How did the collapse of the USSR

The collapse of the USSR causes is as complex as the consequences. The restructuring of one of its tasks was aimed at reforming the state structure of the Union. The beginning of publicity opened the possibility of media coverage of such facts that they had never been in before. Immediately the question was raised about the impossibility of independent development of some ethnic groups that inhabited it (of which there were not so few). Gradually, the contradictions that had previously accumulated began to be seen, but were not discussed publicly. Since 1988, such contradictions have resulted in interethnic conflicts (Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, etc.). One by one, the republics began to declare their decision to withdraw from the Union. The first to insist on this was the Baltic countries. Already in 1990 Lithuania declared its own independence, which accelerated the withdrawal from the Union of Latvia and Estonia.

The country's leadership has taken some measures to prevent the collapse of the USSR. A 1991 referendum was held, in which the people were given the right to speak on the issue of preserving the Union. Most citizens voted for a single socialist state, but many supported the idea of introducing a presidential post in Russia. June 12 elections were held, according to which M. Gorbachev came to power. There was a need for a division of powers between the republics. A draft of the Union Treaty was prepared (9 republics + 1 President of the USSR). It was planned to sign the document on August 22. This has not happened.

August 19, the State Committee for Emergency Situations was established, troops were introduced to Moscow. The president of the USSR was actually under arrest on the Crimean dacha. On August 22, members of the State Emergency Committee were arrested, and Gorbachev returned to Moscow. And in September, the development of a new treaty on the creation of a confederal Union of sovereign (and not Soviet) states began. However, on December 8, 1991 the leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine announced the creation of the CIS. Thus, the final disintegration of the USSR was formalized. By the end of December, 8 more republics joined it. On December 25, Gorbachev announced his resignation.

The collapse of the USSR is called peaceful and bloodless. Many believe that it is worth regretting, since the events of December 1991 were the most successful option for the inevitable collapse of the empire. According to the group of researchers, if Moscow tried to preserve the Union, then it would be possible to make multi-million human victims. However, if you look more closely at what was the collapse of the USSR and its consequences, you can find many reasons to doubt the bloodlessness of this event.

The problem of the elimination of the Union is still one of the most discussed in political circles. The evaluation of events is far from straightforward. Of all the modern bright political figures in Russia, only Putin calls the disintegration a tragic event and a geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.

On the Internet not so long ago the material was published, in which estimates were given of the consequences of the collapse of the Union in terms of loss of human lives. According to these data, the number of these victims reached the figures from 100 000 to 600 000 people. First of all, we are talking about direct losses in the course of military operations in the territory of the former USSR: in Karabakh, Transnistria, South Ossetia, Chechnya, Abkhazia and Tajikistan.

The 100,000 dead are officially confirmed statistics. But one must understand that it is impossible to keep an objective record in the course of the war. Take at least conditions in Karabakh during the conflict. If we add to this indirect losses due to the collapse of health care in the territories involved in wars, rampant crime, the mass stoppage of production, total alcoholism and drug addiction, despair that hit millions of people, it becomes clear that the figure can be increased by almost an order of magnitude. The collapse of the Soviet Union was not as peaceful as it seems at first glance.