AH Challenge: Premier Isaac Asimov
- Thread starter CCA
- Start date
Thanks for the kudos! Considering that this was something I literally just threw together at 1 in the morning my time, I'm rather happy the way it came out.
@Midgard
Yeah--I know that it would be extremely unlikely that the S.U. would fall apart exactly like as OTL but in my deense, it *was* 1 am and I was stuck with a way to end it and it was only in the last paragraph anyway!
Although I am curious about something. Given my (admittedly very basic) knowledge of the economy of the S.U. in the 1980's, I was under the impression that thanks to Brezhnov's completely crappy economic policies, short of an economic miracle, the U.S.S.R.'s economy was destined to go into a meltdown no matter what was done--that the damage was far too gone to do anything except maybe just delay the inevitable. Are you saying this wasn't the case at all?
P.S. Who wants me to develop this further?
@Midgard
Yeah--I know that it would be extremely unlikely that the S.U. would fall apart exactly like as OTL but in my deense, it *was* 1 am and I was stuck with a way to end it and it was only in the last paragraph anyway!
Although I am curious about something. Given my (admittedly very basic) knowledge of the economy of the S.U. in the 1980's, I was under the impression that thanks to Brezhnov's completely crappy economic policies, short of an economic miracle, the U.S.S.R.'s economy was destined to go into a meltdown no matter what was done--that the damage was far too gone to do anything except maybe just delay the inevitable. Are you saying this wasn't the case at all?
P.S. Who wants me to develop this further?
Here's Another Idea...
Second, if the Soviet Union either makes peace or collapses during Asimov's term in office (c.1991), it is almost assured to cause a rise of the pogroms (such as OTL's 1983 pogroms) and anti-Semitism in Russian politics (e.g. Vladimir Zhirinovsky, General Alexander Lebed, et al.) blaiming the collapse on an "International Zionist Conspiracy". This also to cause the right-wing Neo-Nazi movements in East Germany (e.g. Dresden,1992), Poland, Serbia, et al. to launch their own pogroms...
Third, a careful reading of the Foundation series, would be even more frightening. Imagine a situation where Soviet space stations, nuclear submarines, and secret military bases are trained to assume command and control of the government, should the government in Moscow collapse. By the model, the nuclear bases would attempt to retake the government after any collapse...
Here's a frightening thought that no one has brought up. Considering Asimov's Jewish heritage, there are going to be 2 major problems that will occur in the ATL. First, starting with Asimov's rise to prominence, you will see a rise in anti-Semitism by members of the fringe right-wing. Just consider how the Protocols of the Elders of Zion were distributed very freely by groups such as the Christian Identity movement, the American Nazi Party, and the John Birch Society, starting in the 1960s/1970s.
Second, if the Soviet Union either makes peace or collapses during Asimov's term in office (c.1991), it is almost assured to cause a rise of the pogroms (such as OTL's 1983 pogroms) and anti-Semitism in Russian politics (e.g. Vladimir Zhirinovsky, General Alexander Lebed, et al.) blaiming the collapse on an "International Zionist Conspiracy". This also to cause the right-wing Neo-Nazi movements in East Germany (e.g. Dresden,1992), Poland, Serbia, et al. to launch their own pogroms...
Third, a careful reading of the Foundation series, would be even more frightening. Imagine a situation where Soviet space stations, nuclear submarines, and secret military bases are trained to assume command and control of the government, should the government in Moscow collapse. By the model, the nuclear bases would attempt to retake the government after any collapse...
Faeelin
Banned
You know, I don't think I've ever heard you make a post that didn't involve something ended up horrifically.
I wouldn't take it that far - the situation was critical, but not irreversible. The key would have been to use nuclear deterrent, to lessen military expenditures, and to do it SLOWLY - as in, instead of having five year streak of reform that would upset the balance drastically, have it spread over a twenty year period, perhaps not just with Asimov himself, but with his designated successor as well. In a meanwhile, liberalize slowly - the key is that military was such a large part of the budget that the military circles are going to be VERY unhappy about it. Therefore, something would need to be done to keep only the loyal generals in power, and to eliminate potential opposition.
Ideally, combined with less aggressive Western policies, or Soviet government less willing to be provoked into military buildup and using nuclear deterrent against any foreign threats, there should be at least some capacity to reform economically without suffering a political disaster. Again, the key is doing it slowly - the system was broken and fragile, and shock therapy did kill it, but with more care exercised, something more reasonable could have happened, with the end result being survival of USSR, although power-wise it'd be more along the lines of modern Russia, perhaps a bit more powerful, but not the USSR at its peak...
So--basically--with a bit of luck--our Russia with a few bit and pieces of the old republics still attached?
Probably a bit more than that. The Baltics are almost certain to go, short of thorough military occupation, and some states in the Caucasus are questionable. At the same time, most (if not all) of the -Stans, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia... those are more likely to remain. Georgia and Azerbaijan are likely to be the most troublesome, Georgia in particular, but they can remain SSRs, even if Moscow is exercising little effective authority there, mostly through control of natural resources and fuels.
How about instead of coming to power, Asimov sets up a foundation to restore the SU. SU collapses on schedule. The Soviet Empire is restored in 2017.
BWAHAHAHA!!!
Well, someone has to make sure that the sugar-coated optimism doesn't give people around here adult diabetes. The fact of the matter is that life does tend to harsh, cruel and unforgiving...
Well, someone has to make sure that the sugar-coated optimism doesn't give people around here adult diabetes. The fact of the matter is that life does tend to harsh, cruel and unforgiving...