WHAT WAS THE INFLUENCE OF THE SOVIET UNION IN THE WORLD? - HISTORY - 2025

The influence of the Soviet Union in the world was evidenced in ideology, politics, economics and technology. Between 1945 and 1991, this state, made up of 15 republics, led by Russia, caused events that marked the course of history. Some of these even put the world on the brink of a world war.

Specifically, this influence of the Soviet Union in the world began to be felt after the end of World War II. It emerged victorious as one of the two world superpowers, along with the United States. In the postwar period, the Soviet Union helped rebuild Eastern European countries.

In this way, a group of "satellite" countries was formed that accepted his leadership and became allies through an agreement called the Warsaw Pact.

With a state tightly controlling the internal economic activity and social relations of its populations, the Soviet Union accelerated its development.

His advances in sports, dance, film, literature, science and art caught the attention of other countries. Nations such as China, Cuba, Albania, Cambodia and Somalia received their help, thus increasing their area of ​​influence.

Precisely, the installation of Soviet intercontinental-range missiles in Cuba almost unleashed a Third World War.

Keys to understanding the influence of the Soviet Union in the world

Political influence

In the political field, the influence of the Soviet Union in the world comes from its conception of political power in itself. According to this philosophy, the objective of power is to establish a socialist regime.

In turn, this is achieved through a class struggle where the proletariat evicts the ruling classes from power. This liberating struggle demands a unification in the ideology and in the actions of all the proletarians and their sympathizers.

Within this current, there is no room for dissent. The political currents that are sympathetic to this position advocate authoritarian and undemocratic positions to obtain their political goals.

Thus, this model of political thought was exported to various nations. Governments in different parts of the world, such as Cuba, North Korea and China, adopted it with some modifications.

But all have in common a single party or president, restrictions on freedoms and centralized power as a government scheme.

Ideological influence

Many other currents have emerged from the ideological conception of the Soviet Union. In principle, when considering a class struggle as an ideological basis, a confrontation remains the underlying idea.

However, this has presented nuances, from the confrontation of ideas to the armed struggles with their balances of destruction and deaths.

As a consequence of these struggles, there have been in the world from democratic socialisms to the most radical and militant communist regimes. All of them see the control by the State of the means of production as the most suitable and efficient way to achieve their political objectives.

On the other hand, the central concepts of this Soviet ideology (class struggle, proletariat, surplus value, among others) have been used worldwide to design and adjust government programs and party ideologies. In many cases, even non-socialist nations have adjusted their plans to efficiently handle these concepts.

Among undeveloped countries, especially, this ideological influence has been enhanced by the inequalities implicit in their social schemes.

Often the ideological bases of many political parties are close to the conception of the Soviets. The promise of ending inequalities increases your popularity and eligibility.

Economic influence

The influence of the Soviet Union in the world was also evident in the economic sphere. In this area, the Soviet model promoted the idea of ​​state control of all productive activity. According to this model, private initiative must not exist and, if it does, it must be under strict government control.

This idea arises from the economic theory of Karl Marx (1818-1883), who argued that the work of workers (and in general of all wage earners) generated a profit that they never enjoyed.

This gain, called surplus value, was enjoyed only by the owners of the companies. And, according to Soviet economic theory, the only way to guarantee the enjoyment of surplus value by wage earners was to control the means of production.

Consequently, the Soviet state created companies to exploit the most productive resources of the nation and thus fulfill this premise. Other less productive activities could be exploited by individuals but always under the direction of the government.

Other states adopted this economic model. Some of them, even not belonging to the Soviet orbit, created companies in certain economic areas.

Similarly, other governments, in a twist from the initial idea, created joint ventures to jointly exploit state-private initiative some economic lines.

Technological influence

After World War II, the Soviet Union embarked on a developmental race to compete with its rival, the United States.

In the course of this competition, and in the framework of the Cold War (open but restricted rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies) it began to have many successes.

Among other areas, agriculture, the military industry and the aerospace industry served to consolidate its reputation as a world power. Its own technology and theoretical knowledge were, with logical limitations, at the disposal of its allied nations.

Consequently, and to witness the influence of the Soviet Union in the world, it became common to see advanced Soviet machinery, aircraft and weapons systems in other countries. In the same way, the sending of doctors, military personnel and professors as part of treaties between nations became frequent.

Sharing these technological advances was preceded by an agreement to obtain recognition, votes of support in international organizations and even military assistance. This technological influence meant a radical departure from North American standards.

References

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3. Hook, S. (s / f). Knowing the Soviet Union: The ideological dimension. Taken from bu.edu.
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5. Siegelbaum, L. (s / f). Third World Friendships. Taken from soviethistory.msu.edu.
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