Both the USSR and the USA fall apart around 1991

What if the Soviet Union and the United States fall apart around 1991? The Soviets suffers the same fate as OTL but the United States immediately suffers the same fate around the same time. How could this happen? What would the impacts of this be?
 
Seems highly implausible. That said, perhaps the 1987 stock market crash leads to an even worse great depression. This leads to political chaos and Pat Robertson manages to become president in 1988 resulting in political chaos and the eventual splintering of the union.
 
(ASB in bold)

Jim Crow never ends, thus leading African Americans to be increasingly militant, and carving out an unofficial Black Belt nation, which takes advantage of the Second Amendment to stockplie weaponry, which in turn inspires "white nationalists" to be even more violent than IOTL, and to boot you've got black militants in northern cities commiting actions on behalf of their southern brothers, and all the bad publicity leads to a Boycott USA campaign in other wealthy countries, thus crippling the economy, and things just kind of go downhill from there.
 
(ASB in bold)

Jim Crow never ends, thus leading African Americans to be increasingly militant, and carving out an unofficial Black Belt nation, which takes advantage of the Second Amendment to stockplie weaponry, which in turn inspires "white nationalists" to be even more violent than IOTL, and to boot you've got black militants in northern cities commiting actions on behalf of their southern brothers, and all the bad publicity leads to a Boycott USA campaign in other wealthy countries, thus crippling the economy, and things just kind of go downhill from there.


I think the question is in this scenario why would the USSR collapse. I think you need a late 1980s POD so the USSR is till headed for its collapse but something causes US to collapse. As I noted above, implausible.
 
I think the question is in this scenario why would the USSR collapse. I think you need a late 1980s POD so the USSR is till headed for its collapse but something causes US to collapse. As I noted above, implausible.

Yeah, I'd agree, no POD in the late 80s would lead to the US collapsing in 1991. You'd need some way for the US to suffer catastrophic damage over a period of several decades(as in my Jim Crow Forever scenario), while still being able to inflict serious damage on the USSR.
 
(ASB in bold)

Jim Crow never ends, thus leading African Americans to be increasingly militant, and carving out an unofficial Black Belt nation, which takes advantage of the Second Amendment to stockplie weaponry, which in turn inspires "white nationalists" to be even more violent than IOTL, and to boot you've got black militants in northern cities commiting actions on behalf of their southern brothers, and all the bad publicity leads to a Boycott USA campaign in other wealthy countries, thus crippling the economy, and things just kind of go downhill from there.
Jim Crow never ending and American blacks becoming militant is arguably ASB. This isn’t Africa. Blacks can’t achieve anything within the United States by force because they are out gunned and out numbered greatly on a national scale. Black Americans at the time are 12 percent of the total population. They are currently 17 percent now. They make up the majority within some counties in the south but they are surrounded by whites majority counties. Maybe if the great migration never happen this would be slightly more practical since they would make up 60 percent of population in some southern states but even then its risky. Whites outclassed them in every possible field at the time. The reason you see more kings then Malcom Xs is because if blacks get violent in anyway they lose white supporters and sympathies they need to get reforms passed. Also they now give southerners the ability to be as brutal as they want without federal and northern opposition. Federal government probably helps them now. I keep seeing people bring up this point. But any practical black leader knows being militant is stupid and will only lead to ruins. Additionally, blacks didn’t have the same access to guns as whites did during the time. Also the white southern population is probably the most armed civilian population in the world
 
The day after the USSR officially dissolves, Yellowstone erupts. The US proves unable to handle the resulting disaster and disintegrates. Or something.
 
Yeah, I'd agree, no POD in the late 80s would lead to the US collapsing in 1991. You'd need some way for the US to suffer catastrophic damage over a period of several decades(as in my Jim Crow Forever scenario), while still being able to inflict serious damage on the USSR.
I could see the USSR falling apart if it follows a similar path as our world. I think US gives itself too much credit relating to the fall of the Soviets. We out lasted them but I think internal mismanagement on their part should be the most credited factor. If the US doesn’t pull itself out of the slump it was in during the 70s and keeps progressing along those lines during 80s I think is a good start for a Soviet like collapse. The recession of the 70s turns into a depression during the 80s instead of a economic recovery. The mafia stays strong and crime rates keep increasing. A president gets impeached during the 80s maybe Reagan. Maybe prolonged Vietnam War or withdraw. No war on poverty and gutted social welfare/programs. All this mixed together could maybe do the job.
 
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