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When is dead really dead – USSR edition?
August 4, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Is a chicken dead when its head is cut off, or when it finally stops moving? How about the flower your grandchild just presented to you as a gift? Was it dead as soon as it was severed from the plant, or will it not be dead until it turns brown? How about a marriage (a court document vs. a covenant before God), our very existence (a doctor’s declaration vs. spiritual implications), or a nation – especially if its formation is similar to The United States of America? How many states would need to secede before one could truthfully claim “The United States is no more”?
These were some of my ponderings as I recently came across two issues related to the demise of The Soviet Union. The first was The Philadelphia Inquirer dated August 25, 1991 which reported Mikhail Gorbachev’s resignation and his formal statement requesting for the Soviet Communist Party to dissolve, and the second was a December 9, 1991 issue of The Los Angeles Times which had the bold heading: “Slavic States Call Soviet Union Dead, Form a Commonwealth”. The dissolution may not have been official until December 26, 1991, but many would argue the death really took place back in August when Gorbachev made his announcement and plea. Still some would say its status is more like that of a cicada. Buried, but latently waiting for just the right moment to rise again and loudly make its presence known (the last statement read with the Jaws soundtrack playing in the background). Regardless of how things play out over time, the list of once-powerful nations which no longer exist is a sober warning to anyone who thinks today’s top players will exist forever.