COLLAPSE

Question 1

why was Centralisation a cause for collapse?

Answer 1

it was a long term issue that meant the Soviet economy was very inefficient
- Fertilisers & pesticides often arrived at the wrong time
- Factories often received the wrong grade of products like steel and oil
- it was difficult to get hold of spare parts and administrators were unable to meet needs of factory managers

Question 2

what problems were there in industry that lead to collapse?

Answer 2

• the economy failed to create incentive for hard work or innovation which reduced productivity
• Gosplan set target for production quantity but not quality which lead to the production of poor quality goods

Question 3

what problems were there in agriculture that lead to collapse?

Answer 3

• Soviet agriculture required a much larger share of the population than the US yet American farms were 6x more productive

Question 4

what problems were there in Soviet infrastructure that led to collapse?

Answer 4

• the Soviet transport system never fully developed/modernised making transporting goods very difficult
• a lack of modern storage facilities meant a lot of product was wasted

Question 5

what were the stages of Gorbachev’s economic policy?

Answer 5

• Rationalisation
• Reform
• Transformation

Question 6

what was Rationalisation under Gorbachev?

Answer 6

the period from 1985-86 where Gorbachev tried to improve the way the command economy worked
- Andropovs anti-alcohol campaign (cut production by 50%)
- introduced programme of investment to modernise the economy

Question 7

what was Reform under Gorbachev?

Answer 7

the period from 1986-1990 in which Gorbachev tried to introduce market measures into the existing command economy
- Law on Individual Economic activity made it legal for people to make money of small scale jobs
- Law on State Enterprises devolved power (to set prices) from the government to factory management
- Law on Cooperatives made it legal to set up cooperatives

Question 8

what was Transformation under Gorbachev?

Answer 8

the period from 1990-91 where Gorbachev abandoned the command economy and tried to introduce a market economy
- ‘500 day programme’ in August 1990

Question 9

what were the failures of the period of Reform?

Answer 9

• citizens bought alcohol illegally
• alcohol sales dropped by 67 billion roubles for the government
• government debt rose from $18.1 billion in 1981 to $27.2 billion in 1988
• Gorbachev invested in energy when advised otherwise and reduced growth

Question 10

what were the failures of market reform?

Answer 10

the reforms undermined the central planning system whilst also failing to create an effective alternate. this lead to a severe shortage of many goods (218 million tons of grain in 1990 but no way to distribute it)

Question 11

what were the political consequences of economic problems?

Answer 11

• between 1986 and 1990 GDP shrunk by 4%
• prices were rising
• party members were rich and able to secure control of economic assets which led to a decrease in support for the communist party
• Oil production fell by 9%
• Tractor production fell by 12%

Question 12

what were Gorbachev’s goals for reform?

Answer 12

• the creation of a democracy for the working people (help allow the people the purge the corrupt and inefficient party members)
• he wanted greater freedom of speech
• allowing people to participate in government to end cynical criticism of the party

Question 13

what were some of Gorbachev’s early reforms?

Answer 13

in 1985:
- open up debate in the party
- allow intellectuals more freedom of expression
- allow the public to have more access to information

Question 14

what did Gorbachev do to senior communists from Brezhnev’s tenure?

Answer 14

purged them to appoint a new generation of ministers who favoured reform

Question 15

what was Glasnost?

Answer 15

1986: a policy of openness that made information on economic and Soviet history more readily available
- 1986 Yakolev was placed in charge of soviet media and appointed radical editors
- 1988 press published criticisms of Marx and Lenin
- 1988 people allowed to listen to Western radio and read Western news
- 1988 scale of economic problems was revealed

Question 16

what were the political effects of Glasnost?

Answer 16

• divided the party (some feared the reform would destroy the party)
• factions emerged
• many citizens lost faith in the government
• opponents of Communism could undermine the government by publishing criticisms

Question 17

what reform to government was made in 1988?

Answer 17

multi-candidate elections were authorised allowing citizens to vote for rival Communist candidates and elects wither radicals or moderates

Question 18

when was the first multi-candidate election?

Answer 18

March 1989 - several high ranking Communists lost wheras radicals did well (Yeltsin won 89% of votes in Moscow)

Question 19

what happened in the March 1990 elections?

Answer 19

• in Moscow a group called Democratic Russia won 85% of seats
• in Leningrad Democratic Elections 90 (an anti-communist group) won 80% of seats

Question 20

What were the consequences of the election reforms?

Answer 20

• the 1989 and 1990 elections weakened the party
• the 1989 election led to the formation of the Inter-regional Deputies group which was a opposition to the Communists
• Nationalists used the elections to campaign for independence
• Yeltsin emerged as an opposition to Gorbachev

Question 21

what did Gorbachev introduce to attempt to regain control in 1990?

Answer 21

a constitutional reform to give himself new powers to deal with the USSR’s growing economic and political problems - the constitution created the new position of President of the USSR (he hoped this would give him authority)

Question 22

did Gorbachev’s presidency succeed?

Answer 22

no - the role was unelectedand did not have any legitimacy

Question 23

what effect did Gorbachev’s purges have?

Answer 23

he replaced Brezhnev’s corrupt government with his own Russian supporters - having only one non-Russian member in the Politburo sparked resentment in the Republics

Question 24

what effect did ‘Acceleration’ have on Republics?

Answer 24

caused economic decline across all of the USSR - this happened at the same time as the appointment of the Russian leadership causing them to take the blame - this lead to growing nationalism

Question 25

how did Glasnost effect nationalism?

Answer 25

• exposed ways Stalin had persecuted USSR’s ethnic minorities
• allowed Soviet citizens to see higher standards of living the the West
• allowed nationalist groups to publish material that demanded greater autonomy

Question 26

where was the growing unrest in the USSR?

Answer 26

• 1988 nationalist protests broke out in Azerbaijan leading to riots
• 1989 Uzbeks massacred the Muslim minority of Meskhetians. this led to a loss of faith of the Soviet government
• 1989 Georgian protests against Abkhazian minority causing the Soviet troops to kill 19 Georgians and injure thousands more
• the explosion of the Chernobyl power plant and the revelation of Communists negative environmental impact led to increasing nationalism

Question 27

what were the consequences of growing nationalism?

Answer 27

it put the party in a difficult situation where Soviet forces were blamed for doing nothing in some places and blamed for using force in others

Question 28

what was the Sinatra Doctrine?

Answer 28

August 1989 - removed the USSR’s right to intervene in the affairs of other socialist countries - Gorbachev argued all countries should find their own way to communism - allowed much greater freedom in Eastern European countries

Question 29

what were the effects of the Sinatra Doctrine?

Answer 29

the change of policy led to revolutions against Communist rule in Eastern Europe - the destruction of the Berlin wall in November 1989 symbolised the end of Communist rule in Eastern Europe

Question 30

what effects did Democratisation have on Nationalism?

Answer 30

allowed nationalists to establish their desire for independence
- March 1990 Lithuania declared independence (Gorbachev claimed it was illegal and imposed economic sanctions)
- May 1990 Yelstin made laws from Russian parliament legally superior (gave Russia a degree of independence from the USSR)

Question 31

what nationalism happened in Estonia?

Answer 31

November 1988 - declared itself sovereign and effectively independent - Estonia did not leave the union but could revive the old flag and educate in their native language

Question 32

what nationalism happened in Lithuania?

Answer 32

March 1990 - declared independence - Gorbachev did not accept this and imposed some economic sanctions - these failed and Gorbachev implemented Soviet force in Jan 1991 killing 14 people

Question 33

what was Gorbachev’s new thinking?

Answer 33

a new language of politics
- Perestroika: implied scientific restructuring he didnt use ‘reform’ as it reminded of Khrushchev’s failures. the new word allowed him to advocate change
- Socialist Markets: made markets seem less capitalist and more compatible with communism

Question 34

what was Gorbachev’s ‘New Leadership’?

Answer 34

replaced local leaders in the Republics with his supporters - seen as a Russian takeover which increased Nationalist support

Question 35

what was Perestroika?

Answer 35

a umbrella term for Gorbachev’s reform
- Acceleration (1985-86) led to economic decline and undermined faith in the party and caused initiation of more radical reforms
- Glasnost exposed the crimes of the previous Soviet governments and undermines the faith in the party and its ideology
- Democratisation allowed alternative candidates to stand which weakened the party
- Market reform further destabilised the economy and showed the Western economy was better

Question 36

what did Gorbachev renounce?

Answer 36

violence as a method of control/ holding together the USSR and Easter Bloc - although violence was still used in some cases Gorbachev reduced the emphasis on violence - weakened the parties ability to hold the union together

Question 37

what were Gorbachev’s opinions on individual rights?

Answer 37

they needed to be respected in order to avoid a repeat of Stalin’s atrocities - other Soviet leaders saw individuals rights as a capitalist idea - played a key role in the fall as it weakened the parties control to repress opposition.

Question 38

what were the consequences of Gorbachev’s political reforms?

Answer 38

failed to revive and renew the USSR - led to economic chaos and a decline in faith of the party

Question 39

what did Gorbachev propose in 1990?

Answer 39

a new treaty for a more decentralised union - negotiations continued in 1991 and by July a new draft establishing a Union of Sovereign States was agreed on (Hardliners thought this would end the USSR and began to plot against Gorbachev)

Question 40

what was established in 1991 by 8 senior communists?

Answer 40

an Emergency Committee which would replace Gorbachev’s government - was led by Gorbachev’s deputy, the head of the KGB and the head of the army - soldiers refused to arrest Yeltsin and without the armies support the coup collapsed

Question 41

what effect did the coup have on Communist rule?

Answer 41

• Yeltsin’s authority was strengthened attacked the communist party. On the 23rd of August he suspended the party in Russia and then banned it on the 6th of November
• Gorbachev’s authority was weakened and the public lost faith in him
• nationalists in Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia all declares independence by September

Question 42

What happened to the Republics?

Answer 42

• in 1991 90% of the Ukrainian population voted to leave the USSR
• Yeltsin and the leaders of Belarus and Ukraine signed the Minsk agreement
• 15 former soviet countries joined the Commonwealth for Independent States (CIS) in 1991

Question 43

when did the USSR formally cease to exist?

Answer 43

31 December 1991

Question 44

what were Gorbachev’s fundamental mistakes?

Answer 44

• believing reform could save the USSR
• failure to anticipate the effects of how Glasnost would undermine the claims of the party
• failure to see the fragility of peoples commitment to the USSR (nationalism)
• his reforms that created the crisis that destroyed the USSR

Question 45

what were Gorbachev’s policy mistakes?

Answer 45

• Acceleration/ uskoreniye lowering output and making ti impossible to reform industry
• his constant changes in direction meaning his policies did not have enough time to succeed
• he attempted political and economic reform at the same time which weakened the entire system

Question 46

what were Gorbachev’s tactical mistakes?

Answer 46

• he failed to win over the party but they resisted reform and obstructed his programme
• he introduced democracy and didnt stand for election which weakened his power
• he failed to abandon the party after the coup which lost him public support

Question 47

why was Yelstin so popular?

Answer 47

• he had a reputation for attacking corruption
• he attacked communists who opposed reform
• he campaigned in the 1989 election and won 89% of votes in Moscow
• he used his powers after the election to criticise Gorbachev

Question 48

how did Yeltsin affect the parties popularity?

Answer 48

when he resigned in 1990 the popularity of the party declined to the public’s positive view of Yeltsin (19.2 million to 16.5 million - 18.8%)

Question 49

why was Yeltsin so significant for nationalists?

Answer 49

he advocated nationalism - 1990 he told leaders of Republics to ‘take as much Sovereignty as you can swallow’ - he supported the Baltic’s declaration of independence - supported creation of nationalist governments

Question 50

why was Yeltsin significant for the Coup?

Answer 50

• he became the centre of opposition to the coup
• he used the coup as a pretext to ban the communist party in Russia
• he seized the communist parties assets
• he emerged the war a hero whereas Gorbachev’s reputation was damaged

Question 51

what other aspects made Yeltsin key in the collapse?

Answer 51

• he was elected whereas Gorbachev was not making him much more legitimate
• he persuaded the leaders of the Soviet military to abandon the USSR and form the new Russian army