9.3 Flashcards
How was Gorbachev seen?
In America, he was widely respected for his willingness to reform
Awarded Noble Peace Prize in 1990
In the USSR, he was seen as a villain
Why was he thought of as a villain in the USSR?
Leading members of the Communist Party believed that the policies of glasnost & perestroika had weakened communism rather than reviving it
What happened on 19th August 1991?
A group of senior communist governement officials - known as the ‘Gang of Eight’ - organised a coup to remove Gorbachev from power
Describe the events of the coup:
- The new government declared a state of emergency and removed the policies of perestrika and glasnost
- Coup only lasted for 3 days
Who was Boris Yeltsin?
The Chain of the Russian Supreme Soviet
What part did Yeltsin play in the coup?
Yeltsin played a crucial role in the in overthrowing the new government
He called the new government illegal and called on the people of Moscow to resist this regime
When did Gorbachev return to Moscow?
He returned to Moscow and resumed his position as leader on
21st August 1991
What had happened to Gorbachev’s reputation following the coup?
It had damaged his authority
Yeltsin was now the popular hero
What did Gorbachev issue as his last-ditch attempt to save the Soviet Union?
Introduced a new constitution which would give the Soviet republics, such as Latvia and the Ukraine, much greater independence
What was the downfall of the new constitution?
The leaders of the countries wanted full independence and never accepted the new constitution
They saw how Eastern European countries had been able to break away from Moscow and wanted to do the same
What happened in 1990 regarding the Baltic states?
The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania decalred themselves independent which was accepted by Moscow in 1991
Why did Gorbachev announnce the dissolution of the Soviet Union?
- Fears that the country was about to disintegrate
- Gorbachev found that he was opposed by most sections of Soviet society
The Soviet Union was split into several independent states
When was the dissolution of the Soviet Union?
25th December 1991
When did the Warsaw Pact end?
Military co-operation stopped in early 1990
The Warsaw Pact oficially ended in July 1991
Why did the Warsaw Pact end?
- Warsaw Pact was an alliance that united communist states
- States that were once in the pact became capitalist
- This meant that the Pact no longer served any pupose
- The Soviet Union could not longer economically afford to bolster the Warsaw Pact
