Name
Name two of Gorbachev's aims.
Modernize technology; Restructure economy; Allow greater individual freedom
Define the nationalities problem.
Soviet states want autonomy or independence
Gorbachev has issue because freedom = disintegration of SU
The reformers threw a coup d’ ta in August of 1991.
False (Conservatives/hard liners)
What was the Invasion of Afghanistan (Explain)
Revolution and communist regime; USA: support resistance; SU intervenes to support communists; PRC: support USA policy; Western Europe: condemn but no action (protect Ostpolitik)
Proxy Conflict
A war in which greater powers use third parties as substitutes for fighting each other directly.
Name two reasons for the collapse of the SU.
Cold War conflicts and arms race; Soviet Union domestic issues; Warsaw member weakness; Reforms Gorbachev
Define the summer of sovereignty.
a political act of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
constitutional reform in Russia
intention to establish a democratic constitutional state
expand the rights of the autonomous republics
Collapsed the SU
Yeltsin went on vacation and Gorbachev stopped the coup.
False (other way around)
What is the Solidarity Movement (1980) and what were the reactions?
it became the first independent labor union in a Soviet-bloc country. Solidarity gave rise to a broad, non-violent, anti-communist social movement; SU: does not intervene on request Poland; USA: sanctions + threat to cancel gaspipe; Europe: condemn but against cancellation gaspipe
Workers’ Defence Committee
A body created to give aid to those arrested by the communist authorities and also to help their families.
Name 5 countries that wanted (and may have gained) independence from the SU.
Moldavia; Ukraine; Belarus; Russia; Estonia; Lithuania; Latvia
Define the Union Treaty.
Gorbachev’s response to summer of sovereignty
Referendum: majority agreed (1991)
Ukraine independence had an effect on SU collapse. (True or False)
True (all of the independences had a issues)
What do the Conservatives and Reformers think about Gorbachev?
Conservatives/hard liners: too much change
Reformers: Not enough change + seen as part of 'old crew'
Hard Currency
A globally traded currency such as the dollar, usually from a highly industrialized country
Name one thing that happened in the Years of reduced tension (1984-5)
USA leading arms race (can relax relationship); Fear of nuclear war because of increased tensions; Renewed talks on START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty)
Define Glasnost
Glasnost was taken to mean increased openness and transparency in government institutions and activities in the Soviet Union (USSR). Glasnost apparently reflected a commitment to getting Soviet citizens to discuss publicly the problems of their system and seek solutions. Communist Party no longer only party allowed
(1991) Communist Party illegal and Union Treaty rejected.
True
Who is Mikhail Gorbachev? (why is he important?)
Leader of the SU
End arms race in parity: talks on arms reduction; Achieve peaceful co-existence: put Helsinki Accords in practice; Reform the economy and politics of Soviet Union (glasnost and perestroika); End proxy wars around the world (not always success); Friendlier relations with PRC
The Polish United Workers Party
The Polish United Workers Party, the Communist Party in Poland between 1948 and 1989
Name 3 reasons for the rise of tension between 1979 and 1985
Weakening détente in Europe; Invasion of Afghanistan; Ronald Reagan becomes president (rejects any cooperation); SU destroys South Korean aircraft; Solidarity in Poland
Define Perestroika
program instituted in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Gorbachev in the mid-1980s to restructure Soviet economic and political policy.
decentralized economic controls and encouraged enterprises to become self-financing.
Failed
Example to understand: The agricultural sector, for example, had provided food at low cost thanks to decades of heavy government subsidies.Now, it could charge higher prices in the marketplace – prices many Soviets could not afford. Government spending and Soviet debt skyrocketed, and pushes by workers for higher wages led to dangerous inflation.
In december of 1991 the Commonwealth of the Russian States replaced the Soviet Union.
False (Commonwealth of Independent States)
Who is Boris Yeltsin? (Why is he important?)
leader of the Russian Parliament; Created Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic; lead summer of sovereignty
Command Economy
An economy where supply and pricing are regulated by the government rather than market forces such as demand, and in which all the larger industries and businesses are controlled centrally by the state.