What explains the fall of the USSR? Flashcards
How many republics made up the USSR?
15
Long term economic problems in the USSR? (5)
- inefficient centralisation
- lack of worker incentive
- infrastructure needed modernising
- increasing military spending 65-85
- stagnating economy (by 85)
3 explanations for why Gorbachev’s economic reforms failed?
- it undermined the existing system
- it failed because Gorbachev kept switching approach
- the inherent weaknesses of the Soviet system couldn’t be saved ie failure was inevitable
3 stages of Gorbachevs economic reforms?
- rationalisation, 85-86
- reform, late 86-90
- transformation, 90-91
uskorenie
‘acceleration’ - an investment programme as part of rationalisation which was meant to modernise the command economy
Two reasons for failure of acceleration?
- money was borrowed from western governments to fund it
- Gorbachev invested in energy production - when experts had argued for investment in high tech machines
One consequence of failure of acceleration?
government debt increased by $9 billion in 7 years
What Law in 1986 made it legal for people to make money doing small-scale jobs like private teaching?
The Law on Individual Economic Activity 1986
What law in 1987 allowed factory managers the power to set the prices for their goods?
The Law on State Enterprises - June 1987
What law made it legal to set up large co-operatives which functioned like private companies?
The Law on Cooperatives
In 1990 Soviet farms produced 218 million tons of grain. Why were there still shortages?
Gorbachev reforms had not provided a valid alternative to the system they undermined. There was no effective distribution system for the grain.
GDP shrunk by how much between 1986-1990?
4%
What allowed senior Party members to become rich under Gorbachev?
they seized control of economic assets which were being privatised
Major political consequence of economic reforms?
approval rates declined
When did the Supreme Soviet introduce private property?
January 1991
When was a law passed allowing citizens to trade stocks and shares?
April 1991
What programme had Gorbachev been steered to water down by hardline communists?
The ‘500 day programme’ which had been designed by economists to introduce a market economy quickly
3 main interpretations of Gorbachev’s economic reforms?
- economic chaos led to political crisis
- reforms simply accelerated inevitable collapse due to long term problems
- Gorbachev’s reforms could have been successful but introducing political reform simultaneously was a mistake
glasnost
a policy of openness from 1986-90
How did Glasnost impact the Party politically?
split into factions of hardliners and moderates against reform and radicals who supported
Why did Glasnost cause citizens to lose faith in the government?
- it revealed the extent of Stalin’s terror
- could see higher SoL in the west
- nationalist groups could public material for their cause
- revealed the economic chaos
What process did Gorbachev begin in 1988, which some historians argue weakened communist rule and led to the fall of the USSR
democratisation
When did the first multi-candidate election occurred?
March 1989
How many members of the Central Committee were defeated in the March 1989 election?
5
When were the first Republic elections?
March 1990
What group won 85% of votes in Moscow in March 1990?
Democratic Russia
IRDG and its importance?
Inter-Regional Deputies Group (IRDG) led by Yeltsin and Sakharov was essentially the first opposition group since 1921, which had grown from the 1989 election
How did Gorbachev become President of the USSR?
He create a new constitution which made the position in 1990, was appointed for it and given emergency powers for 18 months
How many members of Gorbachev’s Politburo were Russian?
all but 1
How did Gorbachev create resentment in the USSR?
introducing a largely Russian leadership increased nationalism as standards of living dropped simultaneously to these changes due to the failure of uskurenie
Examples of nationalist unrest? (3)
- 1988 Armenian/ Azerbaijani riots
- 1989 Uzbeks massacred a muslim minority
- 1988 Tbilisi Massacre
When was the Sinatra Doctrine introduced?
August 1989
What symbolised the end of Soviet control in Eastern Europe?
Fall of the Berlin Wall November 1989
When did Lithuania declare independence?
March 1990
When did Yeltsin declare laws made by the Russian republic were legally superior to Soviet laws?
May 1990
When did Estonia declare itself sovereign?
November 1988
After what event did Yeltsin ask Russian soldiers to refuse Soviet orders?
After 14 were killed in Lithuania in January 1991
When was Gorbachev planning to sign the new treaty for the Union of Sovereign States?
21st August 1991
When was the coup of Gorbachev?
18th august 1991
Why did the coup fail?
soldiers sided with Yeltsin so the coup failed on 21st August
When did Yeltsin ban the Communist Party in Russia?
23rd August 1991
What republics had declared independence by early september 1991?
- Ukraine
- Azerbaijan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Armenia
What percentage of Ukrainians voted for independence from the USSR on 1st December 1991?
90%
Who signed the Minsk Agreement 21st December 1991?
Yeltsin, the leaders of Belarus and Ukraine
What was stated in the Minsk agreement 21st Dec 1991?
That the USSr had been replaced but the CIS (commonwealth of independent states)
How many Republics joined the CIS?
11/15
When did Gorbachev formally resign as President of the USSR?
25th December 1991
When did Gorbachev declare the USSR would cease to exist?
31st December 1991
Why did Gorbachev use the word ‘perestroika’ for his reforms?
Khrushchev had tainted the word reform and perestroika implied restructuring
Phases of perestroika?
- acceleration
- glasnost
- democratisation
- market reform
How did Gorbachev weaken the power of the party to stay in control?
- renouncing the use of violence to hold together the USSR
- arguing for individual rights - less ability to repress opponents
Gorbachev’s fundamental mistakes : (3)
- believing reform could save the USSR
- failing to anticipate the effects of Glasnost
- failing to see the fragility or commitment to the USSR
Gorbachev’s policy mistakes: (4)
- uskoreniye tried to restructure whilst simultaneously increasing output - bound to fail
- constant changing direction + introducing new reforms - no time for reform to work
- simultaneous economic and political reform
- weakened the party’s power base without creating a new one
Gorbachev’s tactical mistakes: (3)
- failed to win over the party
- introduced democracy but didn’t stand for election
- failed to abandon the party after the the coup therefore losing popular support
What contrasting reforms are compared to Gorbachev’s?
China in the 1980s doing economic reform without simultaneous political freedom worked much better
What percentage of the Moscow vote did Yeltsin win in 1989?
89%
When did Yeltsin resign from the Communist party?
July 1990
How much did party membership fall by in 1990?
nearly 3 million
When and why did Yeltsin say ‘take as much sovereignty as you can swallow’?
in 1990 when he was visiting Soviet republics
What did Yeltsin support in 1991?
Baltic states’ declarations of independence
Difference in Gorbachev and Yeltsin’s powebases?
Gorbachev weakened his own powerbase whilst Yeltsin built a new one. Opinion polls showed Yeltsin was more popular than Gorbachev in June 1990
How did Yeltsin’s use of the coup contribute to the fall of the USSR?
- banned the communist party and seized party assets
- emerged as a hero whilst Gorbachev’s reputation was damaged
what were neformaly?
unofficial organisations allowed under Gorbachev. Concerned sports, the environment, philosophy and arts etc.
How many neformaly existed by early 1988? How much did this increase by in the next year?
30,000
doubled by 1989
In August 1987 what conference was held in Moscow and why was it significant?
A conference of 47 neformaly which was not interfered with by the authorities
Why were neformaly significant?
They began as interest groups but grew into popular fronts and then political parties. The Democratic Union formed in May 1988 was the first of these.
