Comparison of the Dynamics of Comprehensive National Power of the USSR and the United States: the Causes of the Collapse of the Soviet Union

The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of the dynamics of the Soviet Union and the United States on such an integral indicator as comprehensive national power (cumulative national power). This indicator, substantiated in the works of Huang Shuofeng and R.S. Kline, expresses the overall strength of a sovereign state required for its survival and development, as well as the strength of its international influence. A distinctive feature of the authors‘ approach to this problem is that the comprehensive national power for two countries is calculated not only for retrospective data, but the author, as well, presents the results of theoretical calculations based on the extrapolation of observed trends and the historical proposition of “two ifs” - the authors’ hypotheses concerning the comprehensive national power of the USSR. The author characterizes the external and internal factors that influenced the collapse of the USSR on the basis of theoretical assessments of the indicators of the comprehensive national power of the USSR and the USA, taking into account the results of research on the causes of the collapse of the USSR. The study contributes to the study of the historical experience of the development of the USSR from the perspective of political economy as a source of valuable conclusions signifi cant for searching answers to the global challenges of the 21st century.