Would the Soviet Union have survived if Economic policy have been activated.

Question

I was wondering if the Soviet Union might have survived if the economic policy have been implemented (Perestroika). but not putting in Glasnost.

Answer 1

I'm not sure.  But I think it would have only survived a little longer (just a guess) without those policies.  Things were already pretty bad by the time those policies began.  The economy wasn't in great shape.  Soviets were investing in inefficient technology- mostly weapons- which wouldn't cause much growth.  They were inefficient with how they dealed with surpluses and deficits too.  See, they spent so much on weaponry, that they got themselves into a BIGGER deficit [perhaps bigger than US ones].  And they got a lot of debt that way.  The only thing stopping them from collapsing then was the money they were taking in.  Unfortunately, they depended too much on oil earnings for revenue and their oil revenues fell, especially after the 70s (and maybe about 10 years before their collapse).  So eventually, even without those policies, the USSR would have fell.  Just my thought though and I welcome disagreement, opposition, etc- because I want to learn more.

Answer 2

i don't think so. eastern europe had had enough and the revolutions that took place in '89 would've had place anyway. after that the fall of the soviet would have been inevitable because of the importance of the "satellites" for the communist ideology. the only communist regimes that survived have nothing to do with europe so they haven't been threatened by the "wave of freedom" of '89-'90