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20 years post-Soviet
2011 marks the 20th anniversary of the break-up of the Soviet Union and, consequently, of the establishment of the Russian Federation. This historic event and its implications remain highly contentious, drawing conflicting opinions in Russia and in other former Soviet republics, as well as around the world. While governments and politicians in Europe and the United States celebrated the disintegration of the USSR, most Asian governments and the public sympathized and had a heart for the Soviet citizens, who were mostly aggrieved by the break-up. The collapse of the Soviet Union eventually led to a series of ethnic clashes and armed conflicts, countless casualties, and mass impoverishment.
Looking back twenty years, RT addresses the fundamental question: What was the true reason behind the Soviet demise? And how does modern-day Russia relate to its Soviet legacy?
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Articles
RT observer Nadezhda Kevorkova offers her own perspective on what is still a highly controversial event in Russia´s recent history. Her account of the Soviet collapse comes in five stories that focus on the key aspects of those historic developments that she witnessed first-hand.
Religion
For those seeking the reasons behind the Soviet collapse, religious Russians have a plain answer. The USSR was doomed from the start, they say, as it was an attempt at creating a society of godless people.
Politics
The political system of the USSR was – in theory – the perfect example of a state run by its people. At any rate, this is the view put forward by the Soviet system’s admirers. Its opponents, however, disagree.
Army
The Soviet army: the imposing symbol of the USSR’s power and the Soviet Union’s most-loved child. The army suffered the most from the state’s breakup, but never rose up to stem its demise.
Mentality
Who was the Soviet person? Hero or loser? Opportunist or ascetic? Slave to the regime, or survivor of inhuman ordeals? A scourge of injustice all over the world, or one who has enslaved nations?
Economy
Is it true that the Soviet economy lost out to Western free market capitalism? A dysfunctional economic system, an economy planned by government and crashing oil prices are the three most commonly cited explanations for the Soviet demise. But how true are they?
Gallery
Programs
CrossTalk: Yeltsin's RussiaCrossTalk: Yeltsin's Russia
Another remarkable date: 20 years ago Boris Yeltsin became the first popularly-elected president of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.
All programs
Documentary
The last day of the Soviet UnionThe last day of the Soviet Union
On December 8th, 1991, the three leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus signed the document which marked the end of the Soviet empire.
