Soviet Union Dbq

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The region known as one of the world’s superpowers lost dominance after seventy years of corruption and destruction. The Soviet Union was the largest Communist bloc, which were countries under Soviet influence. It ended in 1991 because the economy that was government run could no longer sustain. What important things about the Soviet Union should be placed in textbooks? Textbooks should emphasize the USSR’s size, The Great Terror, and their military strength, because they have shaped who this region is today.
The size of the USSR affected political boundaries, and was a contributing factor to the breakup of the USSR. The USSR was made up of fifth-teen Soviet Republics, spanning from Latvia to Tajik. Document A states: “In 1991 the Soviet Union …show more content…

The USSR’s GNP (Gross National Product) was significantly lower than the United States, but the USSR still spent over thirty billion more dollars on their military program. The Soviet Union had more of everything, besides money. The military was known as the “Red Army,” and they had more troops, tanks, artillery guns, and nuclear weapons than any other nation on the planet. In Document E, Time Magazine compares the USSR’s Nuclear Arsenal to that of the United States, and its more than double the size. The USSR went to extreme lengths to have the most powerful army in the world, yet it greatly damaged their economy years before it collapsed.
Although the USSR collapsed in 1991, there were both positive and negative effects that were brought by the situation. These effects included things such as the region today being greatly affected by what that nation once was, and Russia and the US having a more acceptable relationship in the present day. Overall, the nation's size, The Great Terror, and their Military played huge roles in making the region who and what they are today. Textbooks should be sure to hit these important points when writing about the