Thirty Years from the End of the USSR
The article contains a brief retrospective assessment of the reasons given by various scholars and observers for the breakdown of the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev’s leadership and it situates that crisis in the larger context of history and the imperial legacy of the Russian state. It partic...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Ассоциация независимых экспертов «Центр изучения кризисного общества» (in English: Association for independent experts “Center for Crisis Society Studies”)
2021-11-01
|
| Series: | Контуры глобальных трансформаций: политика, экономика, право |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.ogt-journal.com/jour/article/view/862 |
| _version_ | 1797646981066129408 |
|---|---|
| author | C. C. Gourdon |
| author_facet | C. C. Gourdon |
| author_sort | C. C. Gourdon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The article contains a brief retrospective assessment of the reasons given by various scholars and observers for the breakdown of the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev’s leadership and it situates that crisis in the larger context of history and the imperial legacy of the Russian state. It particularly looks at the issue of nationality as an ethnic, cultural and linguistic concept vis-a-vis the universalistic notion of empire as a community of destiny among diverse people. The author compares the Soviet Union’s structure as a ‘non classical’ empire to those of other European states and especially to Germany’s which has also evolved from being a loose Central and East European ‘Reich’ inspired by the Roman and Carolingian heritage – to becoming a federal nation surrounded by smaller countries that share with it ancient civilisational and political legacy. Whereas Germany is gradually asserting leadership among many of its former dependencies and in the post-Brexit European Union as a whole, Russia is led by geographical and strategic compulsions to rebuild a Eurasian confederal association with erstwhile Soviet Republics and possessions of the Tsarist Empire, in conformity with its location between the ‘West’, the Islamosphere and the Chinese world. Will Russia be able to create a synthesis between the Slav Orthodox Oikoumene envisioned by Nikolay Danilevsky and the Eurasian syncretistic model promoted by Lev Gumilyov? |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T15:09:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5139eabc56fa48bfb95c1781afe60379 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2542-0240 2587-9324 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T15:09:41Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | Ассоциация независимых экспертов «Центр изучения кризисного общества» (in English: Association for independent experts “Center for Crisis Society Studies”) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Контуры глобальных трансформаций: политика, экономика, право |
| spelling | doaj.art-5139eabc56fa48bfb95c1781afe603792023-10-29T15:55:29ZengАссоциация независимых экспертов «Центр изучения кризисного общества» (in English: Association for independent experts “Center for Crisis Society Studies”)Контуры глобальных трансформаций: политика, экономика, право2542-02402587-93242021-11-0114524725710.23932/2542-0240-2021-14-5-13594Thirty Years from the End of the USSRC. C. Gourdon0International Editorial Board, World Affairs – The Journal of International Issues; The India FoundationThe article contains a brief retrospective assessment of the reasons given by various scholars and observers for the breakdown of the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev’s leadership and it situates that crisis in the larger context of history and the imperial legacy of the Russian state. It particularly looks at the issue of nationality as an ethnic, cultural and linguistic concept vis-a-vis the universalistic notion of empire as a community of destiny among diverse people. The author compares the Soviet Union’s structure as a ‘non classical’ empire to those of other European states and especially to Germany’s which has also evolved from being a loose Central and East European ‘Reich’ inspired by the Roman and Carolingian heritage – to becoming a federal nation surrounded by smaller countries that share with it ancient civilisational and political legacy. Whereas Germany is gradually asserting leadership among many of its former dependencies and in the post-Brexit European Union as a whole, Russia is led by geographical and strategic compulsions to rebuild a Eurasian confederal association with erstwhile Soviet Republics and possessions of the Tsarist Empire, in conformity with its location between the ‘West’, the Islamosphere and the Chinese world. Will Russia be able to create a synthesis between the Slav Orthodox Oikoumene envisioned by Nikolay Danilevsky and the Eurasian syncretistic model promoted by Lev Gumilyov?https://www.ogt-journal.com/jour/article/view/862russiasoviet unionholy roman empiregerman reicheuropean unionpan-slavismcivilisationchinabrexitnatowarsaw pactcomeconfive eyes allianceunited statesbelt and road initiative (bri)nord streameurasian economic unionshanghai cooperation organisation |
| spellingShingle | C. C. Gourdon Thirty Years from the End of the USSR Контуры глобальных трансформаций: политика, экономика, право russia soviet union holy roman empire german reich european union pan-slavism civilisation china brexit nato warsaw pact comecon five eyes alliance united states belt and road initiative (bri) nord stream eurasian economic union shanghai cooperation organisation |
| title | Thirty Years from the End of the USSR |
| title_full | Thirty Years from the End of the USSR |
| title_fullStr | Thirty Years from the End of the USSR |
| title_full_unstemmed | Thirty Years from the End of the USSR |
| title_short | Thirty Years from the End of the USSR |
| title_sort | thirty years from the end of the ussr |
| topic | russia soviet union holy roman empire german reich european union pan-slavism civilisation china brexit nato warsaw pact comecon five eyes alliance united states belt and road initiative (bri) nord stream eurasian economic union shanghai cooperation organisation |
| url | https://www.ogt-journal.com/jour/article/view/862 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ccgourdon thirtyyearsfromtheendoftheussr |