8 ms·

Still cheaper than the Iraq and Afghan war though.

arethuza 5y ago
The Chernobyl accident was arguably a major factor in the eventual downfall of the Soviet Union and therefore the end of the Cold War so perhaps some good did come from those awful events.
- dcgudeman 5y ago
  Who is arguing that? I never seen any credible evidence that it contributed in any significant way to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
  - arethuza 5y ago
    Mikhail Gorbachev for one https://slate.com/technology/2013/01/chernobyl-and-the-fall-of-the-soviet-union-gorbachevs-glasnost-allowed-the-nuclear-catastrophe-to-undermine-the-ussr.html https://slate.com/technology/2013/01/chernobyl-and-the-fall-... Edit: Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe by Serhii Plokhy also makes a claim that the accident let to political instability in the Ukraine which certainly didn't help with the integrity of the SU.
    - yc12340 5y ago
      Gorbachev is directly responsible for collapse of USSR, — he ruled it when it collapsed. So he is responsible for both of the disasters. Shouldn't you be a little skeptical, when he tries to blame one of his disasters for another?
      - arethuza 5y ago
        Of course I'm sceptical - but given other accounts of the times that I have read I haven't seen anything in his account that seems fundamentally wrong.
  - NovemberWhiskey 5y ago
    Well, Mikhail Gorbachev has actually written about specifically this. You'd think he'd be a reliable source.
    - breakfastduck 5y ago
      About as credible as you're going to get, I imagine
  - throwawayboise 5y ago
    My perception of it is that the collapse had already started and was probably inevitable, but the Chernobyl disaster accelerated it and was a metaphorical nail in the coffin, further reducing any chance there might have been at recovery.
- thescriptkiddie 5y ago
  The collapse of the Soviet Union was a disaster in itself. People had their savings wiped out, lost their jobs, and had to barter beg and steal just to feed themselves. Organized criminals bought up the state's assets for pennies on the dollar and set themselves up as oligarchs. Several former soviet allies turned into dictatorships or failed states.
  - orlovs 5y ago
    Sorry, but what savings? I come from Baltics. Born late years of Empire. Most of SU people lived on the edge powerty. Ofc if you were in party or releated to defense then you had very good or decent living standards. But for my family where all of 4 grandparents were from kulaks almost zero chanche to get out from specific kasta.
  - odiroot 5y ago
    > The collapse of the Soviet Union was a disaster in itself. A very positive "disaster" for multiple countries that were occupied by Russia since the end of the war. We regained our freedom and started to catch up to the NATO countries. The nearly 50 year under Moscow's boot was a much bigger disaster and, although I was born in a communist state, I'm glad I could grow up in a now free and democratic country.
    - throwawayboise 5y ago
      Thanks for your perspective. It's always good to remind people of the realities of life under communism, given its resurging popularity amongst some young people who have no living memory of it.
      - nickpp 5y ago
        That returning popularity is no accident: when it collapsed, its propaganda machine mutated and adapted to the west. Now it has a new master rising on the ashes of the old empire and it started its work.
        5y ago

The Chernobyl accident was arguably a major factor in the eventual downfall of the Soviet Union and therefore the end of the Cold War so perhaps some good did come from those awful events.

dcgudeman 5y ago
Who is arguing that? I never seen any credible evidence that it contributed in any significant way to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
- arethuza 5y ago
  Mikhail Gorbachev for one https://slate.com/technology/2013/01/chernobyl-and-the-fall-of-the-soviet-union-gorbachevs-glasnost-allowed-the-nuclear-catastrophe-to-undermine-the-ussr.html https://slate.com/technology/2013/01/chernobyl-and-the-fall-... Edit: Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe by Serhii Plokhy also makes a claim that the accident let to political instability in the Ukraine which certainly didn't help with the integrity of the SU.
  - yc12340 5y ago
    Gorbachev is directly responsible for collapse of USSR, — he ruled it when it collapsed. So he is responsible for both of the disasters. Shouldn't you be a little skeptical, when he tries to blame one of his disasters for another?
    - arethuza 5y ago
      Of course I'm sceptical - but given other accounts of the times that I have read I haven't seen anything in his account that seems fundamentally wrong.
- NovemberWhiskey 5y ago
  Well, Mikhail Gorbachev has actually written about specifically this. You'd think he'd be a reliable source.
  - breakfastduck 5y ago
    About as credible as you're going to get, I imagine
- throwawayboise 5y ago
  My perception of it is that the collapse had already started and was probably inevitable, but the Chernobyl disaster accelerated it and was a metaphorical nail in the coffin, further reducing any chance there might have been at recovery.
thescriptkiddie 5y ago
The collapse of the Soviet Union was a disaster in itself. People had their savings wiped out, lost their jobs, and had to barter beg and steal just to feed themselves. Organized criminals bought up the state's assets for pennies on the dollar and set themselves up as oligarchs. Several former soviet allies turned into dictatorships or failed states.
- orlovs 5y ago
  Sorry, but what savings? I come from Baltics. Born late years of Empire. Most of SU people lived on the edge powerty. Ofc if you were in party or releated to defense then you had very good or decent living standards. But for my family where all of 4 grandparents were from kulaks almost zero chanche to get out from specific kasta.
- odiroot 5y ago
  > The collapse of the Soviet Union was a disaster in itself. A very positive "disaster" for multiple countries that were occupied by Russia since the end of the war. We regained our freedom and started to catch up to the NATO countries. The nearly 50 year under Moscow's boot was a much bigger disaster and, although I was born in a communist state, I'm glad I could grow up in a now free and democratic country.
  - throwawayboise 5y ago
    Thanks for your perspective. It's always good to remind people of the realities of life under communism, given its resurging popularity amongst some young people who have no living memory of it.
    - nickpp 5y ago
      That returning popularity is no accident: when it collapsed, its propaganda machine mutated and adapted to the west. Now it has a new master rising on the ashes of the old empire and it started its work.
      - 5y ago