Re:Vietnam War images from the North Vietnamese side
by op00to on Wednesday May 26, 2021 @05:52AM
(#27288365)
Why did the USSR overspend? Was it trying to keep up with the west?
Re:Vietnam War images from the North Vietnamese side
by Croftengea on Wednesday May 26, 2021 @05:27AM
(#27288195)
Yes, every empire collapses under its weight, sooner or later.
Re:Vietnam War images from the North Vietnamese side
by TomSwirly on Wednesday May 26, 2021 @06:08AM
(#27288478)
I agree overall!
The USSR didn't really "overspend" though. The amount of money it was spending on the military was wildly exaggerated by the CIA and other people who wanted more budget.
The issue was the centrally planned economy and the monthly plans where factories would be effective for one week a month and spend the other three turning raw materials into garbage.
In the end, the USSR was simply unable to deliver sufficient goods and services to its citizens.
Very arguably: no, it didn't.
The USSR defeated itself. It overspent and was rife with corruption. They don't call it "the collapse of the USSR" for no reason. It couldn't maintain its own weight and fell in on itself.