“The collapse of the Soviet Union, a state which appeared as solidly entrenched to us as the tsarist Empire did in its day, was not triggered by social unrest: there were no strike waves, no massive demonstrations, no widespread violence. The USSR disintegrated because of political decisions made at the top.”

Source: Three “Whys” of the Russian Revolution (1995), p. 14

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Richard Pipes 46
American historian 1923–2018

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