Gorbachev’s new thinking - Cold War

Question 1

What are examples of problems the USSR faced in the 1980s?

Answer 1

• During the Brezhnev Era, huge sums were spent on developing arms to keep pace with the world meaning economy was low.
• Standards of living in the East were nowhere near as good as the west
• Lack of human rights
• Poor leadership
• Run of leaders who have died from poor health, 1982 - Brezhnev after a long illness.His successor Andropov died in 1984 and Cherchenko died a year later.

Question 2

How are Gorbachev reforms summarised?

Answer 2

GLASNOST and PERPESTROIKA

Question 3

What does GLASNOST mean?

Answer 3

Russian for ‘openness’ or ‘transparency’. In the 1980s and 1990s, it was used to describe Gorbachev’s new,open attitude to government and foreign relations

Question 4

What does PERPESTROIKA mean?

Answer 4

Russian for “ reconstruction”. It was used in the Gorbachev era to describe his programme for reorganising and restructuring the soviet state

Question 5

What two other ways were there a clear sign of a change in policy?

Answer 5

• The Brezhnev doctrine which had dominated the Soviet Union relations with its satelite States and the West since the time of the “Prague Spring” , would now be dropped. This meant the Soviet Union would not get involved in domestic affairs of other communist countries
• The Soviet Union would reduce spending on arms and defence and withdraw from Afghanistan

Question 6

How did Gorbachev’s arrival change relations with the USA?

Answer 6

Gorbachev’s arrival changed relations with the US as Gorbachev was different to the other leaders not looking to expand communism, but reform the soviet Union from the inside, and to work with the US to reduce Cold War tensions.

Raegan saw that there was a real oppurtunity to end the cold war and to adopt a more open approach to the Soviet Union, whilst at the same time sticking to his overall aim