[5.2] The Soviet Union, Its Dissolution, and Putin's Role and Desires

Wed Mar 02, 2022 10:01 pm

The Soviet Union, Its Dissolution, and Putin's Role and Desires

Instructions: Read this lesson, and complete the assignment attached at the bottom of this post! Download it, fill it out (or write your answers on your own piece of paper or in an email) and send them to your Roopu leader or post it in your student profile.

What was the Soviet Union?

As discussed in the first lesson, the Soviet Union was a former alliance of several countries which was controlled by one party, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, with Russia in control of the smaller countries. This union lasted from 1922 until 1991.

A Brief History of the Soviet Union:

From 1914 to 1918 the First World War (also known as WWI) took place. Russia at the start of the war was run by a Tsar (an emperor), but as the war dragged on and Russia suffered the people wanted change. A revolution, and civil war (a war where the people fighting are all part of the same country) broke out. At the end of the civil war, the Tsar was no longer in power, and was instead run by a group which believed in Communism. Communism is the belief that all property should be owned by the community, and that each person contributes what they can and receives what they need. While this did provide for some initial rights, especially for lower-classes, and women, that other countries would not get for fifty or more years, corrupt politicians were able to take advantage of the situation and rule over everyone else, despite the calls for communal power.

From 1938 to 1945 the Second World War (WWII) broke out. The Russians had both women and men fighting on the battlefield, including Lyudmila Pavlichenko, the most successful female sniper in history. The Soviets played a major role in winning the WWII, but many of their cities were destroyed by the Nazis (Germany), and over 20 million Soviets died in the war.

(Picture: Lyudmila Pavlichenko)

Fearing the spread of Communism, and seeing the Soviets were weakened but still powerful, some European countries, and the United States of America, considered continuing the war to destroy Russia and the Soviets. The Soviets were already wary (concerned) about their allies, and this confirmed it for them. So both sides began to be hostile towards each other, without direct warfare. This period last from 1945 until 1991 and was known as “The Cold War” because it was a war without fighting.

Both sides were involved in an Arms Race (a constant invention of bigger and better weapons, including nuclear bombs) and other technological advancements like the Space Race which saw them racing to be the first people on the moon, and other amazing achievements.
But the constant corruption in the Soviet government, and the harsh ruling system, strained the large empire. Many countries wanted to be fully independent, such as Germany which had been split into two countries (East and West Germany) since the end of WWII, with large military borders between the two, even splitting the capital of Berlin in half between Soviet and European halves. A wall, built in the 1960s, was finally torn down, piece by piece, by the people of Germany in 1989, signaling the end of the Soviet Union which totally collapsed in 1991.

(Watch this video of the night that citizens attacked the Berlin Wall to tear it down)

As the Soviet Empire collapsed, several states tried to form governments, others retained corrupt leaders, while some tried to start fresh with a more Democratic (a form of government where the people vote to decide actions) government. Russia initially tried to become more democratic, but there were still powerful people in Russia who wanted it to return to being in control of the entire region as an empire.

Vladimir Putin, as discussed in the first lesson, is the President of Russia. During the Soviet Union he worked as an agent in the KGB, which in English means “(the) Committee for State Security”. It is a spy agency, and secret police force that was used throughout the Soviet Union. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Putin became a politician and quickly rose through the ranks to become Prime Minister in 1999, he has never lost power since then. He wants to see Russia return to its prominence (position of importance) that it held during the Soviet Union.

Ukraine:

During Russia’s Civil War after WWI, Ukraine tried to form an independent country, and experienced civil war as well. It became too weak then to defend itself from the Soviets who took control and made it part of the Soviet Union in 1921. In 1932 a famine (a period of mass starvation when there isn’t enough food to feed people) called the Holodomor (which means “to kill by starvation”) led to the deaths of over three million Ukrainians. The name implies that they believe the Soviets deliberately allowed them to starve to death, which is matched with Soviets refusing to accept foreign aid (help). These deaths, and the impact of starvation on the survivors, weakened Ukraine further.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine once again became an independent country. Ukraine had nuclear weapons, but agreed to give them up (to make the world a safer place) if Russia agreed to not attack them. But as Russia grows and becomes more powerful, Putin is wanting to bring back the power of the Soviet Union, and taking control of these regions again is part of his goal. Next week will examine these previous attempts and what led up to this current conflict.

Attachments

: 5.2 Soviet Union Handout.docx You don't have permission to download attachments.(15 Kb) Downloaded 11 times