Gorbachev's influence

Question 1

Historian Peter Grieder main argument

Answer 1

“its failure can partly be attributed to indigenous factors. Its collapse, however, could only occur once the Soviet Union had withdrawn its support.”

Question 2

The pivotal economic and political changes Gorbachev implemented brought about a substantial departure from…

Answer 2

“democratic centralism” and the previous norm – thereby destabilising the Socialist state

Question 3

Since its inception, the GDR were heavily sustained by the Soviet Union – a fact made evident during the…

Answer 3

East German Uprising whereby Soviet occupation forces declared martial law and employed a significant military presence to suppress riots and defend the East German regime

Question 4

What did the Sinatra Doctrine lead to?

Answer 4

This policy enabled a wave of democratization to surge through the Soviet Union – much to the chagrin of the East German administration

Question 5

By permitting Hungary and Poland to liberalize, Gorbachev showed East Germans that…

Answer 5

emancipation from Moscow would be tolerated

Question 6

How did the newfound prospect of reform in neighbouring states emboldened East Germans?

Answer 6

It emboldened East Germans to envision the potential for similar transformations within their own nation through active pursuit

Question 7

What is an example of a civil rights movement in the GDR?

Answer 7

The New Forum

Question 8

What was the New Forum?

Answer 8

A civil rights movement that advocated for the implementation of democratic principles through the adoption of free and fair elections

Question 9

Historian Martin McCauley on the impact of Gorbachev and the policies he initiated

Answer 9

“Only the collapse of Soviet willpower to defend the GDR could undermine it” as “The state which has emerged in the GDR is the strongest in German history”

Question 10

“Only the collapse of Soviet willpower to defend the GDR could undermine it” as “The state which has emerged in the GDR is the strongest in German history” – what does this suggest?

Answer 10

This implies that the collapse is not attributable to any inherent weakness in the state but rather to the fluctuating geopolitical landscape that was incited by the actions of Gorbachev

Question 11

What were the consequences of Gorbachev publicly criticising the East German system and its leaders?

Answer 11

He undermined the legitimacy of the East German government and cleared the path for democratic reforms and eventual reunification

Question 12

The Soviet leader undertook a visit to the GDR to mark its…

Answer 12

40th anniversary commemorations

Question 13

What did Gorbachev assert at the 40th anniversary commemorations of the GDR?

Answer 13

“life punishes those who come too late”

Question 14

Analyse the quote “life punishes those who come too late”

Answer 14

His prescient warning at the event amounted to an unequivocal rejection of the oppressive totalitarian system – the implication that “life controlled politics rather than the other way around” served to affirm the acute need for immediate action and transformation

Question 15

What did Gorbachev discredit?

Answer 15

The East German propaganda surrounding the supposed principles of democracy in the “Workers and Peasants State”

Question 16

What did Gorbachev facilitate an extreme shift in?

Answer 16

The power structure

Question 17

Historian Arvid Nelson on the role of Gorbachev in the collapse of the East German state

Answer 17

“a combination of economic and ecological decline and increased popular awareness” condemned the state “to oblivion”

Nelson offers an alternative outlook that confronts the notion of a single causal factor for the collapse

He suggests the fall of the state was the consequence of a complex interplay of factors

Nelson highlights the need for a nuanced understanding of the collapse and the complex factors that shaped it – he concludes that a more multifaceted approach is required

Question 18

Critique Arvid Nelson

Answer 18

Whilst the failure of the state might have been influenced by a multitude of factors the sudden and unforeseeable collapse of the state can be primarily ascribed to the actions and policies of Mikhail Gorbachev

Question 19

What per cent of young SED members supported Gorbachev?

Answer 19

90

Question 20

What did the crowds call out in the 40th anniversary celebrations in the presence of the SED and Honecker?

Answer 20

“Gorby! Gorby!” and “Gorby! Help Us!”

Question 21

Church, State and opposition groups from 1987-1989

Answer 21

The state became more repressive and opposition groups more organised. The GDR became more politically polarised and unstable

Question 22

Peter Grieder “Protestant Revolution” quote

Answer 22

Many opposition groups in the country used the churches for their own purposes, while eschewing Christianity”