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2T The Crisis of Communism: The USSR and the Soviet Empire, 1953–2000

Glasnost, Afghanistan and the End of the Cold War

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 2

Overview

Recall questions on glasnost and demokratizatsiya, the costs, stalemate and morale that led to withdrawal from Afghanistan, and Gorbachev's summits at Geneva, Reykjavik, Washington and Malta.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

How was glasnost supposed to build support for reforms?

Key term

Why did military stalemate in Afghanistan lead to withdrawal?

Key term

What was achieved at the Geneva Summit of 1985?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    How was glasnost supposed to build support for reforms?

    Model answer

    By allowing open discussion and exposing problems, glasnost aimed to generate popular backing for Gorbachev's reform programme.

  2. 2

    What role did media transparency play in glasnost?

    Model answer

    Greater media transparency allowed journalists to report more freely, exposing problems and enabling informed public discussion.

  3. 3

    What was demokratizatsiya and what did it aim to achieve?

    Model answer

    Demokratizatsiya (democratisation) aimed to introduce competitive elections and reduce the Communist Party's monopoly on power to create legitimacy for the reformed system.

  4. 4

    How did the economic cost of the Afghan war contribute to Soviet withdrawal?

    Model answer

    The war was an enormous economic drain on Soviet resources, making withdrawal necessary to relieve financial pressure.

  5. 5

    Why did military stalemate in Afghanistan lead to withdrawal?

    Model answer

    The Soviet military had failed to defeat the mujahideen, making continued fighting pointless.

  6. 6

    How did low morale contribute to the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan?

    Model answer

    Declining morale among Soviet troops undermined the military effort and made continued engagement unsustainable.

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