Starter quiz
- Which term describes one of the multiple states that were joined together as part of the Soviet Union under the central Soviet government?
- 'republic' ✓
- Complete the sentence: On 25th December 1991, Gorbachev resigned as Soviet leader and announced the ______ of the Soviet Union.
- 'dissolution' ✓
- When was Gorbachev’s ‘Sinatra Doctrine’ announced?
- November 1989
- December 1988 ✓
- March 1991
- February 1989
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- What event marked the end of decades of division and symbolised a new era of freedom and unity in Europe?
- the announcement of Gorbachev’s ‘Sinatra Doctrine’
- the USSR’s withdrawal from Afghanistan
- the reunification of East and West Germany ✓
- the ‘Gang of Eight’’s coup against Gorbachev
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- What was Boris Yeltsin’s role in the ‘Gang of Eight’’s coup against Gorbachev?
- He declared the new government to be illegal. ✓
- He played a crucial role in opposing the coup. ✓
- He declared the new government to be legal.
- He played a crucial role in beginning the coup.
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- Put the following events in chronological order.
- 1⇔Demands for independence from some of the Soviet republics increased.
- 2⇔The Baltic republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia declared independence.
- 3⇔The remaining republics (with the exception of Georgia) declared independence.
- 4⇔Gorbachev officially announced his resignation as Soviet leader.
Exit quiz
- Which term describes the relaxation of tensions between states which were previously hostile towards one another?
- 'Détente' ✓
- Complete the sentence: US President Ronald Reagan's confrontational approach led to a period of increased hostility known as the ______ Cold War.
- 'Second' ✓
- Whose 'new thinking' encouraged a positive response from the USA and led to an improvement in US-Soviet relations?
- Konstantin Chernenko
- Mikhail Gorbachev ✓
- Yuri Andropov
- Leonid Brezhnev
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- Which of the following events were reasons for the period of relaxed tensions in the Cold War in the 1970s?
- the announcement of Gorbachev’s ‘Sinatra Doctrine’
- lack of economic growth (USSR) and inequality (USA) ✓
- fear of nuclear conflict ✓
- US involvement in the Vietnam War ✓
- the destruction of the Berlin Wall
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- Which of the following events led to an increase in tensions in the Cold War from 1981 onwards?
- the announcement of the Reagan Doctrine ✓
- the US invasion of Grenada ✓
- the introduction of SALT I and SALT II
- the introduction of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) ✓
- the Apollo-Soyuz space mission
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- Put the following events in chronological order.
- 1⇔Gorbachev became Soviet leader.
- 2⇔The Soviet Union abandoned the Brezhnev Doctrine.
- 3⇔The fall of the Berlin Wall
- 4⇔The end of the Warsaw Pact
- 5⇔The dissolution of the Soviet Union
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- In the 1970s, the USA and the USSR followed a policy of Détente, which led to reduced tensions and greater cooperation.
- Détente had ended by the end of the 1970s; events like the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan led to increased tensions.
- Reagan's confrontational approach led to a period of increased hostility known as the Second Cold War.
- Gorbachev's 'new thinking' encouraged a positive response from the USA and led to an improvement in US-Soviet relations.
- By the end of 1991, the USSR had collapsed due to economic problems and demands for independence from its republics.
Common misconception
US-Soviet relations only began to decline when Reagan became US President in January 1981.
There had been a significant decline in superpower relations before Reagan became US President. For example, in 1979, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and Carter’s response led to a serious increase in tension.
Keywords
Détente - the relaxation of tensions between states which were previously hostile towards one another
Cold war - a period between c. 1945 and c. 1991 of intense rivalry and tension between the USA and the USSR
Reform - a change introduced to improve something, often a system or law
Dissolution - when a country or organisation officially ends or breaks apart
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