Week 9: Europe Integration Flashcards
What’re Gorbachev’s two objectives?
Perestroika and glasnosts
Define perestroika
restructuring. the restructuring of the POLITICAL and ECONOMIC system
Define Glasnost
Openness. The social and political reforms aimed at granting more freedoms to Soviet citizens
- more democratic system
- open up russian society to exposure to western ideas.
Detente
The easing of hostility or strained relations, especially between countries
What was Breznev’s main focus during the 1970s?
Military expansion
Why did Breznev’s military expansion have a negative effect on economy?
because there was too much military spending, citizens did not have enough money and economy suffered because of the focus on heavy industry
Who was breznev succeeded by?
Yuri Andropov, then Chernenko.
What was gorbachevs goals through glasnost and perestroika?
1) to bring soviet union from the edge of economic collapse–> perestroika (economical reform)
2) to create a nation that would be honest about its flaws, and democratic elections –_> glasnost.
In December 1991, which three countries declared the end of the USSR? What was the USSR replaced with?
Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus declared the end of the USSR. Replaced with the COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES
5 Key points that influenced the fall of communism
1) Opening of the political system
- liberalization turns to democratization
- democratic elections pushed a lot of communist hardliners out of the Duma, weakaning the communist party.
- UNDERPINNED BY GLASNOST
2) Breakdown of command economy.
- Gorbachev favored free market but he was slow to implement it
3) End of Cold War brought changes to foreign policy
- Gorbachev instituted “new political thinking”.
- ideas of globalization.
4) the abandonment of communist regimes in Eastern Europe.
- revolutions coming from poland and hungary etc, Gorbachev wasn’t doing anything about that.
5) The breakup of the soviet union itself.
- countries are getting more access as to what is happening in the outside world.
T/F:: Collapse of the USSR sparked liberalization
False. Liberalization and democratization marked the falling of the USSR
What is GOsplan
the official planning organization which developed projects embracing trade and industry. Party of the the planned economy.
Who was the leader of Russia that aided to the dissolution of the USSR?
Boris Yeltsin.
Boris Yelstin had no interest in mainatining the Eastern bloc and wanted Russian ‘sovereignty” from the USSR. What treaty was negotiated in Summer of 1991?
New Union Treaty: had less rigid federation, republic have more power.
Who proposed that the USSR should be wound up of December 1991?
Boris Yeltsin.
