The Fall of the USSR

Question 1

Who does G want to replace B’s ‘Gerentocracy’

Answer 1

New, young communists to end the stagnation

Question 2

What idea was instroduced at the 27th party congress in 1986

Answer 2

‘Glasnost’ - new committment to ‘genuine’ democracy

Question 3

What initial steps were taken in reaction to 27th party congress?

Answer 3

New head of media - true extent of Stalin’s terror published
- much media that was critical of Stalin was unbanned

Question 4

What happened at the 19th party congress in 1988

Answer 4

Senior Officials admit to true extent of economic weakness - contrasted usual meetings where lying was commonplace

Democratic election reform was permitted

Question 5

Why does Glasnost destablize the party?

Answer 5

Shakes Russian faith in Communism
- Also allows for profound criticism

Question 6

Importance of the 1989 election

Answer 6

• Several High-Ranking Coms defeated
• Yeltsin won with 89% of vote in Moscow
• Violence in Georgia
• Yeltsin promotes private property and greater autonomy for states

Question 7

Importance of 1990 elections

Answer 7

Anti-communist trends
‘Democratic Russia’ wins 85% of seats in Moscow

Question 8

What weakens the Party significanlty

Answer 8

G’s Reforms of Glasnost and Democrazitation

Question 9

How does G try to gain more power and why does this fail?

Answer 9

G appoints himself ‘President of the SU’ but is unelected to loses respect to Yeltsin

G does censor some press and use troops which makes him a hypocrite

Question 10

What was the economic growth of USSR in 1955 compared to 1980

Answer 10

7.1% - 0.6%

Question 11

4 fundamental flaws USSR’s Economy

Answer 11

1) Lack of Incentive - no one wanted to produce grain as there was no money to be made - in 1970s, Richest 10% were only 3x richer than bottom 10%
2) Waste - Gosplan is unadaptble -reward for porduction over quality - 400k tractors made but 20% not used as no drivers
3) Lack of Modernisation- 1960s, 25.4% of russians worked on farms by human labour
4) Military Spending - 17% - 1965-84

Question 12

Biggest issue with G’s way of reforming

Answer 12

too quick and rapid changes meant no real fundamental basis

Question 13

Two examples of failed Reforms by G

Answer 13

Alcohol Production - Tries to cut down on alcohol consumption by reducing alcohol production at state run factories by 50%. Instead leads to citizens drinking illegally manufactured alcohol which loses the government 67billion roubles in vodka, making economic problems worse.

Acceleration - Designed to end economic stagnation whcih meant huge increase in investment.

Failed because Russia sold oil at $70 a barrel in 1981 but price went $20 per barrel in 1985

Soviet Oil revenues drop, and Gorbachev borrows from the West (debt increased from $18.1b in 1981 to $27.2b in 1988).
Creates an economic crisis.

Question 14

What were successful reforms pased by G

Answer 14

Law on Co-operatives (1988) - Legal to set up large-scale private companies. By 1990, nearly 200,000 were set up. In the first year, turnover increased from 29.2m roubles to 1.04b roubles. Income larger than those who were state employed

Gosplan abolished (1990).

Question 15

What were successful reforms pased by G

Answer 15

Law on Co-operatives (1988) - Legal to set up large-scale private companies. By 1990, nearly 200,000 were set up. In the first year, turnover increased from 29.2m roubles to 1.04b roubles. Income larger than those who were state employed

Gosplan abolished (1990).

Question 16

Problems with Market Economy

Answer 16

• This partial market undermined the central planning system while at the same time failed to create an effective market alternative.
• There were shortages in essential goods and in 1990 there were severe food shortages
• In April 1990, Gorbachev finally cut government ‘caps’ for basic products and allowed them to rise
• Led to a small inflation

Question 17

What the consequences of the small inflation in 1989

Answer 17

Gorbachev’s approval rating dropping from 52% in December 1989 to 21% in November 1990
Strikes increase - 1755 enterprises had strikes in 1991

Question 18

What is the impact of the transition to a Market economy

Answer 18

By 1991, the Govt is essntially bankrupt

Question 19

How big a factor was economic weakness

Answer 19

Long term weakness in the Soviet economy clearly undermined the Soviet Union but there was no economic crisis in 1985.

Question 20

What was G’s assumption about the nature of the Republics

Answer 20

G thought ppl felt more loyal to the USSR than to their individual republics

Question 21

Stablity of Republcd was maintained by waht?

Answer 21

B’s ‘Social Contract’ - economic decline threatens livelihood for people in republics

Question 22

What was Resented by Non-Russians

Answer 22

Unlike Brezhnev, Andropov and Gorbachov want effective gov over representation gov - the ‘better’ candidates were all Russian and replaced the non-Russian leads to

Question 23

Link between Gladnost and Nationalism

Answer 23

It exposed ways in which Stalin’s government had persecuted non-Russian people
It allowed people to see how much better Western living was - From the mid-1950s to mid 1980s citizens in the republic were broadly happy but this comparison frustrated them

Question 24

What was the ‘Sinatra Doctrine’

Answer 24

each country should follow their own path to Communism which allows greater freedom in Eastern Europe.
A rejection of B’s doctrine which allowed Russia to intervene in other states

Question 25

Examples o violence under G

Answer 25

There was violence all over including secret police shooting demonstrators in Romania and nationalist protests in the region of Azerbaijan which led to violent riots

Question 26

First country which regained their independence

Answer 26

In March 1990, the newly elected parliament of Lithuania declared Luthuanian independence from the Soviet Union

Question 27

what was the ‘Tsibili Syndrome’

Answer 27

Massacres in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan leads to lots of losing faith in Communist government

means SU could no longer rely on military - Soviet forces using violence to stop protests in Georgia (9th April 1989) - 19 killed, thousands wounded - Gov refuses to take responsibility and became increasingly unlikely to use force

Question 28

Why were G’s response to growing naitonalism ignored

Answer 28

• Negotiations hampered because, unlike the nationalist leaders, Gorbachoev was unelected.

Question 29

What was the 18th of August 1991

Answer 29

18th August 1991, 8 senior Communists establish of an Emergency Committee
Tried to launch coup when Gorbachov is on holiday
Yeltsin heads resistance to the coup and it collapse on 21st August