World Cultures 11

Unit II: Russia

Name Hayley Kagan _

Date _11/14/14
Block 2

Read the article entitled The Collapse of the Soviet Union and complete the questions below.
Identify /define each of the following: [remember to answer fully]
a. Politburo The politburo was the ruling committee of the Communist Party.
b. Soviet hard-liners - The hard-liners are the old bolsheviks that are still around.
c. coup - A coup is an attack against the government in an attempt to change how it works.
d. CIS The CIS is the Commonwealth of Independent States. When the U.S.S.R. fell the 15
republics still needed each other so they formed the CIS.
e. shock therapy- Shock Therapy was the 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 gave people the freedom to speak. The glasnost gave openness to people. He also introduced
the idea of perestroika. He changed the economic structure.
2. Why would it be ineffective for the central government to decide what should be produced all over the
country?
It would be ineffective because it might not be enough for everyone of one thing and too much of
another.
3. Explain Gorbachevs third reform and how it would help to move the country toward democracy.
Gorbachevs third reform was perestroika. It moved the country toward democracy by
restructuring the economy.
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?
The INF treaty was the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Gorbachev signed it because
he realized that the Soviet Union couldnt afford the arms race. The effect I think it had on the Cold War
was it slowed it down.
5. What effect did Gorbachevs reforms have on Russian ethnic minorities?
Gorbachevs reforms caused ethnic tensions between Russians and other ethnic groups.
6. Which satellite nation was first to defy Gorbachev? How did Gorbachev respond?

Lithuania was the first to defy Gorbachev. Gorbachev responded by ordering an economic
blockade.
7. What was Boris Yeltsins position in Soviet government. Why did he oppose Gorbachev?
Yeltsin was the former mayor of Moscow. He opposed Gorbachev to gain the respect of the
people and become president.
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.
The older communist party was called the hard-liners. They didnt like either one of them
because they were changing the USSR and making it more open.
9. What was the August Coup? Who orchestrated it?
The August Coup was when the hard-liners arrested Gorbachev and demanded his resignation as
the Soviet president. The hard-liners orchestrated the coup.
10. What were the most important reasons for the failure of the Coup?
The most important reason why the coup failed was because Yeltsin had the same ideas as
Gorbachev and wanted to move the country forward and said that everything that Gorbachev did was still
fare in that the people still had freedoms.
11. How did the 15 soviet Republics respond to the failed Coup?
The soviet Republics responded by rebelling and pushing harder for their freedom.
12. When Gorbachev stepped down as president, who became the next president?
When Gorbachev stepped down the next president was Boris Yeltsin.
13. What was the new name of the Soviet Union after this coup?
After the coup failed the Soviet Union was renamed the Commonwealth of Independent States,
the CIS.

14. What was Yeltsin attempting to do by forming the CIS? What effect would it have on the traditional
Soviet Union?

Yeltsin was attempting to create a loose federation of former Soviet territories. A group that
would help each other but wouldnt be one country.
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?
To solve these issues Yeltsin used shock therapy. It was an abrupt shift to free market to from
command. It worked at first but then it didnt because at first people could set their own prices, but the
government own factories couldnt afford to stay open and they closed and that caused many problems.
16. When Yeltsin stepped down, a new leader was elected. What are some of the problems that faced
this new leader, Vladimir Putin?
When Putin came into office Russia and Chechnya where in the middle of a war.
17. What was the Chechnya issue? How did Putin deal with it? Was he able to end this issue for the new
Federation? Explain.
Chechnya wanted to secede but Yeltsin said no and it started a war. Putin dealt with it by force.
He was able to end this issue but putting more troops in and and using force.
18. In what ways were the policies of Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin similar?
The policies of Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin were all similar because they used force to get
things done but they also gave the people rights and freedoms they didnt have before.