RR - Unit 5 - Collapse of the USSR Flashcards
1
Q
6 Interpretations of Explaining the Fall of the USSR
A
- Economic weaknesses
- Economic reform
- Political reform
- Nationalism
- Yeltsin’s role
- Gorbachev’s role
2
Q
5 Aspects of Economic Weaknesses
A
- Lack of incentives
- Waste
- Lack of modernisation
- Arms Race
- Centralisation
3
Q
Economic Weaknesses - Lack of Incentives - 4 Points
A
- 1945 - 1980 - USSR became increasingly more egalitarian (small difference between the rich and poor)
- People paid the same for all jobs
- Little benefits for hard work or innovation
- People were less motivated to try or produce more, which was bad for industrial and agricultural production rates
4
Q
Economic Weaknesses - Waste - 2 Points
A
- Gosplan focused on quantity of produce and not quality, so large amounts were produced and wasted
- Gosplan demanded the production of 400,000 tractors, but 20% were wasted due to a shortage of tractor drivers
5
Q
Economic Weaknesses - Lack of Modernisation - 3 Point
A
- Soviet agriculture lacked modernised equipment, meaning more people were needed, as it relied on manual labour, which was expensive in the long term
- Transport of food was difficult, which meant that food was wasted
- 1960s - 25.4% of Soviet workers employed on farms, compared to 4.6% in America
6
Q
Economic Weaknesses - Arms Race - 4 Points
A
- From 1945, the USSR produced more expensive military equipment
- Constant expenses became unsustainable throughout the years, unlike the USA, which could cope with such expenses
- Caused areas such as agriculture to be starved of investment
- Between 1965 - 1985, Soviet GDP expenditure on defence increased from 12% to 17%, whereas America only spent 6% of their GDP
7
Q
Economic Weaknesses - Centralisation - 3 Points
A
- Economy was controlled by government administrators, which caused low production rates - particularly in agriculture, where people the people who set target tended to be in experienced
- Government set the times for planning and harvesting of plants, and farmers could not use their expertise to decide when it would be best to do, which reduced production
- Centralisation negatively affected agriculture, so less food was produced and less were being fed
8
Q
5 Aspects of Economic Reform
A
- Gorbachev’s economic reform
- Rationalisation 1985 - 1986
- Reform 1987 - March 1990
- Transformation March 1990 - August 1991
- Impact of the transition to a market economy and the 500 Day programme
9
Q
Economic Reform - Gorbachev’s Economic Reform - 6 Points
A
- The measures introduced often exacerbated pre-existing problems
- Food production remained inadequate and enterprises were still subjected to state interference
- Products were diverted from state-shops to co-operatives, which produced inflation, stripped state shops of supplies,
- Particularly affected those on a fixed income, and poorer cities were left without adequate food supplies
- Government seemed to find them effective, so they were kept
- Introduced economic policies in 3 stages: rationalisation, reform, and transformation
10
Q
Economic Reform - Rationalisation 1985 - 1986 - 8 Points
A
- Aim was to stimulate economic modernisation, and create higher rates of production
- Known as ‘Uskorenie’ (acceleration)
- Intended to end economic stagnation by increasing investment to modernise the economy
- Predicted industrial output increase was 20% over the next 15 years
- Failed - Soviet revenue dropped when the price of oil did, so government had less money to invest
- Financed acceleration by borrowing from other counties, which increased USSR debt from $18.1 billion in 1918 to $27.2 billion in 1988
- Reduced alcohol production in state-run factories by 50%, and 55,000 Party members were assigned to a taskforce tackling illegal production of moonshine
- By 1987, alcohol production was still double that in the 1960s
11
Q
Economic Reform - Reform 1987 - March 1990 - 4 Points
A
- Aimed to introduce market forces into the Soviet economy
- 1987 - Law on State Enterprises, where power went from State to factory management
- Failed there was little power given to factory managers
- Higher prices on products, so government had to pay more, which increased debt
12
Q
Economic Reform - Transformation March 1990 - August 1991 - 7 Points
A
- Involved the abandonment of fundamental aspects of Soviet economy systems
- January 1991 - private property introduced, so people could own their own factory or house
- April 1919 - citizens allowed to trade stocks and shares
- Economy declined further
- By the end of Summer 1991, the government was essentially bankrupt
- 1991 - 500 Day programme published, proposing widespread privatisation and complete marketisation in less than two years
- Pressure from senior officials meant Gorbachev was less supportive of this
13
Q
Economic Reform - Impact of the Transition to a Market Economy and the 500 Day Programme - 7 Points
A
- Recognised something had to be done to improve the economy and identified the weaknesses within the economy
- 500 Day programme was not brought in quickly and fully
- Failed to deal with long term weaknesses, such as alcohol revenue dropping and waste
- Created the need for political reform and caused food shortages
- Market became weaker and less able to provide for Soviet citizens
- Government greatly increased debt, particularly after oil prices dropped
- Support for Gorbachev was rapidly declining
14
Q
8 Aspects of Political Reform
A
- Motivators for Gorbachev’s reforms
- Problems of political reform
- Motivators for Glasnost
- Glasnost
- Consequences of Glasnost
- Democratisation
- 1989 elections
- 1990 elections
15
Q
Political Reform - Motivators for Gorbachev’s Reforms - 4 Points
A
- He was a true communist, and believed democracy needed to be created, as one party was only meant to be temporary
- Wanted to non-violently purge corrupt members
- Increase freedom of speech and was aware that many people had become cynical of communist rule
- Wanted to revitalise the Party, such as open debates, allow intellectuals more freedom of expression, and allow the public to have better access to information
16
Q
Political Reform - Problems of Political Reform - 3 Points
A
- People became increasingly aware of corruption, but only tolerated it due to increased living standards
- Reforms threatened control over satellite states, such as Poland and Hungary
- Early political reforms included replacing senior officials close to Brezhnev and tackling stagnation, appointing young communists that supported reform, democratisation, and Glasnost
17
Q
Political Reform - Motivators for Glasnost - 3 Points
A
- Need for the government to be more truthful and exposure of corruption
- Method of removing opposition within the Party to allow reform
- Wanted to bring in people that supported him, such as intellectuals
18
Q
Political Reform - Glasnost - 8 Points
A
- Means ‘openness’
- Aimed to encourage citizens to put forward new ideas and demonstrate initiative
- Liberalisation of the media in the hope that greater freedom would create new ideas for the Party to use
- Nineteenth Party Congress - openness extended and senior Party officials admitted problems, such as inadequate healthcare, education, and poverty of the rural population
- Caused people to criticise the Party, and once it started it did not stop
- Complained about poor housing
- Investigations into Soviet history revealed details of Stalin’s terrors, famine of the 1930s, the Katyn Massacre, the Aral Sea, etc
- Created a lot of hatred targeted at the Party
19
Q
Political Reform - Consequences of Glasnost - 6 Points
A
- Divided the Party as many thought Gorbachev’s economic and political reforms would end the Party, which led to the emergence of factions
- Revelations about the Party led to distrust
- Free media allows for more criticism
- Gorbachev was accused of reforming too slow
- Groups in the USSR demanded independence rather than reform
- Destabilised Party rule
20
Q
Political Reform - Democratisation - 7 Points
A
- Began in 1988 at the Nineteenth Party Congress, which introduced radical reforms, including multi-candidate elections, although all candidates had to be communist
- 1989 - first multi-candidate elections, which saw the removal of several senior members, including 5 in the central committee
- Radicals performed the best - Yeltsin won 89% of the votes in Moscow
- March 1990 - elections in the Republic that weakened the Party further
- 1990 - further reforms, and Gorbachev became President of the USSR, although this position was not elected by the Congress of People’s Deputies, meaning it lacked legitimacy and Yeltsin was soon voted in by the pimple
- Gorbachev was granted emergency powers for 18 months to deal with the economic crisis and growing unrest in the Party
- Occasionally used this to censor the press or use Soviet troops to restore control in non-Russian republics
