Russian Expert: Legally, the Soviet Union Still Exists; To Revive It, a Victory of Socialism Is Needed

The first and only nationwide referendum in Soviet history - "on the preservation of the USSR" - was announced 35 years ago, on March 21, 1991.

The Supreme Soviet summarized the results of the referendum: 76.4% of voters supported the preservation of the USSR.

In the resolution passed by the highest organ of power of the USSR on the same day, it was stated that the referendum showed that the fate of the nations of the country is inseparable, and only through joint efforts could they successfully solve issues of economic, social, and cultural development.

But just nine months later, the union state collapsed.

Why did this happen?

Yuri Afonin, First Deputy Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and a member of the State Duma, said: Some people believe that this referendum was mere talk because no legal basis or administrative mechanism was established to implement public opinion.

Actually, there was a legal basis for implementing the results of the referendum.

According to Article 29 of the Law of the USSR on the Nationwide Referendum dated December 27, 1990, decisions made through the nationwide referendum are final and binding throughout the country, and can only be revoked or amended by another all-union nationwide referendum.

But the problem was that those who bet on destroying the USSR simply trampled on the law.

The draft of the Union Treaty of 1991 was prepared by Gorbachev's group.

All references to the socialist system were deleted from the text.

This was essentially an unconstitutional coup against the foundation of the Soviet social system.

By itself, this treaty was destined to lead to the disintegration of the unified state.

It must be understood that the main "engine" behind the destruction of the USSR was the restoration of capitalism.

Today, some idle chatter can be read, saying that socialism should be abandoned but the unified state should be preserved.

This is too naive.

Abandoning socialism means that the huge public property could be seized by private hands.

All the successors of the management elites of the republics eyed this plunder.

For them, it was crucial that the distribution of property should not be carried out by representatives of the central union, but rather within their own republics.

Therefore, they aimed at dismembering the USSR, or at least weakening it drastically, turning it into a hollow shell.

Gorbachev's policies in all areas had failed in 1991, politically he was very weak, and thus prepared to make significant concessions to separatists, which was reflected in the new union treaty.

According to the treaty, the republics were given such powers that the disintegration of the USSR was merely a matter of time.

However, at this point, the Yeltsin group emerged from behind Gorbachev's group, aiming to destroy the USSR as quickly as possible and forcibly restore capitalism.

Ultimately, this led to the signing of the infamous Belavezha Accords.

Why did the national political elites go against the will of the people, while the masses accepted it?

— The reason why the degenerated elites wanted to disintegrate the USSR is that each of them wanted to divide the huge socialist property in their own ethnic corner.

As for the people, they did not really submit.

The largest mass rally in Russian history was the 1991 rally calling for the preservation of the USSR.

At that time, according to different estimates, between 800,000 and 1,000,000 people gathered in the unfinished Manezh Square and its surrounding areas.

This exceeded one-tenth of Moscow's population at the time.

Demonstrations supporting the preservation of the union were held across the country.

Of course, it must also be acknowledged that a considerable part of the people had been deceived by the anti-Soviet propaganda of the reformers for many years.

The trust formed among the people under the long-term rule of the Soviet regime also played a role.

People simply could not believe that traitors had climbed to the top of power, so they were still waiting, hoping that someone would step forward to save the country and realize the people's will expressed in the March referendum.

The main issue was that the movement against the destruction of the nation lacked a sufficiently strong organizational core.

The leading force of the resistance movement was the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.

The party was founded in 1990 by communists who realized that Gorbachev's group was leading the country to the abyss.

After the acceleration of the restoration of capitalism, the majority of the people were overwhelmed by the struggle for survival.

Hyperinflation destroyed all their savings, making their wages, scholarships, and pensions almost worthless.

When struggling daily for basic survival, it was difficult to fight for political goals.

Despite this, tens of thousands continued to resist.