NCERT Summary: The End of Bipolarity | Indian Polity for UPSC CSE PDF Download

 What was the Soviet System?

• The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) came into being after the socialist revolution in Russia in 1917.
• The revolution was inspired by the ideals of socialism, as opposed to capitalism, and the need for an egalitarian society.
• The Soviet political system centered around the communist party, and no other political party or opposition was allowed.
• The economy was planned and controlled by the state.
• After the Second World War, the eastern European countries liberated by the Soviet army came under the control of the USSR.
• This group of countries was called the Second World or the ‘socialist bloc’ held together by the Warsaw Pact, a military alliance.
• After the Second World War, while the Soviet economy had strengths, it also had significant weaknesses compared to many Western economies.
• The Soviet state ensured a minimum standard of living for all citizens.
• The government-subsidized necessities including health, education, childcare, and other welfare schemes.
• There was no unemployment.
• The Soviet system became very bureaucratic and authoritarian, making life very difficult for its citizens.
• In the arms race, the Soviet Union managed to match the US from time to time.
• However, the Soviet Union lagged behind the West in technology, infrastructure, and in fulfilling the political or economic aspirations of citizens.
• The Soviet economy was faltering in the late 1970s and became stagnant.

Gorbachev and the Disintegration

• Mikhail Gorbachev, who became General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1985, started reforming the system.
• He decided to normalize relations with the West and democratize and reform the Soviet Union but he did not anticipate the defects of the system.
• The people in the East European countries which were part of the Soviet bloc started to protest against their own governments and Soviet control.
• Gorbachev did not intervene when the disturbances occurred, and the communist regimes collapsed one after another.
• The democratic reforms were opposed by leaders within the Communist Party.
• A coup took place in 1991 that was encouraged by Communist Party hardliners.
• The people did not want the old-style rule of the Communist Party and wanted freedom.
• In December 1991, under the leadership of Yeltsin, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, three major republics of the USSR, declared that the Soviet Union was disbanded.
• Capitalism and democracy were adopted as the bases for the post-Soviet republics.
• Russia was now accepted as the successor state of the Soviet Union.
• It inherited the Soviet seat in the UN Security Council.
• Russia accepted all the international treaties and commitments of the Soviet Union.

Why did the Soviet Union disintegrate?

• The internal weaknesses of Soviet political and economic institutions failed to meet the aspirations of the people.
• The Soviet economy used much of its resources in maintaining a nuclear and military arsenal.
• The development of satellite states in Eastern Europe and the Central Asian Republics contributed to economic stagnation.
• Severe consumer shortages arose over many years, leading to doubts about the system in the Soviet society.
• The Communist Party ruled the Soviet Union for over 70 years without accountability to the people.
• Ordinary people were alienated by slow administration and rampant corruption.
• The system's inability to correct its mistakes fostered discontent.
• There was an unwillingness to allow more openness in government.
• Centralization of authority in a vast land contributed to societal frustrations.
• A section of society was unhappy with Gorbachev's reforms.
• Reforms were believed to be introduced at a very slow pace.
• The rise of nationalism was a significant issue during this period.

Consequences of Disintegration

• End of Cold War confrontations.
• Ideological dispute over whether the socialist system was over-changed.
• Power relations in world politics shifted, altering the influence of ideas and institutions.
• The US became the sole superpower.
• Backed by the power and prestige of the US, the capitalist economy emerged as the dominant economic system internationally.
• Institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund became influential advisors.
• The notion of liberal democracy emerged as the best way to organize political life.
• The end of the Soviet bloc led to the emergence of new countries with independent aspirations.
• Some countries, particularly the Baltic and East European states, sought to join the European Union and become part of NATO.
• Central Asian countries aimed to leverage their geographical location to maintain ties with Russia and establish connections with the West, the US, China, and others.

Shock therapy in post-communist regimes

• Shock Therapy is the model of transition in Russia, Central Asia, and East Europe.
• The transition involved moving from an authoritarian socialist system to a democratic capitalist system.
• World Bank and IMF influenced this transition.
• Shock therapy varied in intensity and speed among former second-world countries.
• The direction and features of Shock Therapy were quite similar across countries.
• Each country was required to make a total shift to a capitalist economy.
• This shift meant rooting out completely any structures that evolved during the Soviet period.
• The transition also involved a break up of existing trade alliances among Soviet bloc countries.

Consequences of Shock Therapy

• The shock therapy brought ruin to the economies and disaster to the people of the entire region.
• The value of the ruble, the Russian currency, declined dramatically and the rate of inflation was so high that people lost all their savings.
• The old system of social welfare was systematically destroyed. The withdrawal of government subsidies pushed large sections of the people into poverty.
• The construction of democratic institutions was not given the same attention and priority as the demands of economic transformation.

Tensions and Conflicts

• Most of the former Soviet Republics are prone to conflicts, and many have had civil wars and insurgencies.
• In Russia, two republics, Chechnya and Dagestan, have had violent secessionist movements.
• Tajikistan witnessed a civil war for almost 10 years till 2001. The region had many sectarian conflicts. Central Asia too become a zone of competition between outside powers and oil companies.
• In eastern Europe, Czechoslovakia was divided into two, the Czechs and the Slovaks thus forming independent countries.
• Yugoslavia broke apart with several provinces like Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina declaring independence.

India and Post-Communist Countries

• India has maintained good relations with all the post-communist countries. India’s relations with Russia are an important aspect of India’s foreign policy as both the countries share a vision of a multipolar world order.
• More than 80 bilateral agreements have been signed between India and Russia as part of the Indo-Russian Strategic Agreement of 2001.
• India benefitted from Russia over issues like Kashmir, energy supplies, access to Central Asia, and balancing its relations with China.
• Russia benefitted from this relationship because India is the second largest arms market for Russia.

Remember: EduRev Tips

• March 1985: Mikhail Gorbachev was elected as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union; appointed Boris Yeltsin as the head of the Communist Party in Moscow; initiated a series of reforms in the Soviet Union
• 1988: The independence movement begins in Lithuania; later spreads to Estonia and Latvia
• October 1989: Soviet Union declares that the Warsaw Pact members are free to decide their futures; Berlin Wall falls in November
• February 1990: Gorbachev strips the Soviet Communist Party of its 72-year-long monopoly on power by calling on the Soviet parliament (Duma) to permit multi-party politics
• March 1990: Lithuania becomes the first of the 15 Soviet republics to declare its independence
• June 1990: Russian parliament declares its independence from the Soviet Union
• June 1991: Yeltsin, no longer in the Communist Party, becomes the President of Russia
• August 1991: The Communist Party hardliners stage an abortive coup against Gorbachev
• September 1991: Three Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania become UN members (later join NATO in March 2004)
• December 1991: Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine decide to annul the 1922 Treaty on the Creation of the USSR and establish the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS); Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan join the CIS (Georgia joins later in 1993); Russia takes over the USSR seat in the United Nations
• 25 December 1991: Gorbachev resigns as the President of the Soviet Union; the end of the Soviet Union