Question 1

Term for identification: Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

Accepted Answer

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization of post-Soviet countries in Eurasia formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It was established on December 8, 1991, by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus when they signed the Belavezha Accords, which declared the Soviet Union effectively dissolved and established the CIS in its place.

The CIS aims to facilitate cooperation in political, economic, environmental, military, and cultural affairs among its member states. The organization serves as a forum for discussing and coordinating mutual interests without the binding nature of a more formal supranational entity like the European Union.

The original founding members of the CIS were Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine. Georgia joined in 1993 but left the organization in 2009. Ukraine never ratified the charter, so it is not officially a member, but it has participated in the CIS as a founding and participating country.

The CIS has several bodies and organizations under its umbrella, including the CIS Executive Committee, which serves as the administrative body, and the Interstate Council (the Council of Heads of State and the Council of Heads of Government), which are the highest decision-making authorities.

The effectiveness and influence of the CIS have been questioned over the years, as some member states have sought closer ties with other international organizations, such as the European Union or NATO, and have sometimes prioritized bilateral relations over multilateral CIS initiatives. Nonetheless, the CIS continues to exist as a platform for dialogue and cooperation among the countries that were once part of the Soviet Union.

Question 2

Describe the issues facing Eastern Europe in 1989. Was Eastern Europe successful in solving these issues? Support your answer with examples.

Accepted Answer

Answers would include a discussion of the Revolutions of 1989, serious economic issues, loss of Soviet financial support, reform communists, and a retiring of the old leaders.

Question 3

After World War II, how did the Soviet Union gain control of Poland?

Accepted Answer

A) By sending in the Russian air force on nightly raids to bomb Poland into submission. 
B) By using a pro-Soviet group backed by the Red Army to disrupt their political opponents. 
C) By intimidating the Polish anti-communists in the country to accept satellite status from Russia. 
D) By aligning with the Polish Nazi resistance movements to overthrow Poland's government. 
E) By threatening to go to war with Poland if they refused to accept occupation by the Soviets. 
A) By sending in the Russian air force on nightly raids to bomb Poland into submission. 
B) By using a pro-Soviet group backed by the Red Army to disrupt their political opponents. 
C) By intimidating the Polish anti-communists in the country to accept satellite status from Russia. 
D) By aligning with the Polish Nazi resistance movements to overthrow Poland's government. 
E) By threatening to go to war with Poland if they refused to accept occupation by the Soviets. B

Question 4

How did the Soviet puppet government leaders in post-World War II Eastern Europe differ from Stalin?

Accepted Answer

A) They were not true Marxist leaders. 
B) They were never able to develop nationalistic feelings in their people. 
C) The majority of the leaders were more adaptable than Stalin. 
D) They did not try to rule as dictators. 
E) They were considered hybrid socialist-capitalist leaders. 
A) They were not true Marxist leaders. 
B) They were never able to develop nationalistic feelings in their people. 
C) The majority of the leaders were more adaptable than Stalin. 
D) They did not try to rule as dictators. 
E) They were considered hybrid socialist-capitalist leaders.

Question 5

What was the major hallmark of Leonid Brezhnev's foreign policy in the 1960s and 1970s?

Accepted Answer

A) He pushed for and openly advocated international anti-Semitism. 
B) He implemented a foreign policy to retain worldwide communist gains. 
C) He wanted to loosen the controls on the Soviet satellites. 
D) He was determined to "humanize" the Party bureaucracy. 
E) He led the reformation of the command economy to end stagnation. 
A) He pushed for and openly advocated international anti-Semitism. 
B) He implemented a foreign policy to retain worldwide communist gains. 
C) He wanted to loosen the controls on the Soviet satellites. 
D) He was determined to "humanize" the Party bureaucracy. 
E) He led the reformation of the command economy to end stagnation.

Question 6

After Stalin, who was the longest serving Soviet leader?

Accepted Answer

A) Khrushchev 
B) Gorbachev 
C) Dubcek 
D) Brezhnev 
E) Yeltsin 
A) Khrushchev 
B) Gorbachev 
C) Dubcek 
D) Brezhnev 
E) Yeltsin

Question 7

In the area of consumer goods, what was the situation for Soviet citizens in the era following World War II?

Accepted Answer

A) Production slowed to such a small scale that Zimbabwe had a larger gross domestic product (GDP). 
B) The Soviet consumers benefited from free trade with Eastern European countries. 
C) The Soviets were in worse shape after World War II than during the years of the Depression. 
D) The Soviet citizens were allowed to use the black market to improve their lives. 
E) The availability of consumer goods had improved but the Soviet Union lagged in heavy industry. 
A) Production slowed to such a small scale that Zimbabwe had a larger gross domestic product (GDP). 
B) The Soviet consumers benefited from free trade with Eastern European countries. 
C) The Soviets were in worse shape after World War II than during the years of the Depression. 
D) The Soviet citizens were allowed to use the black market to improve their lives. 
E) The availability of consumer goods had improved but the Soviet Union lagged in heavy industry.

Question 8

Term for identification: Mikhail Gorbachev

Accepted Answer

Mikhail Gorbachev was a significant poli

Question 9

Perestroika is a Russian term that may very simply be defined in English as ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Perestroika is a Russian term that may...

Question 10

Which of these has NOT been an issue with which Russia's President Vladimir Putin has had to deal?

Accepted Answer

A) The breakaway republic of Chechnya and its terrorists. 
B) The weakness of the Russian agriculture sector. 
C) The tension in the relationship with the United States. 
D) The difficulty of trying to repress democracy and his political opponents. 
E) The interference in former states and government corruption. 
A) The breakaway republic of Chechnya and its terrorists. 
B) The weakness of the Russian agriculture sector. 
C) The tension in the relationship with the United States. 
D) The difficulty of trying to repress democracy and his political opponents. 
E) The interference in former states and government corruption.

Question 11

In 1968, Brezhnev quelled the attempt by ____________________ to separate itself from Soviet domination.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In 1968, Brezhnev quelled the attempt by...

Question 12

What was the only feature of Khrushchev's system that Brezhnev preserved?

Accepted Answer

A) Allowing greater leeway on freedom of the press and of speech. 
B) Entering into aggressive, risk-taking confrontations with the United States. 
C) Raising consumption and living standards. 
D) The permitting of debate within the CPSU on the future of Marxist socialism. 
E) The easing of restrictions on religious worship. 
A) Allowing greater leeway on freedom of the press and of speech. 
B) Entering into aggressive, risk-taking confrontations with the United States. 
C) Raising consumption and living standards. 
D) The permitting of debate within the CPSU on the future of Marxist socialism. 
E) The easing of restrictions on religious worship.

Question 13

In the ____________________, Soviet Russia agreed to allow free democratic elections in Eastern Europe as soon as conditions permitted.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In the ____________________, Soviet Russia agreed to...

Question 14

What led to the downfall of Khrushchev in the eyes of the Communist Party?

Accepted Answer

A) An attempt to gain military superiority over the United States. 
B) The denunciation of Stalin at the 20th Congress of the Party. 
C) The emphasis on producing heavy industrial products. 
D) The policy of allowing some free speech and eliminating censorship. 
E) An attempt to maintain control over the satellites that were communist. 
A) An attempt to gain military superiority over the United States. 
B) The denunciation of Stalin at the 20th Congress of the Party. 
C) The emphasis on producing heavy industrial products. 
D) The policy of allowing some free speech and eliminating censorship. 
E) An attempt to maintain control over the satellites that were communist.

Question 15

Which of the following best describes the Commonwealth of Independent States?

Accepted Answer

A) A forceful, tightly-knit body consisting of Russia and its former republics. 
B) A group of Russian republics dominated by predominantly Muslim states. 
C) A body consisting of all of the former members of the Soviet Union. 
D) A body of republics that orchestrated a series of bilateral agreements among its members for mutual security. 
E) A weak confederation of most former Soviet republics dominated by the Russian republic. 
A) A forceful, tightly-knit body consisting of Russia and its former republics. 
B) A group of Russian republics dominated by predominantly Muslim states. 
C) A body consisting of all of the former members of the Soviet Union. 
D) A body of republics that orchestrated a series of bilateral agreements among its members for mutual security. 
E) A weak confederation of most former Soviet republics dominated by the Russian republic.

Question 16

How many of the former Soviet republics opted to join the Commonwealth of Independent States in 1991?

Accepted Answer

A) 9 
B) 11 
C) 15 
D) 4 
E) 13 
A) 9 
B) 11 
C) 15 
D) 4 
E) 13

Question 17

Term for identification: Nikita Khrushchev

Accepted Answer

Nikita Khrushchev was a prominent Soviet

Question 18

After being deposed in 1989, what was generally the fate of the old discredited leaders of various Eastern European Communist parties?

Accepted Answer

A) They were hunted down and accused of crimes against their people. 
B) They were seized, imprisoned, and then executed without a trial. 
C) They were allowed, all too often, to retain their government posts. 
D) They were sent into retirement without being accused of crime. 
E) They fled their countries and sought political asylum overseas. 
A) They were hunted down and accused of crimes against their people. 
B) They were seized, imprisoned, and then executed without a trial. 
C) They were allowed, all too often, to retain their government posts. 
D) They were sent into retirement without being accused of crime. 
E) They fled their countries and sought political asylum overseas.

Question 19

Term for identification: peaceful coexistence

Accepted Answer

The term "peaceful coexistence" refers t

Question 20

Term for identification: glasnost

Accepted Answer

Glasnost is a term that refers to the po

Exam 31: Collapse and Reemergence in Communist Europe

Term for identification: Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

Describe the issues facing Eastern Europe in 1989. Was Eastern Europe successful in solving these issues? Support your answer with examples.

After World War II, how did the Soviet Union gain control of Poland?

How did the Soviet puppet government leaders in post-World War II Eastern Europe differ from Stalin?

What was the major hallmark of Leonid Brezhnev's foreign policy in the 1960s and 1970s?

After Stalin, who was the longest serving Soviet leader?

In the area of consumer goods, what was the situation for Soviet citizens in the era following World War II?

Term for identification: Mikhail Gorbachev

Perestroika is a Russian term that may very simply be defined in English as ____________________.

Which of these has NOT been an issue with which Russia's President Vladimir Putin has had to deal?

In 1968, Brezhnev quelled the attempt by ____________________ to separate itself from Soviet domination.

What was the only feature of Khrushchev's system that Brezhnev preserved?

In the ____________________, Soviet Russia agreed to allow free democratic elections in Eastern Europe as soon as conditions permitted.

What led to the downfall of Khrushchev in the eyes of the Communist Party?

Which of the following best describes the Commonwealth of Independent States?

How many of the former Soviet republics opted to join the Commonwealth of Independent States in 1991?

Term for identification: Nikita Khrushchev

After being deposed in 1989, what was generally the fate of the old discredited leaders of various Eastern European Communist parties?

Term for identification: peaceful coexistence

Term for identification: glasnost

A Larger World Opens

Religious Divisions and Political Consolidation in Europe

The Gunpowder Empires of Western and Southern Asia

Africa in the Era of Expansion

China From the Ming Through the Early Qing Dynasty

Japan and Southeast Asia in the Era of European Expansion

From Conquest to Colonies in Hispanic America

The Scientific Revolution and Its Enlightened Aftermath

Liberalism and the Challenge to Absolute Monarchy

The Early Industrial Revolution

Europe: New Ideas and New Nations

Advanced Industrial Society

The Islamic World, 1600-1917

India and Southeast Asia Under Colonial Rule

European Imperialism and Africa During the Age of Industry

China in the Age of Imperialism

Latin America From Independence to Dependent States

Modern Science and Its Implications

World War I and Its Disputed Settlement

A Fragile Balance: Europe in the Twenties

The Soviet Experiment to World War II

Totalitarianism Refined: the Nazi State

East Asia in a Century of Change

World War II

The Cold World War

Decolonization of the Non-Western World

The New Asia

Africas Decolonization and Independence

Latin America in the Twentieth Century

The Reemergence of the Muslim World

A New Millennium

Filters