Re: Why did USSR fall ?

["Chris Doss" <nomorebounces@xxxxxxx>]

>
> ^^^^
> Charles B. : The standard of living in the SU was higher than most countries
> in the world, no ? The standard of living fell after the fall.

Yes. But they weren't comparing their living standards with those of Chinese or Africans. They were comparing them with the West.

>
> Who ,exactly, overturned the old system ? They weren't claiming that they
> were doing it to raise living standards.
>

Yeltsin _did_ claim he was doing it to raise living standards. Yeltsin was very popular in 1989-1992.

The USSR was dissolved by part of the Soviet elite in order to get rid of Gorbachev. The dissolution of the USSR is different from the dissolution of the Soviet system, and the various republics have taken very different paths of development post-1991.