Reference no: EM132466605

Discussion: The End of the Cold War

We had a lot of everything -- land, oil and gas, other natural resources -- and there was intellect and talent in abundance. However, we were living much worse than people in the industrialized countries...This country was suffocating in the shackles of the bureaucratic command system. Doomed to cater to ideology, and suffer and carry the onerous burden of the arms race, it found itself at the breaking point...This society has acquired freedom. It has been freed politically and spiritually, and this is the most important achievement that we have yet fully come to grips with. And we haven't, because we haven't learned to use freedom yet.

We're now living in a new world. And end has been put to the cold war and to the arms race, as well as to the mad militarization of the country, which has crippled our economy, public attitudes and morals...We are heirs of a great civilization and it now depends on all and everyone whether or not this civilization will make a comeback to a new and decent living today. I would like, from the bottom of my heart, to thank everyone who has stood by me throughout these years, working for the righteous and good cause.
-Mikael Gorbachev, 1991

In this Discussion you will be analyzing the reasons behind and consequences of the fall of the Soviet Union, and the impact of its fall on countries across the world.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review Reilley and Lukacs in the Learning Resources.

• Read President Reagan's "Tear Down This Wall" speech from this week's Learning Resources and reflect on its impact upon the breakdown of the Soviet Union.

• Review Gorbachev's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech from this week's Learning Resources.

• Think about the power of nationalism in the United States.

• Consider the weaknesses of the Soviet Union's Communist structure, specifically the governmental and economical aspects.

• Draw from your reading this week as well as past weeks and consider the tensions in the Middle East and how different peoples there view the West.

• Assess the role of nationalism in the breakup of the Soviet Union.

• Assess the role of nationalism in the Middle East conflict.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post an analysis (2-3 paragraphs) where you address:

• The major reasons why the Soviet Union collapsed.

• The extent to which Russian people were ready to embrace the reforms that ended the Soviet Union.

• The impact of the Soviet Union's collapse on the world