World Cultures 11

Unit II: Russia

Indentify/define each of the following: [remember to answer fully]
a. Politburo The ruling committee of the communist party.
b. Soviet hard-liners They were conservatives who opposed reform. They feared losing their
power and privileges. They vowed to overthrow Gorbachev and undo his reforms.
c. Coup An illegal seizure of power from a group of people. The August Coups goal was to
overthrow Gorbachev and it failed.
d. CIS This is the Commonwealth of Independent States. It was the new name of the Soviet
Union after it collapsed, created by Boris Yeltsin.
e. Shock Therapy An abrupt shift to free-market economics.
1. Identify and define two early changes that Gorbachev made? How were these changes
different from previous Soviet leaders?
He made two reforms to try and stabilize the economy and make the government better. They
were called glasnost and perestroika. Glasnost, meaning openness, allowed churches to open,
released dissidents from prison, and allowed the publication of books by previously banned
authors. Perestroika, meaning restructuring, let local managers gain greater authority over their
farms and factories and people were able to open their own practices. This was different from
other leaders because he was the only leader who wanted to pursue new ideas and he wanted to
make the state less totalitarian and independent-minded.
2. Why would it be ineffective for the central government to decide what should be produced
all over the country?
Under central planning, party officials told farm and factory managers how much to produce and
how much they could pay and charge. They could not increase their pay by producing, therefore
they didnt have much to improve their efficiency.
3. Explain Gorbachevs third reform and how it would help to move the country toward
democracy.
It was called democratization and it was the gradual opening of the political system. It called for an
election of a new legislative body. Unlike before, voters could now choose from a list of candidates
from each office. A lot of voters started to choose lesser-known people rather than powerful party
bosses.
4. What was the INF Treaty? Why did Gorbachev agree to sign it? What effect do you think
this Treaty had on the Cold War?
It was the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and it banned nuclear missiles with ranges
of 300 to 3,400 miles. Gorbachev agreed to sign it because he was under pressure from U.S.
military spending and he knew that the Soviet economy could not afford the expensive arms race.
This had a huge effect because it made it so both countries couldnt be attacked by nuclear
weapon that easily and they could prepare better for smaller missiles.
5. What effect did Gorbachevs reforms have on Russian ethnic minorities?
As a result of his reforms, 100 minority groups demanded their freedom. Russians were the
largest group, but there were also 14 other major minorities. Ethnic tensions started in Soviet
society. Unrest spread across the country and nationalist groups started demanding self-rule.

6. Which satellite nation was first to defy Gorbachev? How did Gorbachev respond?
Lithuania was the first and they declared their independence in 1990. Gorbachev tried to force it
back into the Soviet Union by ordering an economic blockade of the republic. He didnt want to
use stronger measures, but he feared that Lithuania would encourage other republics to secede.
In January, Soviet troops attacked civilians in Lithuanias capital, killing 14 and wounding
hundreds.
7. What was Boris Yeltsins position in Soviet government? Why did he oppose Gorbachev?
He was a member of parliament and the former mayor of Moscow. He criticized the attacks on
Lithuania and the slow pace of reforms. In June 1991, he was elected Russias very first
president.
8. What name was given to the older communist members in parliament? What opinion did
they have regarding both Gorbachev and Yeltsin? Explain your answer.
They were called hard-liners. They opposed both of them because they did not want reforms in
their country because they feared losing their power and privileges. They vowed to overthrow
Gorbachev and undo his reforms.
9. What was the August Coup? Who orchestrated it?
The August Coup was an attempt by hardliners to protest outside of Gorbachevs vacation home
and demand his to resign. The next day, several tanks and armored vehicles arrived in Moscow.
The Soviet people didnt care because they had lost fear of the party and they were wiling to
defend their freedom. Yeltsin climbed on one of the tanks and declared that the doings of the hardliners were illegal and that they were to return to normal constitutional developments. Two days
later. Hardliners tried to order troops to attack the parliament building, but they refused. This put
the hardliners out of any kid of rule and the military withdrew and Gorbachev returned to Moscow.
10. What were the most important reasons for the failure of the Coup?
It failed most importantly because Yeltsin declared their actions illegal. When the military wouldnt
follow the hardliners orders, that was the end to their power.
11. How did the 15 soviet Republics respond to the failed Coup?
Estonia and Latvia quickly declared their independence and by early December, all 15 republics
declared independence. Gorbachev pleaded for unity, but no one listened.
12. When Gorbachev stepped down as president, who became the next president?
Boris Yeltsin became the first directly elected president.
13. What was the new name of the Soviet Union after this coup?
It was called the Commonwealth of Independent States, or CIS.
14. What was Yeltsin attempting to do by forming the CIS? What effect would it have on the
traditional Soviet Union?
Yeltsin was attempting to have a loose federation of former Soviet territories, allow all the States to
be independent, and fix the economy. The effect it had on the former Soviet Union is that it
marked its final demise.
15. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Yeltsin was faced with economic issues. What did he
do to attempt to solve these issues? Did it work? Why or why not?
Yeltsin lowered trade barriers, removed price controls, and ended subsidies to state-owned
industries. This didnt work because prices went through the rough and the inflation rate was
averaged to 800%. Many factories had to severely cut down production or shut down entirely. It
also forced thousands out of work and by 1993, most Russians were struggling majorly financially.
These economic problems fueled a political crisis and in October of 1993, legislators opposed to

Yeltsin shut themselves inside the parliament building. Yeltsin ordered troops to raid the building
and many were killed. After this, people accused him of acting like a dictator.
16. When Yeltsin stepped down, a new leader was elected. What are some of the problems that
faced this new leader, Vladimir Putin?
He had to forcefully deal with the rebellion in Chechnya. Russia was also still having economic
problems and people wondered whether Russian democracy could survive. It is estimated that
there were between 30,000 and 50,000 homeless children on the streets of Moscow. There were
high rates of domestic violence and unemployment, a steep population decline, and declines in
the standard of living and the average life expectancy.
17. What was the Chechnya issue? How did Putin deal with it? Was he able to end this issue
for the new Federation? Explain.
In 1991, Chechnya declared its independence, but Yeltsin denied their right to secede. In 1994,
he ordered 40,000 troops to go to Chechnya and they destroyed their capital city. All of the death
and destruction made people throughout Russia angry. This led to Yeltsin stepping down and
Putin stepping in as president. He had to forcefully deal with the rebellion in Chechnya. Russia
said they would pull troops out in July 2002, but no one believed them. Chechen rebels took over
a theater in Moscow and more than 150 were killed in the rescue attempt by Russian forces,
however, the war did come to an end under Putin.
18. In what ways were the policies of Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin similar?
They all wanted change for Russia so that they could make their nation better. However, all of
them ended up doing more harm than good. Also, most of their policies had to deal with
economics because of Russias horrible economy, but again, they all failed.