Russia, 1917-91 | Fall of the USSR (1985-91)

?
Which two leaders were responsible during this period?
Mikhail Gorbachev & Boris Yeltsin
1 of 64
What are the possible reasons for the USSR's fall?
Economic weaknesses; Gorbachev's failure to reform Communist Party/Soviet gov.; 1980s nationalist resurgence; roles of Gorbachev & Yeltsin
2 of 64
What could potentially be the main reason for the fall, and how?
Economic reform failure - Possibly undermined existing system; approach kept changing; long-term weaknesses = inevitable failure.
3 of 64
What were the three steps in the economic reform policy, and when would they take place?
Rationalisation (1985/6); Reform (late '86-90); Transformation (1990/1)
4 of 64
What happened in the rationalisation process?
Andropov's anti-alcohol campaign continued; 'Uskorenie' (acceleration) programme created to modernise economy.
5 of 64
Why did this process fail?
Alcohol bought illegally - less gov. vodka sales wages (67 billion roubles decrease); Uskorenie funded by Western gov. loan (Russia in $18.1 billion debt)
6 of 64
What were the reform laws introduced by Gorbachev?
Law on Individual Economic Acts (Nov 1986); Law on State Enterprises (June 1987); Law on Co-operatives (May 1988)
7 of 64
What happened as a result of the Law on Individual Economic Acts?
Now legal to earn money from small-scale jobs (i.e. private teaching, repairs & maintenance)
8 of 64
What happened as a result of the Law on State Enterprises?
Power devolved from central gov. to factory management - fact. managers could set prices.
9 of 64
What happened as a result of the Law on Co-operatives?
State co-ops (i.e. private companies) could now be created.
10 of 64
Why did market reform fail?
No effective way of goods distribution - shortages increasingly severe
11 of 64
What was the difference between what political hardliners and radicals wanted in Soviet economy?
Hardliners: preservation of Soviet eco/political system; Radicals: speed up reform
12 of 64
What was proposed in the transformation process, and who commissioned it?
Widespread privatisation & complete marketisation; Stanislav Shatalin & Grigory Yavlinsky
13 of 64
What was this proposal called?
500 Day Programme
14 of 64
What did the Supreme Soviet (1991) introduce, and why was it significant?
Private property in way impossible since 1920s: important step towards free market economy.
15 of 64
Why did this feature fail?
Oil production fell by 9%; steel & tractor production fell by 12%. Official report stated Soviet economy = catastrophic.
16 of 64
What were Gorbachev's government goals?
Creation of democracy for workers; greater freedom of speech; end to cynicism towards gov.
17 of 64
In 1985, what were the early reforms for the Party, intellectuals and public?
Party: debate; Intellectuals: more free speech; Public: more access to information.
18 of 64
Who was to be purged in the Party, and why?
Senior Communists that served under Brezhnev, so Gorbachev could appoint a new generation of reform-favouring ministers.
19 of 64
Who was Prime Minister, head of KGB and head of Communist Party in Moscow under Gorbachev?
Nikolai Rzyhkov (Prime Minister); Viktor Chebrikov (KGB head); Boris Yeltsin (Comm. Party head)
20 of 64
What does 'Glasnost' translate to, what did the government need to do for this, and when did it run?
'Openness'- government needed to tell truth; 1986-88.
21 of 64
What happened to the Party as a result of Glasnost?
Divided it - many officials refused to support political & economic reforms.
22 of 64
When did Gorbachev's democratisation process begin?
1988
23 of 64
What happened as a result of the 19th Party Conference (1988)?
Multi-candidate elections authorised.
24 of 64
How much of the vote did Yeltsin win in the March 1989 election, the first Russian election since 1921?
89%
25 of 64
Which group, effectively Communist opposition led by Yeltsin & Sakharov, formed in the 1989 election?
Inter-Regional Deputies' Group (IRDG).
26 of 64
In 1990, what was introduced to give Gorbachev new powers to deal w/ USSR's economic/political problems?
Constitutional reform
27 of 64
What happened to Gorbachev as a result of this?
Appointed President of the USSR by Congress of People's Deputies.
28 of 64
Why didn't the Presidency solve problems?
His new position was unelected, so therefore illegitmate.
29 of 64
What caused the USSR's economic decline?
Acceleration
30 of 64
In 1988, which countries held Nationalist protests?
Karabakh; Azerbaijan
31 of 64
What name was given to the massacre of Meskhitans by Uzbeks in April 1989?
Tbilisi Massacre
32 of 64
Which two factors led to creation of Russian environmental groups?
Chernobyl explosion; Communist environmental impact revelations.
33 of 64
Gorbachev's policy change in which region led to USSR nationalist growth
Eastern Bloc
34 of 64
What was the name given to the August 1989 doctrine allowing greater freedom in Eastern-European countries?
Sinatra Doctrine
35 of 64
Which famous event, symbolising an end to Soviet control over Eastern-Europe, took place on 9th November 1989?
Berlin Wall destruction
36 of 64
Which country declared independence from the USSR in March 1990?
Lithuania
37 of 64
What did Gorbachev do to this country after claiming the independence declaration was illegal?
Imposed economic sanctions.
38 of 64
In May 1990, what did Yeltsin claim that gave Russia a high level of independence?
Russian parliament laws were legally superior to that of Soviet's.
39 of 64
When did Yeltsin resign from the Communist Party, therefore damaging its authority?
July 1990
40 of 64
On 18th August 1990, what was announced to replace Gorbachev's government, and who led it?
Emergency Committee; Gorb's deputy, heads of Army/KGB.
41 of 64
When was a treaty for creation of a more decentralised union to be signed?
August 21st 1990
42 of 64
In January 1991, what did Soviet troops occupy, killing 14 people in the process?
Press & TV headquarters.
43 of 64
Nationalist in which republics declared independence in early September 1990?
Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Kyrgystan, Armenia
44 of 64
When was the Communist Party banned by Yeltsin due to little popular opposition?
Nov 6th 1990
45 of 64
On 4th December 1991, what percentage of Ukranians voted for independence?
90%
46 of 64
What percentage of the Soviet population did Ukraine have at the time?
20%
47 of 64
What was the name of the agreement signed by Yeltsin and leaders of Ukraine and Belarus?
Minsk Agreement
48 of 64
What would replace the USSR - 11/15 former Soviet republics joined on December 21st 1991.
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
49 of 64
When did Gorbachev formally resign as USSR president due to the impact of the CIS?
Christmas Day 1991
50 of 64
When did Gorbachev declare the end of the USSR?
December 31st 1991
51 of 64
What does 'Perestroika' translate to?
Re-structuring
52 of 64
What did Gorbachev replace local republic leaders with?
Russian supporters
53 of 64
What were the 4 phases of Perestroika?
Acceleration, Glasnost, Democratisation, Market reform.
54 of 64
Why did Gorbachev argue the government needed to respect individual rights (i.e. free speech)?
Ensure there was no repeat of Stalin's atrocities.
55 of 64
Why did commitment to individual rights play key role in USSR's fall.
Party's power to repress opposition weakened.
56 of 64
What were the consequences of Gorbachev's reforms?
Economic chaos, reduced faith in Comm. Party and USSR.
57 of 64
Why did the 'uskoreniye' policy fail?
It was designed to restructure industry AND increase output - couldn't happen simultaneously.
58 of 64
Why was introducing new reforms a bad idea for Gorbachev?
They were never given time to grow.
59 of 64
Which other Communist country had many USSR features (i.e. reform introductions), yet their Comm. Party retained power?
China
60 of 64
In terms of market reform, what was different about China's embracing of it compared to the USSR's?
China = quicker, more comprehensive; USSR = slow, inconsistent
61 of 64
How much did the Party's popularity decline in 1990?
18.8%
62 of 64
What did Yeltsin advise leaders of several Soviet nations to do upon visiting their countries in summer 1990?
'Take as much sovereignty as you can swallow'.
63 of 64
Why did Yeltsin have democratic legitimacy?
He had been elected, unlike Gorbachev.
64 of 64

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What are the possible reasons for the USSR's fall?

Back

Economic weaknesses; Gorbachev's failure to reform Communist Party/Soviet gov.; 1980s nationalist resurgence; roles of Gorbachev & Yeltsin

Card 3

Front

What could potentially be the main reason for the fall, and how?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What were the three steps in the economic reform policy, and when would they take place?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What happened in the rationalisation process?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
View more cards

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar History resources:

See all History resources »See all Russia - 19th and 20th century resources »