The disintegration of the Soviet Union was triggered by several events. These events weakened the Soviet bloc and gave some of the members in the union freedom to quit the union. The death of Yuri Andropov, Leonid Brezhnev, Constantin Cherenkov and Stalin contributed significantly. These leaders were hardliners who insisted on the existence of the union. They even forced some of the members who wanted to quit the union to stay. Their death signaled the start of a new era as the disintegration started. Mikhail Gorbachev came to power, and his attempts to change communism gave some members freedom to break away from the union. His approach was diplomatic rather than tyrannical as his predecessors.
The breaking of the Berlin wall that separated West and East Germany was a big step towards the fall of USSR. The wall had been erected by communists in their attempt to promote communism by preventing migration from the communist side to the Capitalist West Germany. The breaking of this wall was a sign that communism was on the decline.
The disintegration and dissolution of the central government and political structures of the USSR bloc was the major event signaling the end of the union. This dissolution marked the independence of all 15 members. By the end of 1991, the 15 members of the bloc were independent republic, which also marked the Cold War’s end.
Mikhail Gorbachev tried to introduce political liberalization in a union where tyranny was dominant. This created several nationalist movements and disputes based on ethnicity in most members of the socialist bloc. Gorbachev was later pressured into accepting democracy. The power of the bloc disintegrated as the members quit to be independent republics, especially the Balkan republics.
These events slowly reduced the strength of the Soviet Union. With the collapse of communism with the end of the cold war, the member republics were all fighting to withdraw. Gorbachev’s administration was instrumental in the dissolution because it had several loopholes that were exploited by nationalist groups.
References
Mouritzen, H. (1996). European Integration and National Adaptations: A Theoretical Inquiry (illustrated ed.). New York: Nova Publishers.
Raffass, T. (2012). The Soviet Union - Federation or Empire? London: Routledge.
