Grigory Romanov, was considered the main alternative to Gorbachev in 1985. What if he had succeeded Cherneko instead? Would the Soviet Union be in a stronger or weaker situation, economically, politically, and internationally?
Would have been funny that the russian empire ended with a Romanov and the Soviet Union does too
Honeslty. .. By 85 .. The Soviet Union is on its last legs.. It's under incredible pressure to reform.. Afghanistan is in full swing.. Chernobyl around the corner..
Let's say for giggles you get someone who wants to keep the status quo ..
Okay.. The military really runs the show.. They get the budget.. They are xenophobic and fear the west at every turn.. So you get the arms race 2.0
The soviets can't afford that...
Infrastructure built in the 50's is coming due for replacement and fixing..
Stagnation was taking serious root .. Short of a much better managed Gorbachev with more support .. Things are goi to go south.. Eastern Europe is goi to jump ship faster than a crackhead at a dare convention for Western Europe .. The baltics are gone .. You might get Ukraine to stay.. Honestly the core republics didn't want the Soviet Union to dissolve .. So what you could get is a pared down ussr ..
Now there is the alternative .. Full on crackdown.. Tanks and deportations and pogroms .. This however at the time I do not think will go over well. The people were hungry .. They wanted what the west had .. Beatles and blue jeans .. Cars and houses .. The Soviet Union was just too old school to adapt and to manage a people's economy
So in short.. Romanov at the end twice .. Possibly 2 dead romanovs at the end ..