Fall of the USSR

Give FIVE long-term economic problems faced by the USSR.

Lack of incentives/ discipline; waste; lack of modernisation; military spending; over-centralisation & inflexibility; reliance on oil exports; corruption

How had the growth rate changed in the Soviet economy between c.1960 and 1980?

c.1960 around 5%; 1980 0.6%

Why was there so much waste in the Soviet economy?

Rewarded quantity over quality; lack of price mechanism

Give a piece of evidence of waste in the Soviet economy.

20% of tractors never used; 12% of machinery unused in 1986; grain rotted due to lack of storage

Why was there a lack of work discipline?

Communist ideology reduced incentives; alcoholism

Give two pieces of evidence that shows the Soviet economy was not modernised.

American farms 6x more productive; slow to invest in electronics and computers

How did lack of modernisation contribute to the collapse of the USSR?

Lower productivity and growth; less food; old equipment caused failure of Twelfth Five Year Plan

Give three reasons for high military spending.

Arms race with USA (SDI); war in Afghanistan; control of Eastern Europe

What percentage of GDP was spent on the military?

17% in 1985 (USA 6%)

Give a piece of evidence for over-centralisation in the economy.

Fertilisers arrived at wrong time/type; sugar beet rose only 28% 1956–80 vs 191% in parts of USA

Why was reliance on oil exports a problem?

Oil price fell from $70 to $20 (1981–85) so revenues dropped by two-thirds

What were the three main phases of Gorbachev’s economic policies?

Acceleration; perestroika; free market (500-day plan)

Give two policies that were part of the anti-alcohol campaign.

Drinking age raised to 21; reduced outlets; destroyed vineyards; halved production

Give two pieces of evidence that the anti-alcohol campaign failed.

Lost 67 billion roubles (9% GDP); lost popularity; no productivity gain; 4.5m alcoholics; illegal alcohol rose

What policy exacerbated over-centralisation?

Superministries (November 1985)

What was the Twelfth Five Year Plan aiming for?

Acceleration (uskorenie) within planned economy

Give two reasons why the Twelfth Five Year Plan contributed to collapse.

Debt rose 2.4% to 6.2% GDP; failed growth; failed consumer goods; pushed deeper reform

Give three laws that were part of perestroika

- Law on individual economic activity (1986)

- Joint Ventures (1987)

- Law on state enterprise (1987/88)

- Law on cooperatives (1988)

What is a joint venture?

Foreign firms in business with the state

Give two features of the Law on State Enterprise.

Less central control of prices/wages; factories choose production after quotas; elect managers

Give two reasons why the Law on State Enterprise contributed to collapse.

Wage rises led to inflation and deficits; unworkable mix of plan and market

Give two reasons why the Law on Cooperatives contributed to collapse.

Higher prices/inflation; profiteering and shortages; corruption; rationing; weak distribution

Why did Gorbachev introduce the 500-day plan?

Economic crisis by 1988; massive strikes (400000 coal miners)

What was the aim of the 500-day plan?

Dismantle planned economy and move to free market

Give two reasons the 500-day plan contributed to collapse.

Lost support from conservatives and reformers; output fell 20%; republic tensions; strikes rose in 1991

What is the key debate about the economy?

Long-term problems vs Gorbachev’s policies

In what three ways could Gorbachev’s economic policies be seen to have failed?

Not go far enough; worsened existing problems; created new problems

Give three things increasingly discussed due to Glasnost.

Poor housing; Stalin’s terror/famine/Katyn; injustices to nationalities; WW2 failures; environmental issues; flaws in communism

Give two specific events that were part of Glasnost.

June 1986 Glavlit relaxed censorship; June 1988 19th Party Conference debate; Dec 1988 Tsipko criticised communism

Give three reasons why Glasnost contributed to collapse.

Exposed problems; politicised people; encouraged anti-communism; made Gorbachev seem weak

What were the first multi-candidate elections?

Some soviets (June 1987)

At what event were proposals made for the Congress of People’s Deputies?

19th Party Conference (June 1988)

True or false: elections to the Congress of People’s Deputies were multi-party?

False – multi-candidate but within communist framework

What faction was formed in the Congress and who led it?

Inter-Regional Deputies’ Group led by Yeltsin

How was power shifting in the USSR?

From party to state

What elections were held in March 1989?

Congress of People’s Deputies

What elections were held in March 1990?

Republic governments

What was allowed after February 1990 and why?

Multi-party elections after repeal of Article 6

Why did Gorbachev lack popular legitimacy?

Elected by Congress not universal suffrage

Give three reasons political changes contributed to collapse.

Encouraged dissent; split party; reduced party prestige; empowered minorities; weakened Gorbachev

What is a satellite state? Give five examples.

Eastern European states controlled by USSR: Poland; GDR; Hungary; Romania; Bulgaria; Czechoslovakia

What were the republics? Give five examples.

USSR member states: Estonia; Latvia; Lithuania; Russia; Ukraine; Belarus; Moldova; Georgia; Armenia; Azerbaijan; Kazakhstan; Uzbekistan; Turkmenistan; Tajikistan; Kyrgyzstan

Give two reasons nationalism in satellite states contributed to collapse.

Inspired anti-Soviet movements; weakened Soviet authority; showed USSR might not intervene

What was Gorbachev’s policy towards Eastern Europe called?

Sinatra Doctrine

Give two pieces of evidence nationalism was developing before Gorbachev.

Economic decline bred resentment; Brezhnev encouraged cultural autonomy

Give two ways Gorbachev increased nationalism.

Glasnost exposed repression; worsened economy; replaced leaders; democratisation enabled nationalist victories

Give two examples of nationalist violence with dates.

Nagorno-Karabakh Feb 1988; Fergana 1989; Baku 1990

Give two ways the Tbilisi Massacre contributed to collapse.

Increased independence demands; army reluctant to suppress further unrest

Give two examples of Gorbachev violently suppressing nationalism.

Tbilisi 1989; Vilnius and Riga Jan 1991

When was the first republic to declare independence?

Lithuania March 1990

When were elections in the republics?

March 1990

When and why did the USSR cease to exist?

December 1991 after republics left and CIS formed