The Cold War Pt. IV: The Fall of the USSR

Front

Who was elected First Secretary of Czechoslovakia's Communist Party in 1968?

Back

Alexander Dubcek

Front

What reforms did Alexander Dubcek begin in Czechoslovakia?

Back

He began to loosen restrictions on free speech, travel, and civil rights, and started laying the foundations for Czechoslovakia leaving the Soviet Bloc.

Front

What event occurred in August 1968 in Prague?

Back

The leader of the USSR, Leonid Brezhnev, ordered the invasion of Prague to reclaim control.

Front

What was the significance of the Prague Spring of 1968?

Back

It marked the beginning of countries within the Eastern Bloc wanting to break free from Soviet control.

Front

What factors contributed to the weakening of the USSR in the 1980s?

Back

The war in Afghanistan, a declining economy, and a world unwilling to trade with them.

Front

Who came to power in the USSR in 1985 and what reforms did he introduce?

Back

Mikhail Gorbachev came to power and introduced reforms such as Glasnost (freedom of expression) and Perestroika (introducing capitalist concepts to the economy).

Front

What did Gorbachev announce in 1988 regarding the Soviet bloc?

Back

He announced reduction of the Soviet Army in the Eastern Bloc states

Front

What significant event happened on November 9, 1989?

Back

The Berlin Wall came down.

Front

What political change occurred in the USSR in 1990?

Back

Gorbachev legalized the formation of other political parties, and Soviet states started breaking away.

Front

What happened in August 1991 involving the KGB?

Back

The KGB attempted a coup, which failed.