World Cultures 11

Unit II: Russia

Indentify/define each of the following: [remember to answer fully]
a. Politburo Ruling committee of the communist party
b. Soviet hard-liners - Military involved and possible lead to a new world war
c. coup - violent and illegal seizure of power from a government
d. CIS loose federation of former soviet territories
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?
Created a third new policy, democratization which opened the political system. And also another
change he did was a election of a new legislative body. These changes gave the Soviet Union and
chance to be a little more free than the other leaders.
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 citizens may not like this choice of what should be produced.
Which will lead to a large protest which could ultimately lead to people dead because of the
rebellion.
3. Explain Gorbachevs third reform and how it would help to move the country toward
democracy.
His third reform was democratization which was suppose to open the political system. This
would help to move the country to democracy because they would have the chance to vote for
the president.
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 is the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. This treaty banned nuclear
missiles with a range of 300 to 3,400 miles. The effect that it could have on the Cold war would
have been different, it would have been an advantage to whoever had the missile for the war.
5. What effect did Gorbachevs reforms have on Russian ethnic minorities?
The voters can vote for any one from the list of candidates from any office and can be an
unpopular candidate. And the reforms can overpower the party bosses.
6. Which satellite nation was first to defy Gorbachev? How did Gorbachev respond?
Georgia and the Baltic Republics ignored Gorbachev. Gorbachev responded by not opposing to
the reform.

7. What was Boris Yeltsins position in Soviet government. Why did he oppose Gorbachev?
Boris Yeltsin was the president of the Large Federation. He opposed because he wanted to
reform the Russian economy.
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.
The name given to the older communist is gerontocracy, And there opinion was that they could
help fix the economic stuggle.
9. What was the August Coup? Who orchestrated it?
A group of members of the Soviet Union government toke control of the country from Soviet
president Gorbachev. The Soviet Union arranged it.
10. What were the most important reasons for the failure of the Coup?
The hardliners demanded the military attack the parliament building but they refused to
attack.
11. How did the 15 soviet Republics respond to the failed Coup?
They responded by declaring independence after Gorbachev pleaded for unity.
12. When Gorbachev stepped down as president, who became the next president?
The next president after Gorbachev stepped down became Boris Yeltsin.
13. What was the new name of the Soviet Union after this coup?
The new name if the Soviet Union after this coup was the gang of eight.
14. What was Yeltsin attempting to do by forming the CIS? What effect would it have on the
traditional Soviet Union?
He wanted to end of the Soviet Union and this would have a effect on the traditional soviet
union because if he would have succeeded then there would be no more of the Soviet Union.
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 created a plan called shock therapy to shift to free market economy. No it did not work
because many factories that were dependent on the government's money had to cut production
and or shut down the factory in general. Leaving people with no job which lead to more of a
economic problem.
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 the problems in Chechnya where they killed rebels in a theater in Moscow,
and when Russian forces tried to help they were killed. He also was faced with the economic,
political and social problems.

17. What was the Chechnya issue? How did Putin deal with it? Was he able to end this issue
for the new Federation? Explain.
Russia had made and broke a promise before and then the rebels in Chechnya sized in a theatre
in Moscow. And the Russian troops went to help their people but they were killed in the action
of saving them. No he was not able to end this issue because Chechnya were rebellious.
18. In what ways were the policies of Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin similar?
They all wanted to get rid of communism and make the USSR more like the west and modernize.