SUMMARY
The four broad elements of this project led to the Soviet Union‘s collapse. The first is explained by the struggle to maintain political power, which early policies and Stalin‘s xenophobia emphasize, which resulted in scarcity and dampened innovation and technology.
The second element is defined by the Soviet Union‘s faulty priorities, which led to inefficiencies and large amounts of waste. The most common faulty priority was the heavy-to-light industry ratio, which contributed to shortages.
The third element can be explained by the excessive burden of high emphasis on military and defence spending, particularly during the Arms Race with the United States.
Finally, the fourth element proves the Soviet Union was incapable of handling external shocks. Gorbachev was really the only Soviet politician who realized that things could not go on as they had, which is why he had an extremely hard time convincing his own people that his reforms would work.
