Communism
Soviet Union
The simplest explanation for the collapse of the Soviet Union is that the system was not sufficiently stable to withhold both its own needs and the demands of an arms race. The very ideal of communism is that a nation will be freed from the demands of over-production and over-consumption which are the predicted bane of capitalism. Ideally, freed from the requirements of making a profit for the capitalist class, a communist nation will only produce what it needs for the survival of its people - the Soviet Union on the other hand, found itself attempting to produce at a very high level in order to compete with America's military output. The demands of the Cold War itself, it could be said, destroyed the Soviet Union.
Of course, it may appear that the fall of the Communist ideal was due in large part to a change in the nature of counter-culture and communication....
In the pre-Revolutionary days, intellectuals and the discontented who sought change, sought it in communism. After the revolution, change did not come quickly enough - because the nation was immediately plunged into war (which requires overproduction!) and international turmoil. When the next generation of intellectuals and the discontented was made manifest, it opposed communism - because intellectuals generally are capable of seeing the flaws in a system, and no total system appreciates having its flaws pointed out. Communication technology made such a difference in the fall of the Soviet Union because it allowed those who were discontented to express that and work together. (Ease of communication and printing had been used by the first revolutionaries against the Tzar, as well) Communication technology always tends to favor the intellectuals and the discontented minority - because it makes their…
