Fall of the Soviet Union

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Unit 5 of Russia, A-Level History, Gorbachev and Yeltsin

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58 Terms

1
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When was the 27th communist party congress?

February-March 1986

2
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What 2 things happened at the 27th party congress?

  1. Gorbachev announces ‘genuine democracy’

  2. Gorbachev denounced Brezhnev as an ‘era of stagnation’

3
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When was the New Union Treaty Referendum?

March 1991

4
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In the New Union Treaty Referendum, how many republics voted and how many abstained?

  • 9 voted

  • 6 abstained

5
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Which republics abstained in the new union treaty referendum?

The Baltics, Moldova, Armenia, Georgia

6
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What was the result of the new union treaty referndum?

76% of the voting states were in favour of the treaty (continuation of the union)

7
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When were government subsidies for basic goods cut and what was the result?

  • April 1990

  • Price rises

8
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When did Yeltsin announce a programme of complete marketisation of the Russian economy?

October 1991

9
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What was article 6 of the soviet constitution (introduced by Brezhnev in 1977?)

ensured the communist party was the sole legitimate party in the soviet union

10
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When did Gorbachev revoke article 6?

March 1990

11
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When did Gorbachev become the president of the Soviet Union and who elected him?

  • March 1990

  • Congress of People’s Deputies

12
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When were the elections to the Congress of People’s Deputies?

March 1989

13
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In the election for the congress of people’s deputies, how much of the Moscow vote did Yeltsin win?

89%

14
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When did Yeltsin claim that Russian laws were superior to Soviet ones?

May 1990

15
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When was trading of stocks and shares legalised?

April 1991

16
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When was the law on individual economic activity?

November 1986

17
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What did the law on individual economic activity allow?

individuals to make money from small-scale work

18
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When was the 19th Party Conference?

June 1988

19
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What did Gorbachev propose at the 19th party conference?

The congress of people’s deputies to oversee the government, elected in multi-candidate elections

20
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When were superministries created to streamline economic decision-making?

1985

21
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When did Yeltsin resign from the communist party?

June 1990

22
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Why was Yeltsin able to resign from the communist party?

Article 6 was abolished so politicians were not required to be loyal to the communist party.

23
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What was a result of the 1989 elections for the CoPDs in the republics?

Many high-up communist ministers lost in the elections

24
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When were riots in Kazakhstan and what caused them?

  • December 1986

  • The Kazakh first secretary of the party was replaced with a Russian

25
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What was the name of the new, Russian first minister of Kazakhstan in December 1986?

Kolbin

26
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What mistakes (3) did Gorbachev make immediately following his return from house arrest?

  1. Did not properly thank the people for their support

  2. Continued to claim that communism was right

  3. Allowed Yeltsin to take all the credit and spotlight for the failure of the coup.

27
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Who led the coup (3)?

  1. Vice President Yanaev

  2. KGB Leader Kryuchkov

  3. Defemse minister Yazov

28
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When was the attempted coup?

August 1991

29
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When was the 500 day programme recommended to the government?

October 1989

30
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What was the aim of the 500 day programme?

to achieve a full transition to a market economy in 500 days

31
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Who supported the 500 day programme and who rejected it?

  • Russian government supported it

  • Soviet government rejected it

32
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When did Yeltsin criticise Gorbachev, resulting in his sacking as Moscow party leader?

October 1987

33
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When was the Minsk agreement made?

8th of December 1991

34
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Which states made the Minsk agreement and what group did these states form?

  • Russia, Ukraine, Belarus

  • The Commonwealth of Independent States

35
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When was Gosplan abolished?

1990

36
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When were the independence groups in the Baltics formed and what were they called?

  • April-October 1988

  • Popular fronts

37
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When did the speaker of the Lithuanian Supreme Soviet proclaim Lithuanian independence from the USSR?

11th of March 1990

38
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What was the name of the new, restructured economic policy and when was it introduced?

  • economic perestroika

  • January 1987

39
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What was a part of the economic perestroika policy?

Joint ventures with foreign companies and states encouraged

40
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When were Stalinist hardliners especially critical of Gorbachev and why?

  • March 1988

  • the pace of reforms was too quick

41
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When did Yeltsin reject Gorbachev’s new union treaty?

November 1991

42
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What was Gorbachev’s new elected position, when was he elected and by whom?

  • Chairman of the Supreme Soviet

  • May 1989

  • Elected by the Congress of People’s Deputies

43
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When did Yeltsin become president of Russia?

July 1991

44
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What is the Lithuanian capital, who went there, when did they go, and what was their aim?

  • Vilnuis

  • pro-communists, backed up by the Red Army

  • January 1991

  • aimed to restore communist power

45
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What was Yeltsin’s response to the communist’s effort in Vilnuis?

he condemned it

46
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Which 2 Prime Ministers were defeated in the CoPD elections?

  1. PM of Latvia

  2. PM of Lithuania

47
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How many regional secretaries were defeated in the CoPD elections?

38

48
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When was a chain of people formed across the Baltic states?

August 1989

49
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What did the Baltic chain show and what was the slogan?

  • it showed solidarity and independence

  • ‘holding hands for peace’

50
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When was the 12th five year plan launched?

1986

51
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What did the launch of the 12th five year plan suggest?

The continuation of central planning and command economy

52
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When was the attempted coup?

18-21st of August 1991

53
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When was the law on state enterprises and what was the goal?

  • 1987

  • devolve power from gosplan/central government to factory managers

54
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What did the law on state enterprises allow managers to do?

they could set their own prices

55
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What were the 2 results of the law on state enterprises?

  1. little power was actually devolved

  2. prices rose as they were not set by the state - goods unaffordable

56
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When was the Armenia/Azerbaijan dispute and what are was it over?

  • 1988-1989ish

  • Nagorno-Karabakh

57
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When did Yeltsin suspend the communist party in Russia?

August 1991

58
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When did Yeltsin completely ban the communist party in Russia?

November 1991