Gorbachev's New Thinking

Question 1

When did Gorbachev became leader of Soviet Union?

Answer 1

March 1985

Question 2

What was the state of the economy when Brezhnev came in?

Answer 2

Huge sums spent on developing arms to keep peace with USA. Barely any industrial growth in USRR or satellite states in mid 1980s. Standars of living in East were far worse than in West

Question 3

What was causing unrest in satellite states?

Answer 3

Low standards of living and lack of human rights

Question 4

Why did authorities declare martial law in Poland in 1981?

Answer 4

The trade union ‘solidarity’ in Poland posed such a threat to the communist government that it was banned

Question 5

Why were there Soviet troops along Polish border?

Answer 5

They carried out maoeuvres ready to invade Poland if necessary

Question 6

How was opposition to communist rule kept in check in satellite states except Poland?

Answer 6

Tight control of secret police, such as the Stasi in East Germany

Question 7

How had the Soviet Union been suffering from poor leadership?

Answer 7

There was a run of leaders who ruled briefly and didn’t have times to make useful future plans. Brezhnev, then Andropov, then Chernenko. The different ideologies of them made Soviet Union unstable

Question 8

What is said that Gorbachev told his wife in 1985?

Answer 8

‘We can’t go on living like this’

Question 9

What was Gorbachev determined to do?

Answer 9

Reform communism in the Soviet Union and did this through his policies

Question 10

What was Perestroika?

Answer 10

Russian for ‘reconstruction’ - proposed the Soviet state and economy should be reformed to include some of the practices that made capitalism successful

Question 11

What was glastnost?

Answer 11

Russian for ‘openness’ - should be more openness and less corruption in government. People should not need to fear the state or fear expressing their opinions

Question 12

What would a polic of glastnost allow?

Answer 12

Opposition to the government and give people a better understanding of how the country was run

Question 13

What Doctrine did Gorbachev drop?

Answer 13

Brezhnev Doctrine which dominated relations with satellite states and West. USSR would no longer get involved in the domestic affairs of other communist countries

Question 14

What else did Gorbachev want the USSR to do?

Answer 14

Reduce spending on arms and defence and withdraw from Afghanistan

Question 15

How old was Gorbachev?

Answer 15

54

Question 16

What did Reagan promise when he became president in 1981?

Answer 16

That he would stand tough against communism as he brought about a ‘second cold war’ with an increase in spending on arms and a more confrontational approach to USSR

Question 17

What happened to USA USSR relations when Gorbachev came to power?

Answer 17

Changed. USSR now had a leader that was not looking to expand communism but was determined to reform USSR and work with the USA to reduce Cold War tensions

Question 18

What did Reagan see in Gorbachev?

Answer 18

. An opportunity to end the Cold War
. Adopt a more open approach to the Soviet Union while still sticking to his overall aim

Question 19

Why did Gorbachev put his new actions into summits?

Answer 19

To bring about further limitations on nuclear weapons

Question 20

What happened at Geneva Summit?

Answer 20

November 1985 - before summit, Gorbachev appointed Eduard Shevardnadze as foreign minister who wasn’t a hardliner. Gorbachev and Reagan met for first time

Question 21

What was the outcome of the Geneva Summit?

Answer 21

No formal agreement but a good working relationship and a mutual desire to improve relations

Question 22

What happened at the Reykjavik Summit?

Answer 22

October 1986 - Gorbachev proposed phasing out nuclear weapons if Americans gave up SDI program

Question 23

What was the outcome of Reykjavik summit?

Answer 23

Both leaders knew SDI wouldn’t be given up. Meeting broke up with no formal agreement again but improved relations again

Question 24

What happened at Moscow Summit?

Answer 24

1988 - some complex detail related to the INF treaty was resolved. Later in the year, Gorbachev travelled to the USA, where he made a speech at the United Nations announcing a reduction in Warsaw Pact troops and that Soviet forces would leave Afghanistan.

Question 25

What happened at Malta Summit?

Answer 25

1989 - Gorbachev met with new president, George Bush

Question 26

What was outcome of Malta Summit?

Answer 26

No new agreements but both sides saw this meeting as the end of the Cold War. Gorbachev said ‘I will never start a hot war against the USA’

Question 27

What did it now mean that Gorbachev gave up the Brezhnev Doctrine?

Answer 27

. Soviet satellite states free to choose how they would be governed
. Don’t have to fear Soviets intervening anymore

Question 28

What did Gorbachev’s reforms encourage?

Answer 28

The people of the satellite states to introduce changes that would improve their standard of living and increase their individual freedoms

Question 29

What were Gorbachev’s reforms not intended to do?

Answer 29

Bring an end to communism but to actually strengthen communist government, both within the USSR and within the satellite states in the Warsaw Pact

Question 30

What happened in Czechoslovakia in November 1989?

Answer 30

‘Velvet Revolutionk overthrows communist government

Question 31

What happened in Poland in June 1989?

Answer 31

Solidarity is legalised and wins a landslide victory in Polish elections

Question 32

What happened in East Germany in September 1989?

Answer 32

Huge numbers of East Germans travelled through Hungary to Austria (to West). On 11th Sept, 125,000 E. Germans crossed border

Question 33

What happened twelve months after Gorbachev’s speech at the UN?

Answer 33

Communist system dismantled through East Europe and Soviet Union disbanded a year later