Fall of the USSR- Existing Problems

Another reason for the end of the USSR was because of the existing problems that Gorbachevs
predecessors had left behind. When Gorbachev came into power, there were many social,
economic and political powers that he had to deal with. In terms of Agriculture, collective farms
found it difficult to retain technical stuff, and productivity was low. Farmers were unwilling to
work hard, since the farms were not their own private plots of land, and the USSR had to import
grain from USA and Argentina. In terms of Industry,managers lacked authority to make
decisions, and wages, and production targets were centrally determined. Managers had to carry
on with past practices no matter how inefficient they were, and there was a general slowing
down of economic growths. Living costs also increased and savings grew because people
preferred to save their money than spend it on goods of poor quality. Nevertheless, people were
still dependent on staple food and there was a thriving black market. Politics was also a cozy
world for comrades, as political elites had advantages over others, and there was a lack of free
discussion. Population was subject to surveillance and critics were sent to mental hospitals,
thus the lack of transparency. As a result, Gorbachev attempted to resolve these problems,
however, his attempts were not completely successful, and many of these problems were
blamed on him and the soviet union. Thus, accounting for the eventual collapse of the USSR.