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Russia, 1917–91: From Lenin to Yeltsin

Gorbachev, Yeltsin and the collapse of the USSR

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 1

Overview

Recall questions on Yeltsin's rival power base, the August coup and why it failed, the Belovezha Accords, and how far Gorbachev was responsible.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Numbers

Who briefly led the USSR between Brezhnev and Gorbachev?

Key term

What was the August 1991 coup?

Who and when

How did the August coup fail?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Who briefly led the USSR between Brezhnev and Gorbachev?

    Model answer

    Andropov, then Chernenko (1982–85), amid continued stagnation.

  2. 2

    Who became Soviet leader in 1985?

    Model answer

    Mikhail Gorbachev.

  3. 3

    What was the August 1991 coup?

    Model answer

    A failed hardline attempt to remove Gorbachev, resisted publicly by Yeltsin.

  4. 4

    Who became Russian president and helped dissolve the USSR?

    Model answer

    Boris Yeltsin.

  5. 5

    When was the USSR formally dissolved?

    Model answer

    December 1991.

  6. 6

    What was the role of the Russian republic's elected institutions in the collapse?

    Model answer

    Yeltsin used the Russian institutions Gorbachev had allowed to be elected as a rival power base, defying Union authority from within the largest republic.

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