Theme 5 (fall) Flashcards
when did Gorbachev become general secretary
March 1985
Twenty-Seventh party congress
February 1986
Gorbachev attacks Brezhnev era as years of stagnation
when was the Chernobyl nuclear incident
April 1986
twelfth five year plan launched
1986
when were the laws on state enterprises enacted
June 1987
Devolves power of factories to the managers. Allowed to set the prices for the goods they produced
Reason Yeltsin is dismissed as first secretary in Mocscow (November 1987) and then removed from central committee (February 1988)
October 1987 -> Yeltsin attacks Gorbachev’s reforms at a meeting of the Central Committee
when was Yeltsin dismissed as first secretary in Moscow
November 1987
slagged of Gorbachev 1 month before
law on co-operatives
May 1988
legal to set up large co-operatives that functioned like private companies
When was Yeltsin removed from the Politburo
February 1988
slagged of Gorbachev in October 1987
when was the nineteenth party congress?
June 1988
Principle of multi-candidate elections agreed –> Congress of People’s deputies March 1989
when were popular fronts formed in the Baltic republics
October 1988
When did Armenia announce its control over Nagorno-Karabakh
November 1988
same month Estonia declares itself sovereign
when was the election to Congress of People’s deputies
March 1989
first multi candidate election since 1921
when was Gorbachev ‘elected’ Chairman of the Supreme Soviet
May 1989
Doesn’t mean much, little respect
given emergency powers for 18 months to try and deal with economic crisis
when was the 500 days Programme put in place?
August 1990
Called for rapid transition to a market economy
when was the fall of the Berlin Wall?
November 1989
symbolic end to Cold War
When was article 6 repealed
March 1990
opened the way for new political parties to be established (same month as multi party republic elections)
When did Lithuania declare independence from the USSR (illegal)
March 1990
After multi candidate republic elections
When did Yeltsin reign from the communist party?
July 1990
when did Georgia declare independence
April 1991
same month citizens allowed to buy and sell stocks/shares
when did Yeltsin become president of Russia
June 1991
when was the coup by the gang of 8
August 1991
19th - 22nd
when did the Soviet Union recognize the Baltic states as independent
August 1991
same month as coup by gang of 8
when did Yeltsin reject Gorbachev’s new Union Treaty
November 1991
when was the USSR formally cease to exist
31st December 1991
The Novosibirsk Report of 1983
aka “for internal use only”
by economic sociologist Tatyana Zaslavskaya
Drew attention to growing crisis in agriculture caused by state inefficiency and inflexibility
Most Politburo members ignored it, except Gorbachev who was aware that reform was needed
Gorbachev removes opposition / purge
1985: removes Grigory Romanov (leading rival)
appoints Nikolai Ryzhkov (prime minister), Viktor Chebrikov (head of KGB), Boris Yeltsin (head of party in Moscow)
1986: Yeltsin and Yakelov promoted to central comittee
alcohol spending in 1980s (stat)
alcohol accounted for 15% of a household’s spending
Gorbachev quote on excessive alcohol use
April 1985 “we can’t build communism on vodka”(many turned up to work drunk)
methods & goals of the 12th five year plan (1986-90)
methods: increased investment, controlled by central planning
goals: accelerate growth of economy, especially focusing on science and research (mainly engineering)
weaknesses of the 12th five year plan
- ‘acceleration’ paid for this by borrowing
- out of date machinery / technology –> unproductive
- focus remained on quantity over quality
why didn’t Gorbachev’s policy of acceleration actually help the economy?
Didn’t address the fundamental problems that caused issues
Opposition to change from within the state and economic planning apparatus meant real change was hard to make
law on individual economic activity
November 1986
Legal for individuals to make money on small scale jobs
when did the supreme soviet introduce private property
January 1991
USSR citizens allowed to buy and sell stocks & shares
April 1991
government reveals scale of economic problems to the public for first time
1988
statistics to show further economic decline in 1991
1990 - 1991
oil production fell 9%
tractor and steel production both fell 12%
government bankrupt by summer that year
Yeltsin introduces programme of full marketisation
October 1991
neither Soviet or Republican governments had economic power to govern –> difficult to implement
Gorbachev goals 1985
- open up debate within party
- allow intellectuals freedom of expression
- allow public to have access to information
when was Glasnost introduced
1986
policy of openness
information about economics and soviet history made available
Gorbachev changes to media (more radical)
1986
appoints Alexandr Yakovklev for the responsible for Soviet media
he appointed radical editors
soviet press publicise criticisms of Marx and Lenin for first time
1988
when were citizens permitted to listen to foreign radio broadcasts and read foreign newspapers
1988
first multi candidate election since 1921
march 1989
many high ranking officials defeated
Yeltsin wins 89% in Moscow
Lead to the reformation of Inter-Regional Deputies’ Group (IDRG) -> opposition group
republic elections (multi group)
march 1990
Opposition group ‘Democratic Russia’ wins 85% in Moscow
Opposition group ‘Democratic Elections 90’ wins 80% in Leningrad
riots in Kazakstan
December 1986
riots over replacing ethnic kazak Kunaev with Russian Kolbin as president of Kazakstan
(KKK. early because Gorbachev made changes early)
ethnic clashes in Uzbekistan
1989
Uzbeks massacre Muslim minority
Soviet authorities unable to restore peace or negotiate compromise
Tbilsi massacre
April 1989 (1 month after first multi candidate elections)
Georgian nationalists protest against rights of Abkhazian minority
Soviet troops attempt to restore order by force - 19 Georgian protestors killed, thousands more injured
‘Sinatra Doctrine’
August 1989
Renounces USSR’s “right” to intervene in the affairs of other socialist countries
Yeltsin insists laws of Russian parliament are legally superior to Soviet laws
May 1990
Estonia declares itself sovereign (does not leave USSR)
November 1988
same month Armenia announced control over Nagorno-Karabakh
invasion of Lithuania
Lithuania declared independence in March 1990.
January 1991 soviet troops invade Lithuania: occupy the press and television headquarters, 19 killed
response to killings in Lithuania
- Ukrainian miners in Donesk protest
- Yeltsin orders Russian army to refuse any soviet order that would suppress political protest
‘Gang of 8’ coup
1991
18th - 21st August
new treaty to create a more decentralised union
Suggested by Gorbachev in 1990
Complete draft ready July 1991
Meant to be signed August 1991 (caused coup)
Yeltsin removed communist party in Russia
suspends it August 1991
bans it November 1991
Ukraine leaves USSR
1st December 1991
90% Ukrainian population vote to leave
(2nd biggest state in USSR)
Minsk agreement
signed 21st December 1991
Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine leave USSR and form the Commonwealth of Independent Sates (CIS)
when did Gorbachev resign
25th December 1991
military spending in 1985 in USSR vs USA
17% government spending on military
vs 6% for USA (Cold War)
when was perestroika (openness) introduced
1985
attempt to combat alcoholism
1985 - 86 cut alcohol production by 50%
GDP fell 9% as a result (start selling again in 1988)
debt caused by borrowing in 12th 5 year plan
1986 - 1990
debt rose from $18 billion to $27 billion
