World Cultures 11

Unit II: Russia

Name _______________________________
Date _______

Block ___________

Read the article entitled The Collapse of the Soviet Union and complete the questions below.

Identify/define each of the following: [remember to answer fully]

a. Politburo The ruling committee of the Communist party
b. Soviet hard-liners Conservatives who refused to reform
c. coup Clever act of accomplishment or plan.
d. CIS Commonwealth of Independent States
e. shock therapy Yeltsins abrupt shift to free market economics. He lowered trade barriers,
removed price controls and ended subsides to state owned industries.

1. Identify and define two early changes that Gorbachev made? How were these changes different
from previous Soviet leaders? Gorbachev decided to pursue new ideas and made a movement towards
Democracy, which was different than most other Soviet leaders. He also announced a policy of glasnost
which allowed the economy to be more open.

2. Why would it be ineffective for the central government to decide what should be produced all over
the country? It would be ineffective, because individuals could not increase their pay by producing
more, they had little motive to improve their efficiency.

3. Explain Gorbachevs third reform and how it would help to move the country toward democracy. His
new policy was called democratization, it allowed the political system to loosen its grip gradually.

4. What was the IMF Treaty? Why did Gorbachev agree to sign it? What effect do you think this Treaty
had on the Cold War? The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty. This banned nuclear missiles with
ranges of 300-3400 miles. Reagan and Gorbachev signed it. Gorbachev realized that the Soviet economy
could not handle the costly arms race.

5. What effect did Gorbachevs reforms have on Russian ethnic minorities?

Russian people decided to revolt and were not scared of the government any longer.

6. Which satellite nation was first to defy Gorbachev? How did Gorbachev respond?
Lithuania, Gorbachev ordered a blockade of the republic.
7. What was Boris Yeltsins position in Soviet government? Why did he oppose Gorbachev?
He was a Member of Parliament and former mayor of Moscow. He looked to Gorbachev for leadership
but didnt see it.

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.
Hard-liners. They were furious that Gorbachev had given up the Soviet Unions role as the dominant
force in Eastern Europe. They also feared losing their power.

9. What was the August Coup? Who orchestrated it?

Hard-liners detained Gorbachev at his vacation home on the Black Sea and demanded him to resign.

10. What were the most important reasons for the failure of the Coup?
The soviet people had lost their fear of the government.

11. How did the 15 soviet Republics respond to the failed Coup?
They ordered troops to attack the parliament building but they refused.

12. When Gorbachev stepped down as president, who became the next president?
Boris Yeltsin.

13. What was the new name of the Soviet Union after this coup?
Russia

14. What was Yeltsin attempting to do by forming the CIS? What effect would it have on the traditional
Soviet Union?

The CIS was a loose formation on the former Soviet Territories.

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?
He used Shock Therapy.

16. When Yeltsin stepped down, a new leader was elected. What are some of the problems that faced
this new leader, Vladimir Putin?
The issue in Chechnya and Russia's Economy in general.

17. What was the Chechnya issue? How did Putin deal with it? Was he able to end this issue for the
new Federation? Explain. Chechnya wanted to gain its independence but Yeltsin refused. He ordered
40,000 troops into Chechnya to stop the rebellion and reduced its capital to rubble.

18. In what ways were the policies of Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin similar?
The policies of all three leaders all wanted to rebuild the economy and better lives of the people.