the unraveling of the soviet empire 1991 collapse and the end of the cold war

selfdetermination disintegration transformation restructuring international geopolitical significance centralized constituent perestroika independent instability nationalism unraveling monumental confluence stagnation increasing transition historical superpower witnessed pressures political republics gorbachev communism relations satellite communist collapse politics internal external economic planning glasnost upheaval hardship tensions openness dynamics analysis seismic marking stemmed coupled demands freedom created eastern history century context systems soviet empire global europe berlin states ethnic domino effect impact