The Soviet Union was led by Mikhail Gorbachev at the time of its collapse in 1991. He was the last General Secretary of the Communist Party and the last President of the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union fell because of a combination of political, economic, and social problems, not just one single cause. The main reasons were:
1. Economic problems – The centrally planned economy was inefficient, leading to shortages of food, consumer goods, and technology, while living standards lagged behind Western countries.
2. Reforms under Mikhail Gorbachev – His policies of perestroika (economic restructuring) and glasnost (openness) weakened government control and exposed corruption and failures, without fixing the economy fast enough.
3. Loss of political control – Glasnost allowed more freedom of speech, criticism of the government, and political opposition, reducing the Communist Party’s authority.
4. Nationalism in the republics – Many Soviet republics wanted independence, and by the late 1980s and early 1990s, several declared they wanted to leave the USSR.
5. Costly Cold War pressures – Heavy military spending and competition with the United States strained the economy for decades.
6. Failed August 1991 coup – An attempt by hardline communists to take back control failed, making the central government look weak and accelerating the breakup.
Together, these factors led to the Soviet Union officially dissolving in December 1991.
The Republics
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Estonia
Georgia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Lithuania
Moldova
Russia
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
Uzbekistan