Part 8/11:
The events of 1991 mark a cataclysmic shift, encapsulated in the disbanding of the Soviet Union on Christmas Day. The dissolution results from a confluence of widespread disillusionment with the communist framework, severe economic stress, and the aspirations of a public now receptive to capitalist ideals. Gorbachev resigns, marking the last breaths of a regime long since lost to popular ire.