The collapse of the Soviet Union was not foreseen as inevitable by those living through the late 1980s, despite hindsight making it appear obvious; it came out of the blue in August 1991.
factualpending
Speaker
Martin SixsmithEvidence Quote
“no and anybody who said they could I think you know hindsight is a fantastic gift um but I I was there through the end of the 80s up and to the coup that Mikhail was talking about and um it came out of the blue”
Source
How The West Can Stop Putin, with Exiled Critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky | Intelligence Squared— Intelligence SquaredCreated: 8/10/2026, 10:56:34 PM
My Notes
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