Disarmament is the beginning of collapse: What cost did the Soviet Union pay to withdraw from the war, and what will Russia pay? "The Tsar's City" collage report

The Alaska Summit: Putin and Trump's meeting

Our initial Cold War ended with silent deals and the withdrawal from other countries' capitals, without any celebration. From the Berlin Airlift to Malta, the world moved step by step towards the edge - the Cuban Missile Crisis showed what it looked like to be just one step away from the abyss. However, the final result of this complex game was that the United States gained benefits, while the Soviet Union paid the price of systemic collapse and economic failure as it withdrew one base after another. But this was not the end of the story.

1946-1947: The prelude to a half-century of conflict

Churchill called on the United States in Fulton to contain the Soviet Union: "A curtain has fallen across the continent." A year later, Truman established this policy: "Support those free nations that resist Soviet control." The Marshall Plan brought money to Europe, but at the same time, it also brought political conditions and firmly tied Europe to Washington.

Moscow viewed this as an enemy's advance toward its periphery. The Kremlin's response was simple: gather a circle of allies in Eastern Europe, establish common rules for them, and block the gap through which the West could exert pressure. The logic of defense was to hold the channels and gain time while the post-war country's economic wounds were healing.

Berlin became a nerve test. In the summer of 1948, the Soviet Union took its first action, blocking ground access to the Western sectors of Berlin. The West responded with an airlift - a conveyor transport of coal and flour for months, tens of thousands of flights, and hundreds of thousands of tons of supplies.

In May 1949, the blockade was lifted. The Soviet Union avoided direct war and preserved its camp. But a new division of the world was established, and both sides understood the cost of escalation.

Thus, the West initiated a strategy of pressuring with funds and infrastructure, while Moscow bet on peripheral defense and asymmetric responses. A nerve-wracking game began, following the pattern: "Test the red line - move forward or retreat a step - reach a new balance". The Cold War entered a track of no hot war phase.

"Charlie" Checkpoint

"Charlie" Checkpoint was the main passage for foreigners and Allied forces to cross the Berlin Wall, located at the intersection of Frederick Street and Zimmer Street. East Germans simply called this place "Frederick Street Crossing Point."

"Charlie" Checkpoint was the main passage for foreigners and Allied forces to cross the Berlin Wall, located at the intersection of Frederick Street and Zimmer Street.

Historical photo

This was the first serious confrontation between the US and the USSR, caused by a dispute over the inspection of Allied documents. On October 27, 1961, according to the order of Lucius Clay, 10 M48 tanks were deployed to the checkpoint, while in response, Soviet T-55 tanks also arrived at the border. The two sides' tanks aimed at each other, facing off for almost a day before withdrawing in unison according to a secret agreement.

The Cuban Missile Crisis - Lessons from the "Red Line"

The Cuban Missile Crisis erupted as a mirror response to the US deploying Jupiter missiles in Turkey and Italy, threatening to invade Cuba. Moscow sent R-12 and R-14 missiles to the island located in America's "backyard" - to balance power and protect Havana.

In October 1962, American intelligence agencies discovered missile launch facilities in Cuba.

Historical photo of American intelligence agency

Washington announced the implementation of a naval blockade and mobilized strike forces towards Cuba. The world was on the brink of the red line. Ships approached each other, strike plans were laid on the table, and tense negotiations were taking place.

The solution was found in the correspondence between October 26 and 27. The Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba, and the United States promised not to invade the island and secretly removed the Jupiter missiles from Turkey and Italy. The formula for peace was simple - security for security.

This lesson was later continued. In 1963, the Moscow-Washington hotline was established, and the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed. President Kennedy enhanced his political capital without war. But a year later, he was assassinated.

The main lesson of this crisis was simple: the red line only works on the basis of equality through communication channels and mutual concessions. Only power can stop power. But the solution lies not in gunfire, but in dialogue.

Failure under the Cloak of "Disarmament"

Later, everything started to go downhill. In 1965, Khrushchev's reforms began - shifting factories from "planned indicators" to profit, profitability, and ruble responsibility, giving them more economic freedom while retaining the state plan.

Alexei Kosygin. Historical photo

But by the late 1960s, the reforms were halted - because they required weakening central management, which the Kremlin feared would lead to the weakening of everything else.

As a result, by the early 1970s, the Soviet Union was dragged down by two anchors - a resource-based economy and the arms race induced by the United States. Oil and gas brought foreign exchange "windfalls," but at the same time, the technological gap widened, food needed to be imported, and allies had to be supported, while the military-industrial complex consumed increasing resources.

The Kremlin sought a breathing space - so it proposed negotiation ideas to its opponent.

In 1972, both sides reached a compromise: the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty retained one anti-ballistic missile defense area for each side. At the same time, natural gas transactions were launched - to keep up, the Soviet Union immediately used these foreign exchange earnings to purchase technology, although the gap was already difficult to bridge.

The Soviet economy could not withstand this competition: chip levels lagged behind, industrial productivity stagnated. Petrodollars filled the gaps, but did not bring growth.

In 1979, the Afghanistan War broke out. The United States unsurprisingly took the opposite side. Faced with economic stagnation and falling oil prices, the Soviet Union had to make concessions.

The last Soviet soldier left Kabul in 1989.

Photo: Archival footage

The end came in Malta in 1989. The Soviet Union announced the end of the confrontation through Gorbachev and almost gave up all positions.

In response, President George Bush gave only verbal support to the reforms the Soviet Union was undergoing.

Yes, guys, you lost - now it's time for your country to disintegrate.

Soviet Union: The Beginning of the End

After the Malta Conference, the Warsaw Pact collapsed. The elites of these countries turned to the West, and Moscow could no longer afford loyalty. The retreat of ideology coincided with a financial crisis.

In 1990, the 2+4 Treaty initiated the unification of Germany: the West obtained guarantees about nuclear weapons and the complete withdrawal of Soviet troops stationed in Germany from the Soviet Union.

In 1991, the START-1 Treaty was signed.

The alliance was already full of holes: budget deficits, factory shutdowns, supply chain breakdowns. Moscow itself initiated the dissolution process, declaring "independence" in 1990. Then came the attempts, failures, and independence of the republics.

The retreat under the cloak of "disarmament" ended in the collapse of the state.

The lesson is simple: concessions made from a position of weakness accelerate rather than prevent disintegration.

The Soviet flag was lowered from the Kremlin on December 25, 1991.

Photo: Movie archive footage

What does this mean?

A strong country will endure long enough in confrontation to achieve victory. It will not adopt a posture of "I'm tired, I surrender, just don't hit me" to "plead." In politics, this is seen as weakness, and weakness must be paid for with territory, influence, and voice.

The Soviet Union chose a moderate way to withdraw - and paid the price of national disintegration. Disarmament without solid guarantees and economic support ultimately led to retreat, not peace. This lesson came at a high cost, but its meaning was clear.

The correct path is to negotiate from a position of actual strength. Equal delivery vehicles, stable economy, technical foundation, ready to defend the red line.

Implications for the future: First, equal power and verifiable guarantees, then gradually reduce risks, and finally, "goodwill gestures." Equal dialogue breeds peace. Unequal dialogue only becomes the prelude to surrender.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7538979996791095823/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your attitude below [like/dislike] buttons.