The Soviet Union once commanded the second-largest economy in the world, yet by the end of the twentieth century its centrally planned system had collapsed entirely.The Soviet Union once commanded the second-largest economy in the world, yet by the end of the twentieth century its centrally planned system had collapsed entirely. This book examines how decades of rigid state control, misallocated resources, and structural inefficiencies gradually undermined Soviet economic stability, and how reform efforts under Gorbachev ultimately accelerated rather than prevented the breakdown. You will learn about the mechanisms of central planning, the pressures that led to its failure, and the economic and political consequences that followed across Russia and the former Soviet republics. The book also traces how this collapse influenced global economic thinking in the decades that followed. Generated using artificial intelligence, this text-only work offers a clear, structured introduction for readers seeking to understand one of the twentieth century's most consequential economic transformations.The Soviet Union once commanded the second-largest economy in the world, yet by the end of the twentieth century its centrally planned system had collapsed entirely. This book examines how decades of rigid state control, misallocated resources, and structural inefficiencies gradually undermined Soviet economic stability, and how reform efforts under Gorbachev ultimately accelerated rather than prevented the breakdown. You will learn about the mechanisms of central planning, the pressures that led to its failure, and the economic and political consequences that followed across Russia and the former Soviet republics. The book also traces how this collapse influenced global economic thinking in the decades that followed. Generated using artificial intelligence, this text-only work offers a clear, structured introduction for readers seeking to understand one of the twentieth century's most consequential economic transformations.