The Fall of Communism Name _____________________________

1985-1999

History 8

A) In what ways did Mikhail Gorbachev differ from previous Soviet leaders?

B) How did Gorbachev attempt to change the Soviet economic system? In what ways did he change the country’s governing structure?

C) How did the Cold War change under Gorbachev? Why was he determined to lessen tensions with the West?

D) In what ways did the Reagan presidency change American foreign and domestic policy? Why was he considered a great leader? Assess the positive and negative aspects of his presidency.

E) Describe how communism collapsed in Poland and Hungary. What factors led to the fall of the Berlin Wall? What was the only exception to the peaceful collapse of Eastern European communism?

F) Why did Gorbachev become increasingly unpopular in the USSR?

G) Describe the career of Boris Yeltsin prior to 1991. How was he different from other Soviet leaders?

H) What factors led to the August 1991 coup de etat against Gorbachev? What were the effects of the coup?

I) Describe the events in the fall of 1991 that led to the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

J) What economic changes did the Yeltsin government make in Russia? What were the positive and negative effects of these changes?

K) Describe the means used to privatize state-owned businesses. Explain why privatization did little to change the operation of these businesses.

L) Describe the events that led to the 1993 shelling of the Russian White House.

M) Describe the governmental system of Russia as established by the 1993 constitution.

N) Why were the 1993 and 1995 Duma elections a disappointment for the Yeltsin regime?

O) What was the “Loans for Shares” scheme? Why was this controversial?

P) Why was Russia referred to as “the most corrupt major economy in the world” in the 1990s? What factors led to the growth of organized crime?

Q) What factors led to the outbreak of war in Chechnya?

R) Why did many people expect Yeltsin to lose the presidency in 1996? What factors led to his re-election?

S) Explain why it was so hard to break the control that the oligarchs have on the economy.

T) What were the three main factors that led to the 1998 economic crash? Why were the effects of the crash less severe than originally feared?

U) Why did Yeltsin select Vladimir Putin as his prime minister in 1999? What factors accounted for his Putin’s enormous support in the 1999 and 2000 elections?

V) Assess the presidency of Boris Yeltsin (1991-1999).

Key Terms:

1) Glasnost

2) Perestroika

3) Chernobyl

4) Margaret Thatcher

5) market economy

6) Article Six of the Soviet Constitution

7) Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

8) supply side economics

9) Vaclav Havel

10) Nicolae Ceausescu

11) Deng Xioping

12) Tiananmen Square

13) Baltic Republics

14) shock therapy

15) Anatoly Chubais

16) privatization

17) Duma

18) Vladimir Zhirinovsky

19) oligarchs

20) Boris Berezovsky

21) Vladimir Gusinsky

22) Gannadi Zyuganov

23) IMF