RUSSIA- Fall of the USSR 1985-91- POLITICAL REFORMS Flashcards

1
Q

Glasnost

A

Openness

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2
Q

What were the key criticisms of the Party that came out as a result of glasnost?

A

Poor housing; brutality of Soviet history; reckless waste of human lives in WW2; environmental issues

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3
Q

What had convinced Gorbachev that glasnost was essential?

A

Soviet government’s response to the Chernobyl nuclear accident in April 1986

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4
Q

When had the Soviet population become much more politicised due to Glasnost?

A

1989

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5
Q

How many informal groups and clubs were campaigning for reform by 1989?

A

Over 60,000

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6
Q

When did Gorbachev seek to separate the Party and state?

A

Nineteenth Conference of the Communist Party of June 1988

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7
Q

Why was it so difficult to separate the Party and state?

A

Lines between the two had become so blurred

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8
Q

What did Gorbachev become at the same time he was made General Secretary of the Party?

A

President of the Soviet Union

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9
Q

How did Gorbachev attempt to shift power from the Party to the Soviets?

A

Soviets were to be elected for 5 years rather than 2- gave them greater security in their post

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10
Q

How did Gorbachev attempt to streamline the Party?

A

Departments of the CC were reduced from 20 to 9; 6 new commissions were created; combining ‘superministries’

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11
Q

Who was one of the leading casualties of Gorbachev’s clampdown on corruption?

A

Brezhnev’s son-in-law, Yuri Churbanov, was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment

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12
Q

How did Gorbachev attempt to move towards democratisation?

A

Discussion about secret ballots; June 1987 experiment with multiple candidates in elections for local Soviets; Nineteenth Party Congress of June 1988

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13
Q

When did Gorbachev discuss the idea of secret ballots for multiple candidates?

A

Early 1987

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14
Q

What did Gorbachev announce about elections at the Nineteenth party Conference?

A

Principle of multi-candidate elections would be extended to a national level with elections for the new Congress of People’s Deputies

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15
Q

What was the Congress of People’s Deputies?

A

Set up to provide an independent, supervisory role over the government; part of attempts to separate the Party and state

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16
Q

When did the elections for the new Congress of People’s Deputies take place?

A

March 1989

17
Q

What political system did many reformers become convinced that the USSR needed to move towards after the failure of reforms to the Party?

A

Pluralism

18
Q

How did Gorbachev’s failure to bring substantial reform of the Party affect Party unity?

A

Alienated both ‘liberals’ and ‘conservatives’ in the Party

19
Q

When did disagreements between Yeltsin and Gorbachev come to a head?

A

October 1987 Plenum of the Central Committee

20
Q

How was Yeltsin punished for openly attacking Gorbachev’s slow approach to reform?

A

Sacked as First Secretary in Moscow; removed from the Politburo in February 1988

21
Q

When did the hard-line communists in the Party attempt to strike back and gain some control over events?

A

March 1988

22
Q

How did conservatives within the Party attempt to attack Gorbachev’s slow pace of reform?

A

Published a letter in the Sovetskaya Russia while Gorbachev was on a diplomatic trip to Yugoslavia

23
Q

What was worrying about the conservatives’ attack on Gorbachev with the Sovetskaya Russia letter?

A

Its sentiments were supported by some of his own appointees, such as Viktor Chebrikov

24
Q

When did informal groupings begin to emerge within the Party?

A

During the elections for the Congress of People’s Deputies

25
Q

Which informal group did reformers within the Party create?

A

An Inter-Regional group

26
Q

Which informal group did conservatives within the Party create?

A

Soyuz

27
Q

Who was one of the leading critics who called for the ending of Article 6?

A

Andrei Sakharov

28
Q

When did Gorbachev repeal Article 6?

A

March 1990

29
Q

What was Article 6?

A

Enshrined the one-party state

30
Q

How many seats did the opposition secure in the Leningrad elections in 1990?

A

60%

31
Q

How did Gorbachev retain power after he had repealed Article 6?

A

Elected as President of USSR by the Congress of People’s Deputies

32
Q

Why had the lines between Party and state become blurred?

A

Largely because of the nomenklatura system

33
Q

How were the ‘superministries’ streamlined?

A

5 were merged to create 1 for agriculture

34
Q

When did Gorbachev witness the difficulties that could come along with attacking corrupt Party officials?

A

December 1986, Dinmukhamed Kunayev was removed from the position of First Secretary in Kazakhstan; replaced with an ethnic Russian; rioting

35
Q

Who was acting as leader of the USSR while Gorbachev was in Yugoslavia?

A

Ligachev

36
Q

Which group had Yeltsin successfully led in the elections for the Russian Congress of People’s Deputies?

A

Democratic Platform