The Fall of the Soviet Union

The Fall of the Soviet Union

On 9 November 1989, the Berlin Wall fell. Almost a year later, East Germany and West Germany were officially reunified. These events marked the beginning of a rapid thawing of the Cold War. In the immediate term, European states under Soviet control saw widespread unrest and outright revolution. Because of Gorbachev’s “Sinatra Doctrine,” a loosening of the tight military grip on satellite states, these countries began to reject the modern communism pushed by the USSR. None of this, however, led the world to expect the events of November 1991, when the Soviet Union fell at last. George Kennan, a primary architect of US strategy during the Cold War, stated he found it “hard to think of any event more strange and startling, and at first glance inexplicable, than the sudden and total disintegration and disappearance … of the great power known as the … Soviet Union.” We will delve deeply into the following questions, and beyond: Why did the Soviet Union collapse? When did the demise of communism gather speed? What factors, economic, political, and military, brought about this unexpected tumble from the world stage? Our committee will span the years 1989-1991. Sessions will be intense and fueled by crises. Delegates will represent Russian leaders as well as those of Soviet satellite states, the United States, and other major first- and second-world nations. You will need to be original, ruthless, and remain faithful to your character’s ultimate objectives.

Chairs: Jack K., Piper L., and Luke R.