Title: Dissolution of the USSR and the Establishment of Independent Republics, 1991
Headings: Dissolution of the USSR and the Establishment of Independent Republics, 1991
Dissolution of the USSR and the Establishment of Independent Republics, 1991
Content: He stepped aside, and Yeltsin led Russia into the new, post-Soviet era. In the wake of the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the now independent states of the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Belarus came together to create the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). With the exception of Georgia and the Baltic States, the former Soviet Republics joined the CIS by the end of the year. Georgia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all also established their independence in 1991. The total collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 took many in the West by surprise. The fundamental factors that contributed to collapse, including economic stagnation and the overextension of the military, were rooted in Soviet policies, but the Cold War and the U.S. policy of containment played a role as well. Cold War competition with the United States that had fed Soviet expansionism and the arms race helped to create the economic conditions that preceded the collapse. At the same time, both Reagan and his successor, President George H. W. Bush, had maintained good relationships with Gorbachev and provided assistance in support of his policies and reforms. As President, Bush tried to support Gorbachev in his efforts to maintain stability and unity in the Russian empire and pushed for drastic nuclear disarmament agreements. When Yeltsin took power in the wake of the failed coup attempt, the Bush Administration was forced to rethink its policy, and shift toward cooperation with the new Russian leader.