Why did the Soviet Union, the second most powerful country in the world, disintegrate? Explain any six reasons.

Explanation

Disintegration Soviet Union
(i) Internal weakness of Soviet political and economic institutions. (ii) Economic stagnation. (iii) Soviet resources were mainly used to maintain its nuclear and military arsenals. (iv) Awareness among Soviet people about the economic advancement of the West. (v) Stagnation in political and administrative fields. (vi) The Communist Party was not answerable to the people. (vii) Ordinary people were alienated from the government. (viii) Poor administration, rampant corruption, inability to correct mistakes. (ix) Lack of openness and centralisation of authority. (3) Government lost popular backing (xi) Rise of nationalism and desire for sovereignty within the Soviet republics. (xii) Gorbachov.s rule in reforming the economy and other reforms.