Why Did the USSR Collapse?

By FELIX GORELIK

The simple answer to this question could be that in 1991 the situation had ripened for the counterrevolution. But this is an abstract conclusion. Was it in the cards that the USSR should disappear? No – absolutely not! History is full of contradictory events and of various roads. The winner depends on the objective and subjective factors. From all of the reasons for the collapse of USSR, there is only one reason.

Let us suppose that we can turn the history page back. Was there a possibility of a counterrevolution happening in 1991, 1931-1941, 1951-61, 1971 or even in 1981? I think that you will agree that this was impossible, because there was not at that time Gorbachev’s perestroika. Is it only the personality of Gorbachev? Of course not! This Judas played the main role. But, he alone could not have done it – he was a product of that time. You could call Gorbachev the looking glass of the coming counterrevolution. The whole victory of this counterrevolution did not depend on him alone, because he found support and agreement in the traitorous nomenclatura inside the CPSU, on the part of the inteligencia, part of workers and of course foreign help and undercover influence.

The change of generations – this is one of the main reasons for the demise of the USSR! Let us just compare the older generation, who were victorious in the Great October Socialist Revolution, gave birth to the USSR, laid the foundations for Socialism, achieved a great victory in the Great Patriotic War in 1945, for their children and grandchildren who lived all over the vast territory of the Soviet Union. What then happened? Why is it that only about 10% of the Communists remained loyal and dedicated, the rest were just party card carrying communists – who now became businessmen, servants of the present bourgeois regime, restorers of capitalism and also some even became white guards as of old.

Where did all these bourgeois come from? This USSR was the cradle of these people, while now they are anti-Communists and anti-Soviets – and shocking as it is, the majority of the former CC CPSU leaders are now apologists for capitalism! It is hard to comprehend that this happened to the First Socialist State in the world!

We were made blind after 1953 that Socialism has won completely in the USSR, and that the restoration of capitalism here was impossible. But it showed that there were microbes that were still alive in part of the people and these microbes were just waiting their time to blossom.

It is a fact that each generation develops its own "face". And this face manages to lead the rest of the population.

The "face" of the older generation – these fathers of the USSR, - these were hard and dedicated Bolsheviks, proletarian revolutionaries, who were able to lead the masses into overthrowing the hated Czarism and backwardness that was the life for the absolute majority of the people in Russia. They fought for truth, for liberty, for a cause of the workers and peasants and for all of humanity. They went to jail, they were banished, they were killed – but they were willing to die for the cause of Socialism!

The people fought and died for a brighter future, for land, for jobs and for the future of their children and grandchildren.

What kind of "face" has this post World War II generation? What changed the idealism, what microbes started to eat away inside the CPSU? The life was getting better with each month after the reconstruction of the USSR, after the terrible devastation of the Great Patriotic War. The changing of attitudes, the lure of the West, that was cleverly promoted from outside and from inside, the propaganda of the "fields are greener on the other side", the losing of the revolutionary zeal of the CPSU, especially its leadership – these were the microbes that were allowed to grow, to be nurtured, to allow other thinking of anti-state sentiments and in many ways of anarchy, which slowly started to eat away the fabric of Socialist mind and socialist attitudes of the people, to each other and it became to… I am first and I just think about myself and get whatever I can by hook or by crook!

This was possible within the CPSU all over the country, because these hidden counterrevolutionary elements over the many years were able through lies, threats and criminality to get rid of ALL dedicated Communists from leading and responsible positions within the state and CPSU apparatus, and these dedicated Communists after these many years found themselves a minority within the structures of the CPSU!

"Cadres decide everything." This was correctly was said by J.V. Stalin. With Socialism developing by leaps and bounds, there was a tremendous need for organizers in the industrial sector, in education sector, in culture and in technical development. Not everyone is capable to be an organizer; you must have a special talent and dedication. As in all cases there are always opportunists, careerists, hidden agents and enemies that one way or another got into these important positions in the state and party apparatus. Although there were ideological schools and there were safeguards and there were also, from time to time, cleansing of the party, nevertheless, due to the demand for leaders and organizers, many of these elements slipped in and slowly rose into extremely important positions within the CPSU and the Soviet Government. Slowly they were putting through laws and policies to go into "market socialism."

CPSU structure did not have full control and thus the CPSU started purposely to loose contacts with and dedication from the working class. Gorbachev and his clique did not allow dedicated communists to question or discuss his policies and in all cases these dedicated Communists were kicked out of their positions and many were jailed.

Professor Novikov called our present generation: "Generation of scared idiots!" Why? Because the USSR was given to us, all ready to grow and prosper. We did not win the country in 1917, we did not rebuild the country from 1918 onwards, or after the destruction of a civil war – we again did not perform heroic deeds and saved the world from fascism in 1945 – we did not rebuild the devastation caused by German fascism after the war and brought it up from the ashes with the loss of over 26,000,000 people. We did not go hungry while going to school to study, we did have clothes, we did have holidays, theaters, and we all had work as much as we could handle. It was us who gave all this up for the mirage of Western culture and jeans and Pepsi!

Today, the ones that rule the once mighty USSR are the lowest of cultural humanity, this kind of culture that was looked down upon during Soviet times as of low morality and not becoming a cultured Soviet person. The temporary victory of raw capitalism is not the end and be all at all!

Never! Never! Never! The present exploitation, the growing inequality between the mighty rich and the desperately poor, again is giving birth to the class struggles. Protests, strikes, demonstrations, marches of protests are growing. The Red Banner of Revolution is to be seen more and more during these protests and, in many cases boldly hung on government buildings.

Among the youth there is growing a large segment of Komsomols and Communists, and this new generation will carry this glorious red banner unto victory. From this movement there will be formed a real and dedicated Bolshevik-Communist Party that will lead the Soviet people to victory.

A new idealism and a new dedicated movement for the resurrection of the USSR and Socialism is moving forward like a whirlwind.

You cannot hold back historical progress, or turn it back. The future is in Socialism, which has already demonstrated to the whole world its great achievements – starting right in 1917, the Great October Socialist Revolution.