The Orchestration of the Soviet Collapse

Twenty years ago, on March 17, 1991, the first and only national referendum in Soviet history was held. Citizens of the Soviet republics were offered the opportunity to express themselves on the matter of the preservation of the union state in “an updated form.” And although six of the union republics refused to participate, the majority of the remaining population voted in favor of the preservation of the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, only a few months later, the Soviet Union ceased to exist.
- Russia and India Report

Why did the Soviet Union "collapse" if the majority of Soviet citizens favored reformed-socialism, but not all out capitalism?

Be sure Milton Friedman had something to do with it.

In the decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union millions of people died as a result of Friedman's neoliberal doctrine.

In addition to deaths, a significant social decline ensued in Russia including a decline in life-expectancy, a rapidly deteriorating privatized healthcare system, economic crises in 1992 and 1998, one of the highest suicide rates in the world, reversal of Gorbechov's anti-alcoholism policies resulting in one of highest rates of alcohol related death in the world, and an exponential increase in HIV/AIDS diagnoses.

Organized crime and oligarchy dominate today's Russian economy.  Shock therapy has given rise to gangster capitalism.  Are Russians better off now?