Gino DePaul

Indentify/define each of the following: [remember to answer fully]

a. Politburo The ruling committee that was a follower of the communist
party.
b. Soviet hard-liners - Those who rebelled against the Soviet Union and its
government systems and staged a coup against Gorbachev.
c. coup - A very sudden, violent, and illegal seizure from a government.
d. CIS A loose federation of former soviet territories
e. shock therapy A quick and abrupt shift to a free market.

1. Identify and define two early changes that Gorbachev made? How were these
changes different from previous Soviet leaders?
They let churches open, which was something that had never been allowed to do
before. Also, it released dissidents from prison and allowed the publication of books
for previously banned authors to take place. This was different than before because
old leaders used to be very strict on not showing self expression of any type, and
these are both ways that Gorbachev was allowing it.

2. Why would it be ineffective for the central government to decide what should be
produced all over the country?
It would be ineffective because people all across the country demand different
things, and some things are easier to producer in certain areas of the country
because of the land and weather and also the people already in that area know how
to do it. People would rise up and fight against the central government trying to
control what should be produced for this reason.

3. Explain Gorbachevs third reform and how it would help to move the country
toward democracy.
Perestroika, which was the idea of economic restructure and make it stronger. He
allowed people to have more control over their businesses, regardless of social

class, and also let people open their own private businesses. This is a step towards
a democracy because everyone is equal and capable of making their own decisions
economically under this reform.

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? The INF treaty was the IntermediateRange Nuclear Forces treaty which was signed in order to ban nuclear missiles with
ranges of 300 to 3,400 miles. He agreed to sign it because he began to realize that
the Soviet Union couldnt afford to take part in the very expensive arms race. I
believe the effect it had on the cold war was that it made it less violent, due to the
fact that it assured that bombings with nuclear weapons could not be used. This
was very important because still to this day nuclear weapons are still the most
dangerous weapons that can be used against another country.

5. What effect did Gorbachevs reforms have on Russian ethnic minorities?

It helped them a lot and gave them some of the same opportunities of those in
other groups. It showed that in some way, people could be all equal throughout the
Soviet Union at one point, and work hard to gain the same kind of living as
everybody else.
6. Which satellite nation was first to defy Gorbachev? How did Gorbachev
respond?
Lithuanian was the first to defy Gorbachev and he responded by sending troops who
were armed, tanks, and cannons. The only difference from before was that this time,
the Soviet people werent afraid to fight for their rights.
7. What was Boris Yeltsins position in Soviet government? Why did he oppose
Gorbachev?
He was a member of parliament and a former mayor of Moscow. He did not like the
how slow the pace had been with putting in place the reforms he had. He also
opposed the fact of the crackdown he put on Lithuania
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.

9. What was the August Coup? Who orchestrated it?

The hardliners kidnapped Gorbachev at one of his vacation homes, and were trying
to force him to give up his role as the Soviet Union president. Later, tanks, bombs,
guns, and soldiers rolled into the streets of Moscow; however, the people werent
scared this time around and were willing to stand up and fight for their rights.

10. What were the most important reasons for the failure of the Coup?

11. How did the 15 soviet Republics respond to the failed Coup?
It sparked anger amongst the group, and after Gorbachev resigned, they voted to
stop all party activities, leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

12. When Gorbachev stepped down as president, who became the next
president?
Boris Yeltsin became the next president.
13. What was the new name of the Soviet Union after this coup?
Russian Federation.
14. What was Yeltsin attempting to do by forming the CIS? What effect would it
have on the traditional Soviet Union? He was attempting to have a loose federation
of former territories. It put a definite and final end to the Soviet Unions existent.

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? He
started using a free market economy, and multiple new reforms were made to help
the issue. However, it had not worked and many kids were homeless and hungry on
the streets of Moscow.

16. When Yeltsin stepped down, a new leader was elected. What are some of the
problems that faced this new leader, Vladimir Putin? He was faced with problems
economically, politically, and socially. He used a market economy for good at this
point, and controlled the people and what they were doing regularly more so.

17. What was the Chechnya issue? How did Putin deal with it? Was he able to end
this issue for the new Federation? Explain. They are a large Muslim group in the
southwest of Russia. They declared their independence, but Yeltsin denied their
request. This angered the people. They started becoming a terrorist group, and
although Putin tried to stop the war with them, it still occurs regularly and people
die frequently from their doings.

18. In what ways were the policies of Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin similar?

They ultimately came up with reforms and plans to make the region a stronger
country, and have a better living for the people. They all wanted to make some type
of change, and didnt use complete communism either.