Soviet Union

 Soviet  Union

The toppling  of the Berlin  Wall in November, 1989  marked  the  end  of  the  Cold War. In  1961  east Germany  built  the Berlin  wall  separating  East from west Berli. The Ber wall was the greatest  symbol  of the  Cold War.  It's toppling was a dramatic  event  as it  marked  the end of the Soviet  Union  and also the Cold War. 

The end of the Cold War   witnessed the disintegration  of the Soviet Union,  the collapse  of the  East European   Communist  bloc (Second World), and unification of  Germany  in late 1990,  all of which  changed  the map  of Europe. 

With the end of  the Cold War  and the disintegration  of the Soviet Union,  the Warsaw  pact  also met it's doom. The  bipolar international system ended , and the  US remained  as the only  super  power  in contemporary  World politics . 

Dramatic  changes  took place  in the eight  East European  Communist  countries --Albania,  Bulgaria,  Czechoslovakia,  East  Germany,  Hungary,  Poland,  Romania,   and Yugoslavia.  These  countries  replaced   Communist government  in response  to mass  demonstration,  but the end  of  the Communism  did not signify  a change  for the better  in these  post - Communist  regimes . India  however,  shares  a close  and strategic   partnership  with all the  former  Communist  states. 

THE SOVIET  SYSTEM 

The Union of Soviet  Socialist  Republics (USSR )  came  into  being  after  the  Socialist Revolution  was  based  on the  ideals  of socialism  . It aimed  at  the establishment  of an  egalitarian  society.  It was  also  known  as the Bolshevik (Russian  word  Bolshevik  means  majority   antonym  is  Menshevik  or minority) Revolution.

The aims of the Bolshevik  Revolution  were  

1 end of the  government   of Czar Nicholas 2.

2 Destruction  of capitalism  .

3 Abolition  of private  property. 

4 Creation  of  a society   based on equality.

The  Bolshevik  government  created  a new system  ,known as  Soviet  system  . The Russian   word  Soviet  means  an elected  council  in a Communist  country.  The main  features   of Soviet  system  were

1 primacy   of the State .

2 centralized  economic  planning.

3 State  control. 

4 one party  rule.

5. No opposition  party was allowed  to exist  in the Soviet  system. 

The  Soviet  system  was  introduced   in many  East  European  states  . They  adopted   Soviet   economic  and political  system  . They formed   the second  World  or the Socialist bloc.  They were   the members of the Warsaw pact 1955.  The Soviet   union  was  the leader of this  Socialist  Bloc.