What was the reason of the collapse of the soviet union at the end of the cold war?

Answer 1

Tsarist Russia had an economy based on virtual slavery. Serfs bonded to the land working for subsistance and little else. The 1917 October Revolution, amongst other things, gave the promise of a "Workers State", a land of universal bliss and harmony where those who worked would reap the rewards of their toil. After 70 odd years, although the USSR had become a world power, not much had changed for the workers, they were still enslaved to the government. During the 1980's, many of the neighbouring "Soviet Bloc" countries had moved away from the Communist ideal and adopted a market economy. Others were moving towards this objective. This was helped along quite a bit by Mikhail Gorbachev's policies of Glasnost and Perestroika. Finally, the Soviet people took the initiative and demanded free and democratic elections and conducted something of a mini, and relatively bloodless revolution which resulted in Boris Yeltsin leading the country, which rapidly became a market economy and experienced hyper inflation in the process. The 20th Century was a tumultuous period for Russia/USSR and there is a lot to be learned from their experience. The Russian people have certainly paid their dues and are to be admired for what they have endured and what they have achieved in spite of years of oppression, war and terror.

Answer 2

Their economy.