Which was more responsible for the downfall of the USSR, impersonal economic and social forces or words and actions of key individuals?
Command Word: Which
Given Factor: impersonal economic and social forces or words and actions of key individuals?
Given Event: downfall of the USSR
Focus word: more responsible
Introduction:
* Background Information: The downfall of the USSR in the year 1991 was due to the convergence of many factors, mainly the impersonal economic forces and the words and actions of key individuals. * Definitions: * Downfall of USSR: the collapse of the Soviet union in the year 1991 * Impersonal economic and social forces: Economic and Social forces not in relation to any particular person at all * Words and actions of key individuals: The people in power creating a situation which allowed many bad repercussions to occur * More responsible: had more significance in resulting in the downfall of the USSR. * Argument outline: * 1: Impersonal economic and social forces had more responsibility in the downfall of USSR as they created unforeseen circumstances which could not be averted * 2: Words and Actions of Key individuals in the Soviet Union had more responsibility as they had full control of the economic circumstance in the Soviet Union. * 3: Words and actions of Key individuals in the USSR had more responsibility as they provoked the masses into a social revolution. * Stand: Impersonal economic and social forces were simply aggravations of the words and actions of key individuals. Thus words and actions of key individuals had more responsibility in the downfall of USSR.

Body Paragraphs * Thesis Statement 1: Impersonal economic and social forces had more responsibility in the downfall of USSR as they created unforeseen circumstances which could not be averted * Evidence: The rising discontent with the Soviet Union was gradually growing, hence causing the Soviet Union to become constantly fragmented. The Baltic States and the satellite states ceded from the Soviet Union, drastically reducing the sphere of influence the soviets had created. This made Soviet Union gradually lose power. Furthermore, the major flaws in the Soviet economy led to an economic strain, which created a foundation for the economic collapse of the Soviet Union. With the GNP constantly shrinking as well as a high wastage of resources, there was no stable economy on which the Soviet Union could base its future on. * Analysis: These forces however, did not directly lead to the downfall of the USSR. The full extent of these forces were only aggravated by the actions taken by the key individuals, thus causing the Words and actions of key individuals to have more responsibility in the downfall of USSR.

* Thesis Statement 2: Words and Actions of Key individuals in the Soviet Union had more responsibility as they had full control of the economic circumstance in the Soviet Union. * Evidence: Gorbachev’s new policy Perestroika, which was about economic reforms in the USSr by allowing in market forces, caused the already bad economy to worsen. For example, the Law on State Enterprise in 1988 involved moving state enterprises into a system of self management over a one year period. Perestroika also involved removing the safety net that the economy was based upon so that managers would have the incentive to make their factories profitable and competitive, thus introducing the capitalist market forces into the economy. * Analysis: The very act of introducing a form of capitalism into the economy undermined the monopolistic power held by the CPSU and the frameworks of the Soviet Union’s planned economy. Therefore, as Perestroika could only exist in theory not reality, it fundamentally destroyed the economic progress of the country. Thus, the action taken by the key individual, Gorbachev, was more responsible for the downfall of the USSR. * Thesis Statement 3: Words and actions of Key individuals in the USSR had more responsibility as they provoked the masses into a social revolution. * Evidence: Gorbachev’s Glasnost, which involved opening up the mindsets of people. These caused the public to question and challenge the previously unchallenged CPSU. The opening up of the history to the public instigated nationalism to gain power. This coupled with the worsening economic situation became too much for the leaders to handle. The increase in political freedom also allowed Yeltsin to emerge as the radical political opposition. Yeltsin’s concern only for Russia further caused him to, once he gained power, to ban all CPSU activities on Russian soil. This was damaging to USSR as Russia was the controlling force of USSR. * Analysis: The action of Gorbachev resulted in social forces losing control and thus making the people want for a radical change in the Soviet Union. This, along with Yeltsin’s action and words disbanding the USSR caused the downfall of USSR, thus holding more responsibility than impersonal economic and social forces.