What were the causes of the collapse of the Soviet Union Essay

What were the causes of the collapse of the Soviet Union - Essay Example 149). There are others who propound the theory that the Soviet Union had been deliberately dismantled. In their opinion, this system would have continued; but for the destructive acts of some individuals. This conjecture results in the question of who had been responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Union. The erstwhile Communists of Moscow have held that Gorbachev was the sole cause for this unwelcome development (Ekedahl and Goodman, 1998, p. 149). Yeltsin embarked upon a program of consolidating his power. In this endeavour, he acted with great haste, and this had a major contribution to the disintegration of the USSR. Gorbachev also played a major, but unintended role in the process of disintegration. Some of the reasons for the dismantling of the Soviet Union are the liberalization of the system, and its democratization; and permitting the Eastern European countries to claim independence. In addition, the Soviets did not employ force against those seeking self-determination, this proved to be highly encouraging for those seeking self rule (Brown, 2007, p. 318). Prior to Gorbachev’s rule, any expression of nationalism was dealt with very severely. Some of the modes of punishment for such activity were arrest, imprisonment, exile to Siberia, or even execution. Gorbachev liberalised the system and provided the opportunity for democracy to flourish in the Soviet Union. These measures resulted in the disintegration of the USSR (Brown, 2007, p. 319). The Second World War was highly damaging for the Soviet Union. The innumerable executions of persons suspected of being dissidents, had a number of adverse effects on the Soviet system. The Red Army’s leadership was incompetent, it was poorly armed and troop morale was at its nadir. The extant transport arrangements were woefully inadequate, and this led to serious shortages, all over the country (Kenez, 2006, p. 133). The dissolution of the Soviet Union was accompanied with considerable bloodshed,

The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom Essay

The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom - Essay Example Seibert’ book presents a number of interesting people and unsung heroes before it readers. Among all of them, one person that particular catches the interest is Calvin Fairbank. Fairbank lived in an affluent family that was 'assigned' with two slaves. As these slaves did all the housework, once he got the opportunity to listen to the slave-woman's tale of sorrow, which kindled anger in Fairbank. Once when he was in charge of a raft of lumber, he saw a woodsman who was going to be a slave very soon. Fairbank took him on the raft and helped him. Along with o an old slave woman with 7 children, he helped this man escape by taking them to a secure location on his raft. However, this met with a lot of issues because Fairbank was charged with helping the slaves help and was sent to the penitentiary. Before he was released, the Fugitive Slave law was passed, but this did not prove to be a deterrent to his ideas. According to him, 'I resisted its execution whenever and wherever possib le'. He continued to help the slaves escape. This landed him in the prison again and he spent more than 17 years of his life in the prison, where some phases were filled with physical and mental torture. Through his strategy of using disguises and helping people hide, he played pivotal part in making the life better for many slaves. One of the very interesting events in the book is about how the disguise was used as a very effective technique to help the slaves escape quietly without the threat of being caught.... Fairbank lived in an affluent family that was 'assigned' with two slaves. As these slaves did all the housework, once he got the opportunity to listen to the slave-woman's tale of sorrow, which kindled anger in Fairbank. Once when he was in charge of a raft of lumber, he saw a woodsman who was going to be a slave very soon. Fairbank took him on the raft and helped him. Along with o an old slave woman with 7 children, he helped this man escape by taking them to a secure location on his raft. However, this met with a lot of issues because Fairbank was charged with helping the slaves help and was sent to the penitentiary. Before he was released, the Fugitive Slave law was passed, but this did not prove to be a deterrent to his ideas. According to him, 'I resisted its execution whenever and wherever possible' (Siebert, 1898, p. 159). He continued to help the slaves escape. This landed him in the prison again and he spent more than 17 years of his life in the prison, where some phases wer e filled with physical and mental torture. Through his strategy of using disguises and helping people hide, he played pivotal part in making the life better for many slaves. One of the very interesting events in the book is about how the disguise was used as a very effective technique to help the slaves escape quietly without the threat of being caught. Mr. Sidney Speed of Crawfordsville narrates the incident when a mulatto girl was about 20 years of age reached their home. As the level of vigilance was very high, they could not move her despite many efforts. The owners of this slave were searching for her all across the place. When they got the right opportunity, she was taken to a coloured man's house to devise a plan of escape. There, she was disguised in a dress of silks and