Yes. This is what I believe about the U.S.S.R. too. Socialism was destroying it regardless of the actions of the U.S. I think the U.S. probably sped it up a bit by getting into a spending war with them over arms but their system of centralized control was the fatal flaw.

Over the years as I've read and listened to influential leaders in the "conservative" movement it has become clear to me that they do not have a true understanding of why socialism doesn't work. They also do not seem to understand why central planning doesn't work. I say this because they say things with their mouths, but then they proceed to enact policies of central planning.

The reason US politicians(mainly conservatives) were so opposed to communism had more to do with their belief that it was a threat to their power. And that is when it occurred to me. They do not really believe central planning and socialism are doomed to failure. They think if they can just tweak it a bit it will work. They actually believed that the socialists would take over the world. We now know that the U.S.S.R. was in trouble from the very early stages.

Today both US political parties do not reject the idea of central planning. Sure, they say flowery things that sound anti-communist or anti-central planning but few if any of them truly mean it or understand it.