Like many important historical events throughout history, the dissolution of the Soviet Union had many contributing forces. However, most historians agree that the main contributor was Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and the many radical reforms he implemented during the six years he ruled the USSR. Although the official dissolution took place in December 1991, the demise of the Soviet Union began to become evident in the 1980s. In order to understand why the Soviet Union dissolved, it is important to have an idea clear about its history and its political climate. The Soviet state was established in 1917 when revolutionary Bolsheviks overthrew the Russian tsar, establishing a socialist state on territories that formerly belonged to Russia. Empire. In 1922, Russia joined these outer republics and formed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) led by Marxist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin. The USSR was made up of 120 different ethnic groups and divided into 15 republics sometimes called states. Lenin believed that communism would defeat nationalism and that a strong, united Soviet people would emerge. He was wrong. Due to its multicultural society, the USSR would experience constant conflict as the various republics sought independence. Within the USSR, the Baltic states were among the richest and their citizens enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle. In contrast, Russians were among the poorest in the USSR and began to complain. The Baltic states have become paranoid that the problems in the rest of the Union could harm them. It was only a matter of time before something drastic happened. After World War II and the defeat of Adolf Hitler, the Soviet Union maintained its status... middle of paper ...... center of global development outside the United States. China began to accumulate power by acting on policies that were the complete opposite of Gorbachev's. For example, when Gorbachev proposed democracy without a market economy, China adopted a market economy while preserving communism. Developing countries, mainly in Africa, were hit hard by the fall of the Soviet Union. They lost valuable help from Moscow and, for some reason, also from the United States. This led to a series of economic problems in most third world countries in the 1990s. The dissolution of the Soviet Union radically changed the global economic, political and social environment. Twenty-three years later, its effects are still felt. Some blame the collapse solely on Mikhail Gorbachev. Some say the Soviet Union died before it had a chance to benefit from the system Gorbachev tried to put in place..