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Donald Baker

Professor De Gruy

ENG 1101

23 March 2020

Synthesis on the Soviet Union

The Soviet Union is a controversial subject matter. Within its former borders, opinions

can be mixed – depending on who you ask – due to its controversial, populist communist

political ideology. Surprisingly, the Washington Post reported that a Levada poll found over 50%

of polled Russian citizens see the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 as regrettable[ CITATION

Taylor \l 1033 ]. Even today, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF), seen as the

main opposition party in the Russian Federation, received around 17% of the national

presidential vote in 2008 and 2012, and 10% in 2018 (Central Election Commission of the

Russian Federation). Obviously, however, that still leaves a little under 50% of the population

that disagree with this sentiment, and support is still strong for Vladimir Putin and the United

Russia party, even though election results are very much rigged in his favor (Carbonnel).

Supporters of the Soviet Union will often point to current economic instability, a lost sense of

belonging and increased difficulty in communication with and travel to loved ones as reason for

regret, whereas detractors will point to economic instability at the time of dissolution, current

economic stability from higher oil prices, and a subsequent seeming decline in economic and

political authoritarianism as reasons against regret.

For supporters, the economic stability of the Soviet Union was best represented from the

Stalin to Brezhnev eras, as this was when the centralized economy was the strongest and before
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certain market reforms led to economic instability despite early success. Lessening control of the

private sector did lead to a more rapid increase in economic growth from consumer goods.

However, these newly developed private firms had to obtain funding without the help of the

government despite the government maintaining their price controls on commercial goods,

making their success highly unstable and economic management frustrating. Many of these firms

ended up needing government subsidies to keep from going under, which further stressed the

economy (Keller). After the dissolution of the USSR, a market economy was fully instated, but

this only caused the wealth disparity to grow. As a result, many Russian citizens felt left behind

by their government. This led to a lack of feeling of belonging, which is felt to this day by over

40% of polled Russian citizens. Also, the succession of states from the Soviet Union and the

subsequent increase in their border patrol initiatives has made travel to and communication with

families between said countries much more difficult (Taylor).

For detractors, the decline of the Soviet Union’s economic stability at the time of its

dissolution is due to a natural progression of centralized planning. The USSR’s central planning

initiatives were too ambitious and put too much stress and confusion on the economy’s growth.

A liberalization of the economy was needed to boost economic growth again. The early success

of Khrushchev’s market reforms is seen as evidence of this, and its co-existence with a

centralized economy is impossible (Keller). Oil was also less expensive during the Gorbachev

era in the 1980’s, as Ronald Reagan encouraged Saudi Arabia to gouge their prices, making it

harder for the Soviets to make any money off their oil supply. This ended after the Soviet Union

dissolved, with oil prices reaching record highs under Putin’s administration (Deffeyes). This is

widely cited as a reason for Russia’s relative economic prosperity in recent years despite their

large wealth gap, and this boosted Putin’s widespread support (Vodovozov). Lastly, the
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transition to a market economy and the abolishing of the one-party state of the USSR is taken as

evidence of a democratization of Russian society from what it was, as political repression of non-

communists and certain minorities under the USSR was rampant. However, 10 potential rival

political parties are banned from elections and presidential elections are largely rigged in Putin’s

favor (Wikipedia; Carbonnel).

In conclusion, there are several reasons why a former Soviet citizen might take either side

of this debate, but its safe to say that it largely depends on who they are. Lower class citizens and

non-historically oppressed minorities would most likely feel more bitter about the USSR’s

dissolution than a higher-class citizen or oppressed minority. Many Russians may also have a

more complex view of the issue, as it is a complex issue with many factors. Then, there are those

who are simply apathetic, feeling that not much in the way of political repression has changed

following the change in state ideology. Even in the last election, 40% of Russian citizens did not

vote (Carbonnel). Questions like these are seemingly nonsense, preferring to save any energy

that would be seemingly wasted on politics for their own personal existences.

Works Cited

Taylor, Adam. “Why Do so Many People Miss the Soviet Union?” The Washington Post, WP
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Company, 21 Dec. 2016,

www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/12/21/why-do-so-many-people-

miss-the-soviet-union/.

Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation,

www.vybory.izbirkom.ru/region/izbirkom.

Carbonnel, Alissa de. “Russian Communists Win Support as Putin Party Fades.” Reuters,

Thomson

Reuters, 5 Dec. 2011, www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-election-communists/russian-

communists-win-support-as-putin-party-fades-idUSTRE7B40KL20111205.

Keller, Bill. “NEW STRUGGLE IN THE KREMLIN: HOW TO CHANGE THE

ECONOMY.” The New York Times,

The New York Times, 4 June 1987, www.nytimes.com/1987/06/04/world/new-struggle-

in-the-kremlin-how-to-change-the-economy.html?pagewanted=1.

Deffeyes, Kenneth S. Beyond Oil: the View from Hubberts Peak. Hill & Wang Publishing, 2006.

Vodovozov, Sergey Arsentyevich, et al. “Russia.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia

Britannica, Inc.,

18 Apr. 2020, www.britannica.com/place/Russia.

“Category:Banned Political Parties in Russia.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 May 2015,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Banned_political_parties_in_Russia.