All flashcards
Flashcard 1: What was the symbolic event marking the fall of communism in Europe?
Answer: The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. This iconic moment represented the physical and ideological collapse of communist division in Europe.
Flashcard 2: What was the policy of 'Sinatra Doctrine' associated with?
Answer: Allowing Eastern European countries to determine their own paths. Named after Sinatra's 'My Way,' it replaced the interventionist Brezhnev Doctrine.
Flashcard 3: What movement did Lech Wałęsa lead in Poland?
Answer: Solidarity. Wałęsa's leadership of this trade union challenged communist authority throughout the 1980s.
Flashcard 4: What was the significance of the 1990 German reunification?
Answer: It marked the end of the division of Germany. This reunification symbolized the complete victory over communist division of Europe.
Flashcard 5: Which ideology was challenged and eventually collapsed with the fall of communism?
Answer: Marxism-Leninism. This communist ideology lost credibility as its economic and political systems failed worldwide.
Flashcard 6: Which country's 1989 revolution was characterized by peaceful protests?
Answer: Czechoslovakia. The Velvet Revolution achieved regime change through entirely non-violent means.
Flashcard 7: What marked the end of the Cold War alongside the fall of communism?
Answer: The collapse of the Soviet Union. The dissolution of the USSR ended the bipolar world order that defined the Cold War.
Flashcard 8: What was the impact of the Solidarity movement in Poland?
Answer: It led to the end of communist rule. Solidarity's success demonstrated that organized opposition could challenge communist authority effectively.
Flashcard 9: Who was the Romanian leader executed in 1989, marking the end of communism?
Answer: Nicolae Ceaușescu. His execution symbolized the violent end of Romania's particularly oppressive communist regime.
Flashcard 10: What was the policy of 'Sinatra Doctrine' associated with?
Answer: Allowing Eastern European countries to determine their own paths. Named after Sinatra's 'My Way,' it replaced the interventionist Brezhnev Doctrine.
Flashcard 11: Which event in 1989 marked the end of Soviet influence in Hungary?
Answer: The opening of the Hungarian border with Austria. This breach in the Iron Curtain allowed thousands of East Germans to escape to the West.
Flashcard 12: Which economic system did Eastern European nations shift towards post-1989?
Answer: Capitalism. Former communist countries adopted market economies and democratic political systems.
Flashcard 13: What was the main goal of the Brezhnev Doctrine?
Answer: To justify Soviet intervention in Eastern Europe. This doctrine justified Soviet military intervention to maintain communist control in satellite states.
Flashcard 14: Which Eastern European country had a violent end to communism in 1989?
Answer: Romania. Unlike other Eastern European nations, Romania's revolution involved significant bloodshed and conflict.
Flashcard 15: Which Soviet policy aimed to democratize the Communist Party?
Answer: Glasnost. This policy inadvertently encouraged political pluralism that undermined one-party rule.
Flashcard 16: What was the main effect of the Brezhnev Doctrine's end?
Answer: Eastern Europe could pursue independence. The end of Soviet intervention allowed satellite states to pursue democratic reforms.
Flashcard 17: Which economic system did Eastern European nations shift towards post-1989?
Answer: Capitalism. Former communist countries adopted market economies and democratic political systems.
Flashcard 18: What was the significance of the 1990 German reunification?
Answer: It marked the end of the division of Germany. This reunification symbolized the complete victory over communist division of Europe.
Flashcard 19: Which event is considered the starting point of the Revolutions of 1989?
Answer: Poland's semi-free elections. Solidarity's electoral victory in June 1989 began the domino effect across Eastern Europe.
Flashcard 20: What was the impact of the Solidarity movement in Poland?
Answer: It led to the end of communist rule. Solidarity's success demonstrated that organized opposition could challenge communist authority effectively.
Flashcard 21: Which ideology was challenged and eventually collapsed with the fall of communism?
Answer: Marxism-Leninism. This communist ideology lost credibility as its economic and political systems failed worldwide.
Flashcard 22: Identify the policy that led to increased transparency in Soviet government.
Answer: Glasnost. This openness policy dismantled the secrecy that sustained communist control.
Flashcard 23: Which Soviet leader's policies contributed to the fall of communism?
Answer: Mikhail Gorbachev. His reforms of glasnost and perestroika inadvertently weakened Soviet control and communist ideology.
Flashcard 24: What were Gorbachev's two main reform policies?
Answer: Glasnost and Perestroika. These policies aimed to modernize the Soviet system but ultimately led to its downfall.
Flashcard 25: What does 'Glasnost' mean in the context of Gorbachev's reforms?
Answer: Openness. This policy promoted transparency and freedom of expression in Soviet society.
Flashcard 26: What does 'Perestroika' refer to in Gorbachev's policies?
Answer: Economic restructuring. This policy aimed to reform the inefficient Soviet planned economy.
Flashcard 27: In which year did the Soviet Union officially dissolve?
Answer:
- The USSR formally ceased to exist on December 25, ending the communist superpower.
Flashcard 28: Which Polish trade union played a significant role in the fall of communism?
Answer: Solidarity. This independent labor union became the first major challenge to communist authority in Eastern Europe.
Flashcard 29: Who was the leader of the Solidarity movement in Poland?
Answer: Lech Wałęsa. The electrician-turned-activist led Poland's first independent trade union under communist rule.
Flashcard 30: What event in 1989 symbolized the end of communist control in Czechoslovakia?
Answer: The Velvet Revolution. Named for its peaceful nature, it ended 41 years of communist rule through mass protests.