Conclude a brief analysis as to whether you believe the fall of the Soviet Union was an inevitable occurrence, or could earlier Soviet leaders have...

If you believe the ideas contained in George Keenan’s Long Telegram, you would conclude that the fall of the Soviet Union was inevitable. The Long Telegram, about 8,000 words in length, stated that communism was a flawed system that would eventually fail. It suggested we would prevail over the Soviet Union without having to go to war. It suggested that our struggle with the Soviet Union was going to be one that would last for quite some time. Therefore, negotiations with them for a permanent solution were fruitless. Keenan pointed out that we should try to keep Communism from spreading. This became the basis for the policy of containment we used after World War II ended.

The only way the Soviet Union could have prevented its demise was to change its system. This was something the Soviet leaders were unwilling to do until it began clear their system was failing. Mikhail Gorbachev instituted a series of reforms and provided more openness in Soviet society. Even when it was clear these changes were the only way to possibly save the Soviet Union, hard-liner communists still were against these changes. Thus, the collapse of the Soviet Union was inevitable, even though it would take 45 years for that took occur after the Long Telegram was written.