RUSSIA- Fall of the USSR 1985-91- NATIONALISM Flashcards

1
Q

How many republics was the USSR divided into?

A

15

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2
Q

What had Soviet control over Eastern Europe been enforced by?

A

Military action under the Brezhnev Doctrine

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3
Q

How much did the USSR spend annually on propping up communist governments around the world?

A

$40 billion

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4
Q

What did Gorbachev believe about the use of armed intervention?

A

Morally wrong

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5
Q

When had communist rule been imposed on Eastern Europe?

A

After WW2

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6
Q

Why did the ending of the Brezhnev Doctrine pose a particular problem for those Eastern European leaders who wanted to resist reform?

A

Could no longer rely on Soviet military intervention to buttress their regimes

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7
Q

When did the Polish communist government yield to public pressure?

A

1989 with Solidarity- decided to allow it and any other political groups to stand in elections

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8
Q

How did Solidarity fare in the Polish general elections?

A

Defeated the Communist Party in a landslide victory

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9
Q

What happened to the Polish Communist Party as a result of the 1989 elections?

A

Collapsed

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10
Q

Which was the first satellite state to separate itself from communism?

A

Poland

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11
Q

Where did the pressure for reform come from in Hungary?

A

Within the Party

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12
Q

Who had been the hardline leader of the Hungarian Communist Party since 1956 and when was he sacked?

A

Janos Kadar; 1988

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13
Q

What did the Hungarian Communist Party do after it had sacked its leader?

A

Decided to allow other political parties to contest elections

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14
Q

Which satellite state was most reliant on Soviet support?

A

East Germany

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15
Q

When did the Berlin Wall fall?

A

9 November 1989

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16
Q

Who became the East German leader in October 1989?

A

Egon Krenz- refused to sanction widespread repression

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17
Q

When did Gorbachev encourage those who wished to push for reform in East Germany by visiting East Berlin?

A

October 1989

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18
Q

When was the communist regime in Czechoslovakia forced to make concessions in response to public demonstrations calling for reforms?

A

November 1989

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19
Q

What organisation emerged in Czechoslovakia to co-ordinate the campaign to get rid of the communist government?

A

Civic Forum

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20
Q

Who was elected as President of Czechoslovakia in December 1989? (Baclava)

A

Vaclav Havel

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21
Q

When did demonstrations against the communist government begin in Romania?

A

End of 1989

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22
Q

What sealed the end of communism in Romania?

A

Arrest and subsequent execution of Nicolae Ceausescu

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23
Q

Why was Ceausescu forced to flee Romania in December 1989?

A

Even the army were unwilling to support him

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24
Q

What increased the unpopularity of Ceausescu even further?

A

Urged the army to open fire on demonstrators

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25
Q

Where had reformers within the Communist Parties taken the lead in asserting national independence?

A

Hungary; Bulgaria

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26
Q

Where did bloody civil war accompany the break-up of communism?

A

Romania; Yugoslavia

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27
Q

When had every pro-Soviet communist government in Eastern Europe disintegrated by?

A

1989

28
Q

What effect did the change in Soviet foreign policy have?

A

Changed the relationship between Russians and national minorities within the USSR

29
Q

What encouraged the growth of nationalism within the USSR? (3)

A

Environmental concerns; insecurity of local Party leaders; culture and language

30
Q

Where had environmental damage been the greatest in the USSR?

A

Outlying regions

31
Q

What was a major environmental concern in the Baltic republics?

A

Industrial pollution

32
Q

Which area of the USSR was facing soil erosion due to the diversion of rivers?

A

Central Asia

33
Q

Why did the insecurity of local Party leaders encourage the growth of nationalism?

A

Tempting for them to lend their support to popular local concerns in an attempt to maintain their position

34
Q

What was the balance of Russians and non-Russians in the USSR by the 1980s?

A

145 million Russians/141 million non-Russians

35
Q

Why was there violence in Nagorno-Karabakh in 1988?

A

Populated largely by Armenians- ethnic tensions arose over the desire of the Armenians in the area to join the Armenian republic

36
Q

Where was Nagorno-Karabakh?

A

Autonomous region within the Azerbaijan republic

37
Q

What was a clear indication of the growing weakness of the central Soviet government?

A

Armenia announced in November 1988 that Nagorno-Karabakh was under its control

38
Q

Where were there ethnic clashes in the Soviet Union over growing nationalism?

A

Nagorno-Karabakh 1988; Georgia 1989; Kirgizstan 1990; Moldavia

39
Q

Where was the growth of nationalism most concerning for the Soviet government?

A

Baltic republics

40
Q

Which were the Baltic republics?

A

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

41
Q

Why was nationalism in the Baltic republics so threatening for the Soviet government?

A

Had higher levels of education than the Soviet average; among more economically developed regions of USSR

42
Q

When were Popular Fronts established in the Baltic republics?

A

April-October 1988

43
Q

When had the Baltic republics been incorporated into the USSR?

A

1939

44
Q

Who took the lead in the formation of the Popular Fronts?

A

Intelligentsia

45
Q

What did the Popular Fronts call for?

A

Protection for their native languages and cultural traditions and then independence

46
Q

What was used by the Popular Fronts to stage a mass demonstration for independence?

A

Anniversary of Nazi-Soviet Pact, August 1989

47
Q

What was the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

A

Resulted in the Soviet annexation of the Baltic republics

48
Q

What did the protestors do on the anniversary of the Nazi-Soviet pact in a show of independence?

A

Organised a human chain of Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians holding hands that stretched across the 3 republics

49
Q

What success did the Popular Fronts have in 1990?

A

Won a majority in elections to the Supreme Soviets in all 3 Baltic republics

50
Q

Which of the Baltic republics took the lead in declaring independence from the Soviet Union?

A

Lithuania

51
Q

When did Lithuania proclaim that it was an independent state?

A

March 1990

52
Q

Who proclaimed that Lithuania was an independent state?

A

Speaker of the Lithuanian Supreme Soviet, Vytautas Landsbergis

53
Q

What is the capital of Lithuania?

A

Vilnius

54
Q

When did pro-Soviet communists and some Red Army troops attempt to take over the TV station in Vilnius?

A

January 1991

55
Q

How many people were killed in the clashes over Vilnius?

A

At least 13

56
Q

What were the limits of nationalism?

A

Limited experience of independence; Soviet Union had allowed degree of autonomous control; republics had been net gainers of Soviet economic investment; loyalty to local and tribal groupings; role of ethnic Russians

57
Q

Which Ukrainian nationalist organisation found little support in the eastern half of the republic?

A

Rukh

58
Q

Which different Muslim groups was there violence between?

A

Uzbeks and Kyrgyz; Uzbeks and Turkmens

59
Q

How many Russians lived in the other republics of the Soviet Union?

A

60 million

60
Q

What indicated popular support for maintaining the Soviet Union in all of the republics outside of Georgia/Baltic republics?

A

Referendum held in March 1991

61
Q

What legislation contained enough concessions to keep support for a continued union alive?

A

Union Treaty of 1991

62
Q

Which position allowed Yeltsin to undermine Gorbachev’s Union Treaty?

A

Chairman of the Russian Supreme Soviet

63
Q

When was Yeltsin elected as Chairman of the Russian Supreme Soviet?

A

March 1990

64
Q

Which group was Russian nationalism largely confined to?

A

Intelligentsia

65
Q

What put an end to any hopes of Gorbachev’s Union Treaty?

A

August coup of 1991

66
Q

What did Yeltsin use to undermine Gorbachev’s Union Treaty?

A

Support for Russian nationalism

67
Q

What did Yeltsin call for to replace Gorbachev’s Union Treaty?

A

Commonwealth of Independent States made up of the former Soviet republics