World Cultures 11

Unit II: Russia

Name: Philip Konrad

Date: 11-16-14

Block: 2

Read the article entitled The Collapse of the Soviet Union and complete the questions
below.
Indentify/define each of the following: [remember to answer fully]
a. Politburo Ruling committee of the communist party.
b. Soviet hard-liners politician who stubbornly stays at one position or policy.
c. coup Violent act of power from the government.
d. CIS organization where countries are former soviet republics that happened during
the breakup of the Soviet Union.
e. shock therapy- An abrupt shift to free market economics.

1. Identify and define two early changes that Gorbachev made? How were these changes
different from previous Soviet leaders? He promotes Glasnost and created a totalitarian
state.
2. Why would it be ineffective for the central government to decide what should be
produced all over the country? Because of what Glasnost and Gorbachev brought.
3. Explain Gorbachevs third reform and how it would help to move the country toward
democracy. Perestroika and it would help economic restructuring.
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? It banned nuclear missiles with range up to 300
to 3,400 miles. It may of have stopped a lot of deaths from happen because of the non-use of
nuclear weapons.
5. What effect did Gorbachevs reforms have on Russian ethnic minorities? It could make
people not want to be there anymore or it could cause people to stay there.
6. Which satellite nation was first to defy Gorbachev? How did Gorbachev respond?
Hardliners and had military withdraw them and take care of them.
7. What was Boris Yeltsins position in Soviet government? Why did he oppose
Gorbachev? A Member of Parliament and former mayor of Moscow. They faced a common
enemy known as the hardliners.
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. CIS and they
were not found of them.

9. What was the August Coup? Who orchestrated it? Hardliners and hardliners detained
Gorbachev at his vacation house on the Black sea
10. What were the most important reasons for the failure of the Coup? Hardliners
ordered troops to attack the parliament building but they refused.
11. How did the 15 soviet Republics respond to the failed Coup? Its sparked anger in the
communist party
12. When Gorbachev stepped down as president, who became the next president?
Vladimir Putin
13. What was the new name of the Soviet Union after this coup? Remained as Russia
14. What was Yeltsin attempting to do by forming the CIS? What effect would it have
on the traditional Soviet Union? Was using a method called shock therapy which would make
free market economics.
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?
Shock therapy and no because everything grew and became more expensive rather than helping.
16. When Yeltsin stepped down, a new leader was elected. What are some of the
problems that faced this new leader, Vladimir Putin? There was still a war happing when
Putin was put into power.
17. What was the Chechnya issue? How did Putin deal with it? Was he able to end this
issue for the new Federation? Explain. They declared independence but Yeltsin did not want
that the ordered 40,000 troops into the breakaway public. Yeltsin dropped out and Putin took
care of it.
18. In what ways were the policies of Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin similar?
They all were similar in a way and they all found different ways to help out the soviet union but
in the end did not help at all.