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Fall of the Soviet Union Flashcards

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1
Q

What percentage of voters voted in favour of the Union Treaty in 1991?

A

75%

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2
Q

Why were some Asian countries such as Kazakhstan keen to remain in the Soviet Union?

A

For economic benefits

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3
Q

How many Russians lived in republics and how did this limit nationalism?

A

60 million - did not experience nationalist affiliation to their country

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4
Q

What was the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

A

Non-aggression pact signed in 1939, gave the USSR the Baltic states in return for alliance to Hitler

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5
Q

What are the Baltic states?

A

Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania

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6
Q

What did Estonia declare in 1988?

A

Its own independence, no violent repercussions

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7
Q

What formed across the Baltic states showing unity for nationalism?

A

A hundreds of miles long human chain

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8
Q

What was the ‘singing revolution’?

A

Protest in the Baltic states, peaceful and sung traditional songs

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9
Q

What did Lithuania declare in 1991?

A

Its own independence following Nationalist victories in elections

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10
Q

How did Gorbachev respond to Lithuania’s declaration of independence?

A

Refused it, then failed to condemn the military when it violently suppressed nationalist protest

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11
Q

What happened in the Lithuanian nationalist protests?

A

Protestors clashed with the military, who acted independently from Gorbachev’s command

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12
Q

How many died in Lithuanian nationalist protests?

A

14

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13
Q

What did Glastnost reveal which caused revolution in Poland?

A

Government repression and the Katyn Forest massacre

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14
Q

What was the impact of democratisation in Poland in 1989?

A

Allowed the Solidarity Political Party and other parties to go up for election in 1989, defeating the Communists in landslide and causing Communist collapse

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15
Q

What was Gorbachev’s response to the collapse of Communism in Poland in 1989?

A

He did nothing, causing similar reforms in surrounding countries

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16
Q

What happened in Hungary in 1988?

A

The hard-line Stalinist leader was sacked and the Government became dominated by reformers, allowed other parties to contest in elections

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17
Q

When did the Communist party collapse in Hungary?

A

Following elections in 1990

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18
Q

Why was the fall of the GDR so symbolic?

A

Because it was the most advanced Communist state and the fall of the wall was an internationally recognised image of the collapse of Communism

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19
Q

What was the status of Romania pre-1989?

A

Most deprived country in the Eastern bloc, relying heavily on Soviet aid - had a corrupt and hated party

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20
Q

What happened in December 1989 in Romania?

A

The army abandoned Ceausescu who was then executed on Christmas day

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21
Q

What did Yeltsin become in 1991?

A

President of Russia

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22
Q

How did the inconsistency of Gorbachev’s reforms impact his support?

A

Increasingly distrusted by both liberals and conservatives, caused factionalism and alienation

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23
Q

What was Soyuz?

A

Conservative unification faction of the Congress of People’s Deputies

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24
Q

What was Article 6 in the USSR?

A

Established in the 1977 constitution stating the Communist party is the sole legitimate party

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25
What was Gorbachev forced to repeal in 1990?
Article 6
26
What was significant about the Soviet Union legislative election of 1989?
It was multi candidate, with no other parties but lots of independents - especially Nationalists in Republics
27
What percentage of votes were for independents in the 1989 election?
20%
28
What percentage of votes in Moscow did Yeltsin receive in 1989?
89%
29
When did Yeltsin win elections to Parliament?
1990
30
When did Yeltsin resign from the Communist party?
1990
31
Who won the USSR presidential election in 1990?
Gorbachev because he was the only candidate
32
What did the Party Conference of 1988 introduce in the USSR?
Multi-candidate elections
33
How were the multi-candidate elections introduced in 1988 corrupt?
1500 seats were up for election, the remaining 750 were already appointed for the Communist party
34
What did the 1988 Party Conference allow in Soviet elections?
No other political parties but trade unions could nominate individual members
35
What did the 1988 Party Conference change about the Supreme Soviet?
They were to meet every 6 months instead of once a year
36
As President of the Soviet Union, what did Gorbachev give himself?
Emergency powers for 18 months
37
Why did Gorbachev create the role of President?
To appear elected and create more central control
38
What does Glastnost mean?
Openness
39
What were the key promises of Glastnost? (4)
- end corruption of Brezhnev era - open up debate in party - allow intellectuals more freedom - allow public access to information
40
How was Chernobyl treated by the government?
No announcement made, meant people weren't evacuated quickly enough
41
When did the Soviet Government admit to Chernobyl?
When radiation was picked up in Scandinavia
42
What was the impact of Chernobyl on Gorbachev's reforms?
Highlighted failure and hypocrisy of Glastnost, causing him to compensate by accelerating it
43
How did Glastnost destabilise the party? (5)
- weakened image - vocalised opposition - caused factions and coups - revealed concealed information - Samizdat became mainstream
44
What were the failures of Perestroika?
Rationing Opposition Inequality and Inflation Debt and Decline Strikes
45
When was rationing reintroduced in the USSR?
1988
46
How was food supply a problem in the USSR in the 1980s?
Food was imported from the West, uncertainty caused people to hoard
47
How did Perestroika cause opposition?
Speed and chaos caused confusion and it was opposed among strict Communists
48
What caused inflation following Perestroika?
Strikes
49
How was there inequality following Perestroika? (2)
- urban wages rose - people working in cooperative businesses were paid higher than state jobs
50
What created debt in the USSR following Perestroika?
Subsidising of food prices and war in Afghanistan
51
How did the economy decline following Perestroika and acceleration?
Dropped by 4% - most significant in USSR history
52
How much did oil revenues decrease by following Perestroika?
By two thirds
53
What strikes occurred following Perestroika?
Miners - demanding higher wages for the first time in years
54
What was Perestroika?
'Restructuring', Gorbachev's policy of decentralisation and introduction of capitalist schemes
55
What were the 3 laws introduced by Perestroika?
1. Encouragement of joint ventures 2. Law on State Enterprise 3. Law on Cooperatives
56
What was the Law on State Enterprise?
Took power away from the state and placed it with individual factory managers, allowing them to set their own prices for products
57
What did the Law on State Enterprise end?
The Command Economy and the power of Gosplan
58
What was the encouragement of joint ventures?
Allowed foreign firms to establish business in the USSR
59
What was the Law of Cooperatives?
Made it legal to set up small-scale private businesses
60
How much higher were incomes from cooperative members than those from normal workers?
2-3x
61
What was the 1990 transformation?
Final plan considered by Gorbachev - 500 day programme transforming the command economy into a free market economy
62
How long did Gorbachev believe successful privatisation would take?
2 years
63
How did the 1990 transformation cause economic paralysis?
Gorbachev's Soviet Government voted against it, Yeltsin's Russian Parliament voted for it
64
What was the ideology of the 12th 5YP?
The Command Economy was not the problem, instead investment in technology and increased workers' discipline was needed
65
How did the 12th 5YP attempt to tackle alcoholism? (2)
- reduced alcohol in state run factories by 50% - prices of alcohol trebled
66
How did the plan to tackle alcoholism in the 1980s fail?
Overall consumption in 1987 was double that in 1960
67
Roughly how many alcoholics were there in the USSR in the 1980s?
At least 4.5 million
68
How did tackling alcohol deplete the Soviet economy?
Lost a large market - as all industry was state-owned, the Government lost a lot of money in vodka sales
69
What was Gorbachev's economic acceleration?
The idea that economic growth had to be stimulated through massive investment, such as in new technology
70
What was the target of Gorbachev's acceleration?
20% growth in 15 years
71
How did investment damage the Soviet economy?
Money from investment came from Western loans so debt increased
72
How did the military-industrial complex of the 1980s cause economic decline?
Lots of money spent on war in Afghanistan and paranoia about nuclear war
73
What was the claim of the Novosibirsk report?
The key problem with the economy was centralisation and the command economy
74
What was the Union Treaty and when was it due to be signed?
Treaty keeping republics as part of the USSR, due to be signed by Gorbachev and Yeltsin on the 20th August 1991
75
Where was Gorbachev in August 1991?
On holiday in Crimea
76
What happened on the 18th August 1991?
Gorbachev was put under house arrest by the Gang of 8
77
Who were the Gang of 8?
Hard-line Stalinist Politburo members
78
What did Yeltsin do on August 20th 1991?
Travels to protect the Parliament, stood on a tank to address the people and convince the tanks to change sides
79
What was the aftermath of the August 1991 coup?
3 died and Gorbachev was released and returned to Moscow
80
What was the consequence of the August 1991 coup?
Secured Yeltsin's popularity - he suspends the Communist party and Gorbachev resigns on Christmas day
81
What were Gorbachev's personal weaknesses? (4)
- raised expectations - inconsistent and hesitant - appeared weak and indecisive - hypocritical
82
How can Yeltsin's character be described?
Opportunist and populist - a phoenix
83
How did Yeltsin curate his personal image?
Travelled by bus to show humility and always had a photographer
84
What did Yeltsin do at the Central Committee Plenum of 1987?
Verbally attacked Gorbachev, broadcast live on TV
85
What did Yeltsin become in 1989?
Mayor of Moscow
86
What was Yeltsin's main agenda?
Russian nationalism
87
In which Asian republics were there violent protests and massacres? (3)
- Azerbaijan - Armenia - Uzbekistan
88
When did the party lose control in Azerbaijan?
1989
89
What was the consequence of the anti-corruption campaign in Kazakhstan?
Local party leader removed in favour of Russian leader - caused violent protest
90
When was the uprising in Georgia?
April 1989
91
What happened in the Georgian uprising?
Nationalist protests against Soviet rule, troops responded with force and 19 were killed
92
What was the aftermath of the Georgian uprising?
Georgians voted overwhelmingly for independence
93
What was 'Tbilisi Syndrome'?
Term for Gorbachev's fear of using violence following the Georgian uprising
94
What was the ideology of Russian Nationalism?
The idea that other countries were dragging Russia down politically and economically
95
What was the Russian Green Movement?
Highlighted damage done by industrialisation
96
What were satellite states?
Countries around the USSR, officially independent with their own governments but widely known to be controlled by the USSR
97
What was the Brezhnev doctrine?
Stated the USSR would get involved to prevent any independence or move away from Communism - abandoned by Gorbachev
98
What was the Sinatra doctrine?
Gorbachev urged satellite states to find their own path to Communism
99
What are the 4 main interpretations of why the Soviet Union ended?
1. Political reforms 2. Nationalism 3. Economic collapse 4. Roles of Yeltsin and Gorbachev
100
Nazi-Soviet pact - Figes
'A tremendous shock. It seemed like a betrayal of their most fundamental ideological principles'
101
Glastnost - Figes
'the means by which the system unravelled ideologically'
102
Economic influence - Remnick
'nothing and no one worked'
103
Political influence - Remnick
'the conceptual revolution begun by Gorbachev allowed people to question the regime and demand an alternative'
104
Why was the Brezhnev doctrine created?
After Soviet intervention was needed in Czechoslovakia in 1968 to prevent liberal reforms
105
What party in Poland challenged the Communist party?
Solidarity - the independent workers' organisation
106
Why was East Germany more reliant on the support of the USSR than other satellite states?
It was an artificial country
107
What 3 factors encouraged the growth of nationalism in the USSR?
1. Environmental concerns 2. The insecurity of local party leaders 3. Culture and language differences
108
What is an example of environmental concerns in USSR republics?
Industrial pollution in the Baltics
109
How did a referendum in March 1991 undermine the significance of nationalism?
Indicated popular support for maintaining the Soviet Union in all republics outside of Georgia and the Baltics
110
What were 3 key weaknesses of the 12th 5 year plan?
- spent more in construction and agriculture than originally intended - slow to use new technology so equipment was broken and out of date - quantity over quality
111
What was the foremost obstacle to Gorbachev's economic reforms?
They were to be implemented by people whom they would disadvantage
112
How did Glastnost affect the Soviet population?
Politicised them
113
What were formed as a result of Glastnost?
60,000 informal groups and clubs holding meetings and organising demonstrations

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