Starter quiz
- Which term describes a country that is dominated by another country?
- 'satellite state' ✓
- Complete the sentence: On 7th December 1988, Mikhail Gorbachev, announced that the Soviet Union was rejecting the Brezhnev ______.
- 'Doctrine' ✓
- What was the Velvet Revolution?
- a peaceful protest movement that began in Poland
- a peaceful protest movement that began in Romania
- a peaceful protest movement that began in Czechoslovakia ✓
- a peaceful protest movement that began in East Germany
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- Which countries in Eastern Europe peacefully broke away from the USSR?
- East Germany ✓
- Czechoslovakia ✓
- Poland ✓
- Romania
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- When was the East German government forced to open the border with West Germany?
- 7th December 1988
- 27th June 1989
- 23rd October 1989
- 9th November 1989 ✓
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- Put the following events in chronological order.
- 1⇔Churchill gave his ‘Iron Curtain’ speech.
- 2⇔The Iron Curtain became reality with the construction of the Berlin Wall.
- 3⇔Hungary became a democratic multi-party state.
- 4⇔Hungary created a ‘hole’ in the Iron Curtain.
- 5⇔Thousands of East Germans travelled to Hungary.
- 6⇔East German border guards opened the crossing gates.
Exit quiz
- Which term describes bringing things or people back together after they have been separated?
- 'reunification' ✓
- Complete the sentence: In August 1991, Gorbachev was briefly overthrown by a ______ and when he returned to power his authority was weakened.
- 'coup' ✓
- When did the Warsaw Pact come to an end?
- November 1989
- July 1991 ✓
- March 1991
- February 1989
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- Why was Gorbachev's new approach described as the ‘Sinatra Doctrine’?
- It was named after American singer, Frank Sinatra’s song ‘My Way’. ✓
- It was named after Soviet singer, Frank Sinatra’s song ‘My Way’.
- It disallowed a satellite state to decide on its own which road to take.
- It allowed a satellite state to decide on its own which road to take. ✓
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- Which event made it clear that the Warsaw Pact was in decline?
- the granting of the Nobel Peace Prize to Gorbachev
- the reuniting of Germany after many decades
- the Soviets’ abandoning of the Brezhnev Doctrine
- the Soviets’ failed invasion and withdrawal of Afghanistan ✓
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- Match the evidence to the viewpoint of Gorbachev following his reform attempt.
- West’s view of Gorbachev⇔had many admirers and won an award for peace ✓
- Soviet view of Gorbachev⇔became increasingly unpopular and was forced to step down ✓
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- From 1989, the Soviet Union lost control of Eastern Europe and Germany was reunified as a democratic state.
- The Warsaw Pact ended in July 1991.
- In August 1991, Gorbachev was briefly overthrown by a coup and when he returned to power his authority was weakened.
- From 1990 onwards, demands for independence from Soviet republics critically weakened the Soviet Union.
- On 25th December 1991, Gorbachev resigned as Soviet leader and announced the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Common misconception
The collapse of the Soviet Union happened suddenly.
The collapse of the Soviet Union was a complex process that unfolded over several years, starting with political reforms under Mikhail Gorbachev in the late 1980s and culminating in the formal dissolution in December 1991.
Keywords
Reunification - bringing things or people back together after they have been separated
Coup - a sudden and illegal takeover of a government, usually by a small group of people, often involving the military
Republic - one of the multiple states that were joined together as part of the Soviet Union under the central Soviet government
Dissolution - when a country or organisation officially ends or breaks apart
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