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Reading Questions
Reading Questions
6. Which satellite nation was first to defy Gorbachev? How did Gorbachev respond?
Lithuania was the first and they declared their independence in 1990. Gorbachev tried to force it
back into the Soviet Union by ordering an economic blockade of the republic. He didnt want to
use stronger measures, but he feared that Lithuania would encourage other republics to secede.
In January, Soviet troops attacked civilians in Lithuanias capital, killing 14 and wounding
hundreds.
7. What was Boris Yeltsins position in Soviet government? Why did he oppose Gorbachev?
He was a member of parliament and the former mayor of Moscow. He criticized the attacks on
Lithuania and the slow pace of reforms. In June 1991, he was elected Russias very first
president.
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 of them because they did not want reforms in
their country because they feared losing their power and privileges. They vowed to overthrow
Gorbachev and undo his reforms.
9. What was the August Coup? Who orchestrated it?
The August Coup was an attempt by hardliners to protest outside of Gorbachevs vacation home
and demand his to resign. The next day, several tanks and armored vehicles arrived in Moscow.
The Soviet people didnt care because they had lost fear of the party and they were wiling to
defend their freedom. Yeltsin climbed on one of the tanks and declared that the doings of the hardliners were illegal and that they were to return to normal constitutional developments. Two days
later. Hardliners tried to order troops to attack the parliament building, but they refused. This put
the hardliners out of any kid of rule and the military withdrew and Gorbachev returned to Moscow.
10. What were the most important reasons for the failure of the Coup?
It failed most importantly because Yeltsin declared their actions illegal. When the military wouldnt
follow the hardliners orders, that was the end to their power.
11. How did the 15 soviet Republics respond to the failed Coup?
Estonia and Latvia quickly declared their independence and by early December, all 15 republics
declared independence. Gorbachev pleaded for unity, but no one listened.
12. When Gorbachev stepped down as president, who became the next president?
Boris Yeltsin became the first directly elected president.
13. What was the new name of the Soviet Union after this coup?
It was called the Commonwealth of Independent States, or CIS.
14. What was Yeltsin attempting to do by forming the CIS? What effect would it have on the
traditional Soviet Union?
Yeltsin was attempting to have a loose federation of former Soviet territories, allow all the States to
be independent, and fix the economy. The effect it had on the former Soviet Union is that it
marked its final demise.
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 lowered trade barriers, removed price controls, and ended subsidies to state-owned
industries. This didnt work because prices went through the rough and the inflation rate was
averaged to 800%. Many factories had to severely cut down production or shut down entirely. It
also forced thousands out of work and by 1993, most Russians were struggling majorly financially.
These economic problems fueled a political crisis and in October of 1993, legislators opposed to
Yeltsin shut themselves inside the parliament building. Yeltsin ordered troops to raid the building
and many were killed. After this, people accused him of acting like a dictator.
16. When Yeltsin stepped down, a new leader was elected. What are some of the problems that
faced this new leader, Vladimir Putin?
He had to forcefully deal with the rebellion in Chechnya. Russia was also still having economic
problems and people wondered whether Russian democracy could survive. It is estimated that
there were between 30,000 and 50,000 homeless children on the streets of Moscow. There were
high rates of domestic violence and unemployment, a steep population decline, and declines in
the standard of living and the average life expectancy.
17. What was the Chechnya issue? How did Putin deal with it? Was he able to end this issue
for the new Federation? Explain.
In 1991, Chechnya declared its independence, but Yeltsin denied their right to secede. In 1994,
he ordered 40,000 troops to go to Chechnya and they destroyed their capital city. All of the death
and destruction made people throughout Russia angry. This led to Yeltsin stepping down and
Putin stepping in as president. He had to forcefully deal with the rebellion in Chechnya. Russia
said they would pull troops out in July 2002, but no one believed them. Chechen rebels took over
a theater in Moscow and more than 150 were killed in the rescue attempt by Russian forces,
however, the war did come to an end under Putin.
18. In what ways were the policies of Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin similar?
They all wanted change for Russia so that they could make their nation better. However, all of
them ended up doing more harm than good. Also, most of their policies had to deal with
economics because of Russias horrible economy, but again, they all failed.