Economic Reforms in the USSR in the 80s–90s of the XX Century: An Attempt to Rethink the Main Points and Build the Main Storyline

Abstract

   The collapse of the Soviet Union is one of the most critical events in recent world history, largely predetermining (and to some extent still determining) many processes that are now taking place in our country and abroad. In recent years there have been many attempts to understand, analyse, and explain the reasons for what happened. Nevertheless, there is still much unclear on the question of why the USSR ceased to exist. There are many different, sometimes polar, mutually exclusive opinions and judgments, which are not at all easy to reduce to a holistic, consistent picture. The topic in question is highly politicised. For many reasons, not everyone is indifferent to the form in which one or another interpretation of what happened, and whether the truth can be found. A large number of publications are devoted to economic reforms in the USSR, their background, description and analysis of related events. Many managed to speak out on this matter. Nevertheless, it seems that by no means all the significant points associated with attempts to change the Soviet economic system have still been adequately studied, analysed, illuminated, and presented in the form of a holistic, systemic, detailed picture — description based on the analysis of facts and a large number of points of view, sometimes diametrically opposite.