The Collapse of The Soviet Union and Answer The Questions Below

World Cultures 11
Unit II: Russia
Name: Tim Grau

Date: 4/21/15
Block: 2
Read the article entitled The Collapse of the Soviet Union and answer the questions below
thoroughly and thoughtfully.
Indentify/define each of the following: [remember to answer fully]
a. Politburo is the ruling comity of the commonest party they crushed all political
disagreements.
b. Soviet hard-liners c. coup d. CIS
e. shock therapy
1. Identify and define two early changes that Gorbachev made? How were these changes
different from previous Soviet leaders?
The first change that Gorbachev made was to promote openness with Glasnost a police that
actually meant openness. With this he allowed churches to be opened once again, previously band
authors were unbanned, and reporters could investigate and criticize officers. The second
change Gorbachev made was called perestroika and its job was to revive the falling Soviet
economy.
2. Why would it be ineffective for the central government to decide what should be produced
all over the country?
Its ineffective for the government to decide what should be produced because of the fact that
the government gives the people little ways to get moved up in pay so the workers will have no
reasons to work hard making it hard for the government to produce what need to be produced.
3. Explain Gorbachevs third reform and how it would help to move the country toward
democracy.
The new police calls for the people to get to vote for its leaders instead of just giving the ok to
someone who was handpicked by the government to lead.
4. What was the INF Treaty? Why did Gorbachev agree to sign it? What effect do you think
this Treaty had on the Cold War?
The INF Treaty was a treaty between the US and the USSR to prohibit nuclear missiles with
ranges from 300 to 3400 miles. Gorbachev agreed to this because he knew that the economy
could not support the construction of the missiles like the USs could. This will be one step
closer to ending the arms race.
5. What effect did Gorbachevs reforms have on Russian ethnic minorities?
As the USSR was changing the other ethnic groups started wanting their own freedoms and
some of the ethnic groups just wanted out of the USSR entirely.
6. Which satellite nation was first to defy Gorbachev? How did Gorbachev respond?
The first nation to defy Gorbachev was Lithuania. Lithuania declared its independence and in
response Gorbachev ordered an economic blockade of the republic. When that did not work
Gorbachev had solders go into the capital of Lithuania and attacked civilians.
7. What was Boris Yeltsins position in Soviet government? Why did he oppose Gorbachev?
Yeltsin was a member of the parliament and was the former mayor of Moscow. He opposed
Gorbachev for the violence in Lithuania and for how slow his reforms were. Yeltsin will be
elected president over Gorbachev in the 1991 elections.
8. What name was given to the older communist members in parliament? What opinion did they
have regarding both Gorbachev and Yeltsin? Explain your answer.
9. What was the August Coup? Who orchestrated it?
The August Coup was Soviet hard liners tried to take back the government that they had built.
But this will not be successful because the military ends up supporting the new government
officials.
10. What were the most important reasons for the failure of the Coup?
The military ends up supporting the new government instead of the hard liners.
11. How did the 15 soviet Republics respond to the failed Coup?
The 15 republics end up wanting their own nations and no longer wanted to be part of Russia.
12. When Gorbachev stepped down as president, who became the next president?
Boris Yeltsin will become the next president of Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union.
13. What was the new name of the Soviet Union after this coup?
The commonwealth of Independent Stats or CIS.
14. What was Yeltsin attempting to do by forming the CIS? What effect would it have on the
traditional Soviet Union?
Yeltsin was trying to keep all of the republics in Russia together.
15. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Yeltsin was faced with economic issues. What did
he do to attempt to solve these issues? Did it work? Why or why not?
Yeltsin tried to stabilize the economy with Shock Therapy he lowered trade barriers, removed
price controls, and ended subsides to state-owned industries. This plan did not work in the way
he wanted at most he did more harm than good.
16. When Yeltsin stepped down, a new leader was elected. What are some of the problems
that faced this new leader, Vladimir Putin?
The economic trouble that Yeltsin faced is a problem for Putin he also faced a problem with the
Russian people wondering if a democracy in Russia could really work
17. In what ways were the policies of Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin similar?
The main problem that all 3 of them faced was the economic trouble that Russia was having.

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World Cultures 11

Unit II: Russia

Name: Tim Grau

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