The collapse of the Soviet Union was a sign of the end of the Cold War and the most devastating political revolution of the 20th century.In one night, the world's largest socialist country collapsed, and the entire Eastern European camp fell like a bone.
Thirty years have passed, and the ghosts of the Soviet Union still wander over Russia.There are those who miss well-being, those who miss order, and those who just miss “that time we will be powerful.”
The question now stands: Is Russia still able to return to the old path of socialism?
The answer can be found from Putin’s mouth.The KGB-born man, who experienced the storm during the collapse of the Soviet Union, said a meaningful phrase in 2016: “I think the socialist idea is right.”
This is not an impromptu speech, but more like a thoughtful statement, half feelings and half judgment. So what does he think of the Soviet Union? He himself, where is he going to take Russia?
Behind Putin’s “Soviet Conflict” is a calm book.
Putin is not a suddenly outdated person. he still retains the Soviet Communist party certificate, and says "I have not left the party, the party is gone".
He once promoted the restoration of the melody of the Soviet national anthem and insisted on using the red flag as the military flag. These symbolic "retro" really made many people sigh: Does he want to bring the Soviet Union back?
But to really think so, it’s a bit low.
Putin has shown a contradictory attitude on several occasions: he has identified with the ideals of socialism, but has carelessly criticized the practices of the Soviet Union, especially the system of the latter period that was “disconnected from reality”.
He clearly stated: The socialist thought of the Soviet Union was right, but the practice had long since deviated from the track.。”
In his narrative, Lenin “buried the seeds of knowledge”.National autonomy policy is like placing a time bomb under the Russian building.And what about Stalin?Putin affirmed his role as a “strong man” in the industrialization and anti-fascist wars, but also kept a distance from its extreme means.
This kind of analysis is not black and white, but more like an in-depth examination of the old system by a person who came out of the system.
After all, what Putin wants is not to "go back to the past", but to "pick up useful things from the past".From the Soviet Union, he took the symbols of "power" and the logic of "order", but left the "ideological hangover" and "collective farms" in the historical museum.
How did the Soviet Union fall?
A lot of people attribute the collapse of the Soviet Union to “being neglected by the West,” but the truth is far more complicated.
First, the Soviet economy has long been red lighted. The Soviet Union is engaged in highly concentrated planning economy, heavy industry is outstanding, and consumer goods are seriously lacking. By 1990, the Soviet GDP for the first time grew negatively, and the people were in the long run to buy soap, which was not the enemy to destroy, but the system itself.
Gorbachev's "acceleration strategy" was originally intended to reform, but it was operational to "say this today and change your mind tomorrow". As a result, the reform failed to achieve results, but it was in chaos. Politically, the privileged class is deeply rooted, bureaucrats are rampant, and ordinary people increasingly feel that "political parties say one thing and do another".
And the "external cause" should not be underestimated. The West has been "besieged" ideologically for a long time, and at the end of the Cold War, it was full of firepower. Gorbachev engaged in "openness" and "diversification". Originally, he wanted to make the system more transparent, but it turned out to be the outlet of "self-exposure". The media frantically exposed historical black materials, old accounts such as the Secret Treaty between the Soviet Union and Germany were turned out, and ethnic conflicts were ignited.
Even Putin later said, "If anyone wants to tear down the Soviet Union, he doesn't need to send troops at all, just support public opinion."
With one word, The fall of the Soviet Union was not because someone kicked it, but because its own wall was riddled with holes, and others just pushed it down conveniently. Internal rigidity and corruption are its real "tipping point".
Is this the way back to Russia?
Russia now is no longer the Soviet Union.
Politically, Putin created a combination of "strong people + nationalism"; economically, he relied heavily on energy exports, the oligarchy was strong, and the capitalist structure had long been deeply rooted.
What’s more, the international environment has changed.The West has long been highly alert to Putin’s “Soviet sentiment”, even the symbolic red flag, will be interpreted as “he wants to restore it again”. sanctions, blockades, diplomatic cold war, no one is reminding Russia: if you really want to “rebuild the Soviet Union”, it can not be done by screaming slogans.
Polls are more telling. According to the data of Levada Center, the older generation has a high affection for the Soviet Union, but this is more of a kind of "nostalgia". What they miss is the stability and security of that year, rather than their ideological identification.
They have never experienced the Soviet Union, they have no “socialist burden”, they are more concerned about whether they can access the internet, whether they can go abroad, whether they can make money.
As for Putin himself, he has never promised to bring Russia back to socialism, but has made it clear that "no one wants to believe that we have no intention of rebuilding the Soviet Union."This statement, speaking of the misjudgment of the outside world, also reveals his idea of building a strong, stable and modern Russian Federation, not the script for rebuilding the Soviet Union.
So back to the question: Can Russia Return to Socialism?Basically no play.。
The disintegration of the Soviet Union was the result of the combined effects of economic collapse, political failure and ideological vacillation. Putin's phrase "socialist thought is right" is more about respect for ideas than nostalgia for systems.
Putin is a realist. He took away from the Soviet Union the ability of emotional mobilization and the shell of a powerful country narrative, but the logic of governance was a mashup of modern nationalism + capitalism. He knows that nostalgia can unite people's hearts, but going back will only lose the future.
The collapse of the Soviet Union, for today's Russia, is more like a mirror.The glory and failure, the cost and the lessons.It is not to go back, but to see clearly: history can only repeat a tragedy without a lesson.
The collapse of the Soviet Union (major historical events of the twentieth century) — Encyclopedia
After Putin publicly accused Lenin, netizens opened a group of ridicule pattern, speech but reason! 2016-01-27 11:42· observer network