The aftermath of the Second World War saw the formation of a bi-polar world, with the United States and the Soviet Union dominating their respective hemispheres. Both the powers were equipped with nuclear arsenal and any direct confrontation could have led to the destruction of our species. In this atmosphere where the stakes are very high, most of the strategic advantage is won through diplomacy and applying political pressure. This variety of wielding power has come to be known as the Cold War, where advantages were won or lost through tactful diplomacy as against the use of force. The four decades that comprise the period of Cold War also played a key role in shaping the internal dynamics of Russian society. First under the leadership of Joseph Stalin and later under the leadership of Nikita Khrushchev, the scale and scope of communist ideological propaganda was escalated. These propaganda efforts instilled a sense of national pride which continues to manifest even today, two decades after the collapse of Soviet Union. For example, the continued celebration of Victory Day with all its attendant pomp and glamour goes on to show the deep-rooted significance of WWII in the Russian psyche today. Under this renewed surge in patriotism not only were the different nationalities in Russia united under one victory, but all possibility of return to the old Tsarist system was extinguished. The war brought about a collective mentality and hence the development of the “homo sovieticus”.
Adding to the nationalistic pride is the fact that the Cold War became a global diplomatic conflict, with most of the sovereign nations participating in it. Given the scale of their economies and the might of their militaries, the superpowers sought to dominate other nations wherever they can, either through ideological coercion on military intervention. Hence, Europe and Asia were also polarized to balance the two sides. Many independent nation states were forced to choose sides between the capitalist democracy of the Western world and the communist soviets of the Eastern world. So, although they were not the central players in the tussle for world domination, many countries in the European and Asian continents aligned themselves with one of the existing dominant powers. Long-time partner and a trusted lieutenant of the United States, namely Great Britain, is the leading representative of the western coalition. Other nations that aligned with the United States were Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, etc. The countries of Eastern Europe were imposed with communist governments and hence came under the influence of the Soviet Union. Some of them were Poland, Czechoslovakia, Belarus, etc. Germany was deemed a key prize in the spoils of the Second Great War and so its reigns were bitterly contested. In the end both superpowers had to strike a compromise and divide Germany into their respective halves. This broader recognition of the Soviet state and its ideological underpinnings changed the internal dynamic of Russian society as well. What was erstwhile a society of peasants has now come to see itself as the torchbearer of civilization. Russian people genuinely started believing in the veracity and validity of the philosophy of communism and it reflected in their self-perception as well. For example, the post WWII Russian society is markedly different from the rural Russia depicted by Leo Tolstoy and his contemporaries. In this way the Second World War was a turning point event in social history of the Soviet Union.
The deteriorating economic conditions stirred the people of the Soviet Union to openly demonstrate against their government’s failure, which by the late 1980’s had reached abysmal levels. People from the communist bloc nations were making desperate attempts to flee to countries in Western Europe. Likewise, people from East Germany were attempting to escape to the more prosperous West Germany in order to avail of better economic and social prospects. The upper echelons of the Soviet government were facing tremendous pressure to act decisively and quickly. In Michael Gorbachev, the Soviet Union had a reformist and practical leader. He saw the folly of continuing the cold war efforts and drafted policies facilitating a transfer to more democratic and capitalistic forms of government. The only option left was to dismantle the Union and open the countries to political and economic reforms. Bringing down the Berlin Wall in 1990 was the symbolic act that ushered in a new post-cold war era in global politics. Although the superpower status enjoyed by the Soviet Union since the end of WWII was ended with the fall of Berlin Wall in 1989, the current foreign and domestic policy framework of Russia is rooted in its past. With discovery of fossil fuels in remote parts of Russia, especially Siberia, the nation has gained leverage to dictate terms in the global energy market. Since the United States is the largest consumer of non-renewable energy in the world, it cannot overlook Russian energy sources. By joining hands with other emerging economic powers in the form of China, India and Brazil, a new coalition called the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) is formed. This coalition can bargain collectively against other major economies such as the USA. Hence while the Soviet Union is relinquished to history and Communism no longer an active political ideology in the neo-liberal world order, Russia can still parade itself with pride and dignity as it did in the aftermath of WWII.