Welcome Back

1
Welcome Back!

• Tonight
• Review
• Popular Culture of 1970s 1980s
• Mikhail Gorbachev
• Gorbachev Reforms
• Perceptions of Gorbachev
• Rise of Yeltsin
• Coup of 1991
• Collapse of the USSR

2
Yuri Andropov 1982-1984
Head of the KGB under Brezhnev Ambassador to
Hungary Made decision to invade
Hungary Anti-alcohol campaign Slightly Stalinist
in his approach
3
Konstantin CHERNENKO

• Feb-April 1984 (died 1984)
• Paper Pusher
• Repression of dissidents strong

4
Mikhail Sergeevich GORBACHEV

• 1985-1991
• Glasnost (openness)
• Perestroika (restructuring)
• Uskoreniye (acceleration of
• economic dev)
• Alcohol and tobacco reform
• (economic destroyer)!!

5
DISCUSS

• Discuss History of the relationship b/t alcohol
  and the economy in Russia
• Compare and contrast Lenins NEP with Gorbachevs
  uskroseniye reforms

6
DISCUSS

• Sinatra Doctrine vs. Brezhnev Doctrine
• Eastern Bloc countries going their own way vs.
  Tight control by USSR over EE countries
• Withdrawal from Afghanistan
• Severe shortages but freedom of speech
• Continuing repression of political dissidence (
  but less than under Brezhnev)
• Democratization multi-party system
• BACKFIRES!

7
DISCUSS

• Overall stability of USSR
• Was Stalin the last great ruler of USSR?
• Did it ever have a chance of succeeding?
• Main differences b/t Russia and China?
• True or False? Gorbachev wanted a true social
  democracy

8
1991 Coup and Collapse

• Gang of 8
• House arrest at Foros
• Return of Gorbachev plotters arrested
• Yeltsin massive popular support
• Hardline Communist party lashing out at Gorbachev
  and Yeltsin

9
August 1991

• Hardliners arrest Gorbachev to take control of
  Central Party
• Yeltsin rushes to the White House
• Military called upon by General to fire on White
  House and crush uprising
• Popular uprising causes military to abandon posts
• Yeltsin ever popular
• Gorbachev totally weakened the death knell

10
DISCUSS

• Role of minority nations in collapse of USSR
• Did collapse happen overnight or gradually?
• Can you pinpoint EXACTLY when the USSR began to
  collapse?
• Was it under Gorbachev or before?
• What about the role of Afghanistan and détente
  with the West?

11
Boris YELTSIN
12
Boris YELTSIN

• Construction Commissar in Sverdlovsk
• Destroyed the Ipatiev House with Tsar murdered
• Mayor of Moscow 1985-1987
• Big Commie, friends with Gorby
• Bit of a blowhard guy, fights with Gorby,
  criticism, and losing his position
• Critical of Gorby and his reforms, critical of
  the Central Committee, very vocal
• Party began smear campaign against him, he
  attempted suicide
• Portrayed as an insane drunk ( a favorite ploy)
• His criticism of Gorbachev tapped into the
  popular sentiment
• He began to be heard by the people and gains
  popularity
• Elected to political positions in the Party had
  both liberal and conservative supporters

13
Something to Understand

• Gorbachev President of USSR
• Yeltsin President of Russian Federation

14
June, 1991

• First popular political elections in USSR
• Yeltsin effectively overthrows Gorbachev after
  the August coup
• He votes with Ukraine and Belarus to dissolve the
  USSR
• December 24, 1991 Russia takes seat at UN
• December 25, 1991USSR officially dissolved

15
CIS

• Commonwealth of Independent States
• Trade Block / Political Alliance (Economics,
  Defense, Foreign Policy)
• Members Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia,
  Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Moldova, Russia,
  Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan
  (2005)

16
THE ENDof the Soviet Union

• To be continued