a.

b.
c.
d.
e.

Politburo ruling committee of the communist party.

Soviet hard-liners old members of the government that oppose reform.
coup a group of people in a government that work to make change.
CIS Commonwealth of Independent States.
shock therapy- shift to free market economics.

1. Identify and define two early changes that Gorbachev made? How were these changes
different from previous Soviet leaders?
Gorbachev he idea of openness, or Glasnost, and also had the idea of perestroika.
2. Why would it be ineffective for the central government to decide what should be
produced all over the country?
The production could rise and the price would stay the same. Workers would not be
motivated to improve efficiency.
3. Explain Gorbachevs third reform and how it would help to move the country toward
democracy.
The third reform was called Democratization. This was made to gradually open the political
system of the soviets. This plan called for a new legislative body and the foreign policy also
changed.
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 was the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces. This treaty banned the use long range
nuclear missiles. Gorbachev did not have the money to spend on the war, so he and Ronald
Reagan signed the treaty. I think it is good because there wont be as much damage and it could
save civilian lives
5. What effect did Gorbachevs reforms have on Russian ethnic minorities?
Because of his reforms, over 100 ethnic groups demanded their freedom. Russians were the
largest group, but were accompanied by 14 other major ethnicities.
6. Which satellite nation was first to defy Gorbachev? How did Gorbachev respond?
Lithuania was the first nation to defy him. In response, Gorbachev ordered an economic
blockade. Still worried that Lithuanias courage would inspire he sent troops to the capital to
attack unarmed civilians.
7. What was Boris Yeltsins position in Soviet government? Why did he oppose
Gorbachev?
He was a member of the parliament and former mayor of Moscow. He opposed Gorbachev for
his attack on Lithuania and for his slow paced reforms.

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 Yeltsin and Gorbachev because they did not
want reform.
9. What was the August Coup? Who orchestrated it?
The August Coup was an attempt to take over the government and overthrow Gorbachev by a
group of members in the Soviet Unions government. It was orchestrated by Boris Yeltsin.
10. What were the most important reasons for the failure of the Coup?
The anger they sparked with the Communists and Gorbachevs resignation.
11. How did the 15 soviet Republics respond to the failed Coup?
They all declared independence.
12. When Gorbachev stepped down as president, who became the next president?
Boris Yeltsin.
13. What was the new name of the Soviet Union after this coup?
The Commonwealth of Independent States.
14. What was Yeltsin attempting to do by forming the CIS? What effect would it have
on the traditional Soviet Union?
He was trying to promote integration of the newly independent states. The traditional Soviet
Union would not have promoted these new states.
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 proposed shock therapy as an answer to the troubles he was facing at the time. Shock
therapy was the change to a free market economy. It did not work. It caused and inflation rate
of 800 percent. And it cut peoples jobs because of high demand.
16. When Yeltsin stepped down, a new leader was elected. What are some of the
problems that faced this new leader, Vladimir Putin?
The trouble with Chechnya continued under Putin for years. After withdrawing troops from
Chechnya, they attacked a theater in Moscow, which caused 150 Russian deaths.
17. What was the Chechnya issue? How did Putin deal with it? Was he able to end this
issue for the new Federation? Explain.
It was a battle between Russian and the Soviet Union. He was not able to put an end to right
away. He withdrew troops when he thought tensions calmed, but they retaliated.

18. In what ways were the policies of Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin similar?
All of these men were desperately trying to force change on Russia for the betterment of the
country, however they all faced difficulties that hurt Russian more than they had helped it.