Implication of Foreign Policy and Collapse of the Soviet Union

Implication of Foreign Policy and Collapse of the Soviet Union

By: | Sachin Malhotra |

Student ID: | 101892719 |

Presented To: | Prof. A Burgess |

Course: | 02-45-160 |

Section | 91 |

Date: | July 7, 2011 |

The author Leon Aron is of the opinion that people grossly misunderstand the reason for the collapse of Soviet Union and there is a need to evaluate the reasons holistically for the demise of the once super power of the world. The Russian Revolution is according to the author one of the greatest surprises of the previous century in the sense that no one foresaw – not even the most astute of observers from the West – the imminent breakup of the Russian empire. Even though the author acknowledges the presence of food shortages, food rationing, long lines in stores, and acute poverty as the endemics of the previous century, yet these occurrences were not specific to the particular era in which the breakup occurred, rather they has been witnessed for at least two decades prior to the Russian Revolution. The fact, that the Russian Revolution was everything but foreseeable, is the central theme of the article.

The adjoining themes of the articles revolve around the possible explanation for the revolution which can be termed as hindsight. The importance of this explanation is also that it can be used to understand the conditions which are conducive to revolution and can be used to predict the possibility of a revolution in other strategic situations in world politics. Aron suggests that people misunderstand about the collapse of the Soviet Union by thinking that it occurred due to the fact that the oppression of the masses was at the peak at the time when revolution occurred and that the brimming emotions of the people eventually erupted to put an end to the iron regime which usurped the right of the people greater than ever before. The fact was that the dissidents of the states were actually far more numerous and powerful during 1970’s and by...