries after the Soviet collapse.

What was the significance of the 20th century in terms of the collapse of empires, according to the speaker?

The speaker argues that the 20th century was defined by the redrawing of the world map and the production of dozens, if not hundreds, of new states due to the disintegration of empires, with the Soviet collapse being part of this global process.

How does the current structure of the Russian Federation differ from the former Soviet Union, according to the speaker?

The speaker notes that in the Russian Federation, there are no national republics with more rights than Russian administrative units, the level of Russification is much higher, and the structure and nationality policies are different from the Soviet era, reflecting a 'post-imperial formation'.