1. Explaining regime change in the Soviet Union
- Author
-
Karklins, Rasma
- Subjects
Soviet Union -- Politics and government ,Political psychology ,Political sociology ,Decentralization in government ,International relations ,Regional focus/area studies - Abstract
The primary reasons for the collapse of the USSR were the rigidity of the totalitarian regime and the latent opposition of the population. The rigid unanimity of the communist regime was upset when the leaders of its own party dissented from party doctrine. Such dissent had a domino effect on the upper echelons of the government. The decentralization of ideas allowed for mass opposition movements, which were previously suppressed by the uniform control of the national government. The top-down style of governing meant that dissent in the top naturally led to dissent in the population as a whole.
- Published
- 1994