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At its core, the Soviet Union represented an ambitious vision of a communist utopia predicated on collective prosperity, peace, and freedom. However, the reality was starkly different: the Soviet state descended into an inefficient system crippled by sprawling bureaucracy, leading to widespread oppression and the loss of millions of lives in the pursuit of its ideals. This backdrop serves as a critical foundation for understanding the complex chain of events that precipitated the dissolution of this once-great empire.
The Evolution from Revolution to Dictatorship