>There are literally hundreds of books examining the collapse of the Soviet Union, and in each and every one of them you will find a common theme: us verses them, USA vs. USSR, from 1945 until the fall. The Soviet Union was not a healthy country when it finally disolved in 1991, and the US was a big part of why it wasn't healthy.

And all those hundreds of books will tell you that the poor economy because of internal matters actually was the cause of the fall. The USSR was already on its downfall when brezjnew died in the early 80-ties. And all the books will tell you the role of gorbatchev in this matter.