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>The Soviet ruble was still worthless on the international market Who controls the currency controls the country. A government forced to barter its warships so

>The Soviet ruble was still worthless on the international market Who controls the currency controls the country. A government forced to barter its warships so a multinational company would continue delivering its soft-drink to its citizens. I wonder if the deliberate sabotage of the Ruble helped usher in collapse.

rmason 7y ago
Actually the Soviet Union was indirectly brought down by the humble FAX machine. The AFL-CIO from Detroit got friendly with the Polish Solidarity union. During protests the government would shut down communications. They told the AFL-CIO what they really could use were FAX machines. AFL people and priests smuggled in the FAX machines in their suitcases and with it an alternative communications network was established. During protests they could quickly send information country wide and they hoped the government wouldn't catch on and it worked. Without the absolute control over information one country after another fell. http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,159069,00.html http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,159069,...
- varjag 7y ago
  Not sure about communist Poland, but fax machine had little to do with fall of USSR.
  - rmason 7y ago
    Poland was the domino and after it got its freedom one after another the rest of the countries in Eastern Europe gained their independence. This put immense pressure on the Soviet Union after people in some of its republics like Georgia and the Ukraine decided that they wanted their freedom too. The military panicked and staged a coup against Gorbachev. It then dawned on the Russians that they could have their freedom as well.
    - rimliu 7y ago
      Ehm. I think you should refresh your knowledge about the fall of the USSR. The Orange revolution in Ukraine and the Rose revolution in Georgia heppened years after USSR felt apart. In reality the Baltic states were the first to declare independance from the Soviet Union. And it had little to do with Poland. Source: citizen of Lithuania, the first one to break away.
    - varjag 7y ago
      I grew up in USSR and lived through its disintegration. That's not quite how it went, and it decidedly had nothing to do with fax machines. The bloc disintegration was the consequence of USSR losing control and rotting from inside, not vice versa.
- pjc50 7y ago
  Similarly the Apartheid state of South Africa was brought down in part by modems: https://omalley.nelsonmandela.org/omalley/index.php/site/q/03lv03445/04lv03996/05lv04001.htm https://omalley.nelsonmandela.org/omalley/index.php/site/q/0...
- benj111 7y ago
  To be fair, they only got fax machines because of the protests. So protests do actually work! Sorry for undermining your story btw.

rmason 7y ago

Actually the Soviet Union was indirectly brought down by the humble FAX machine. The AFL-CIO from Detroit got friendly with the Polish Solidarity union. During protests the government would shut down communications. They told the AFL-CIO what they really could use were FAX machines. AFL people and priests smuggled in the FAX machines in their suitcases and with it an alternative communications network was established. During protests they could quickly send information country wide and they hoped the government wouldn't catch on and it worked. Without the absolute control over information one country after another fell. http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,159069,00.html http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,159069,...

varjag 7y ago
Not sure about communist Poland, but fax machine had little to do with fall of USSR.
- rmason 7y ago
  Poland was the domino and after it got its freedom one after another the rest of the countries in Eastern Europe gained their independence. This put immense pressure on the Soviet Union after people in some of its republics like Georgia and the Ukraine decided that they wanted their freedom too. The military panicked and staged a coup against Gorbachev. It then dawned on the Russians that they could have their freedom as well.
  - rimliu 7y ago
    Ehm. I think you should refresh your knowledge about the fall of the USSR. The Orange revolution in Ukraine and the Rose revolution in Georgia heppened years after USSR felt apart. In reality the Baltic states were the first to declare independance from the Soviet Union. And it had little to do with Poland. Source: citizen of Lithuania, the first one to break away.
  - varjag 7y ago
    I grew up in USSR and lived through its disintegration. That's not quite how it went, and it decidedly had nothing to do with fax machines. The bloc disintegration was the consequence of USSR losing control and rotting from inside, not vice versa.
pjc50 7y ago
Similarly the Apartheid state of South Africa was brought down in part by modems: https://omalley.nelsonmandela.org/omalley/index.php/site/q/03lv03445/04lv03996/05lv04001.htm https://omalley.nelsonmandela.org/omalley/index.php/site/q/0...
benj111 7y ago
To be fair, they only got fax machines because of the protests. So protests do actually work! Sorry for undermining your story btw.