THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION CHAPTER 19.3

WHERE THE SOVIET UNION IS AT… Brezhnev Politburo – ruling committee of the Communist Crushed all political disagreement Censors decided what could be published There was no freedom of religion or worship

GORBACHEV MAKES CHANGES Mikhail Gorbachev Decided to pursue new ideas because of issues like the stagnation of the Russian economy, and rarely changing society Glasnost – openness Allowed churches to open Freed dissidents Allowed publication of books by banned authors Reporters investigated problems Officials were criticized Perestroika – economic restructuring Allowed managers to gain authority over their farms and factories Small businesses were allowed Simplified – allowed for capitalism

GORBACHEV MOVES TOWARD DEMOCRACY  Third Gorbachev change  Democratization – gradual opening of the political system  Called for the election of a new legislative body  People tended to chose lesser-known candidates and reformers over powerful party members  Foreign Policy  To compete with the SU, Ronald Reagan (US) started spending money on military  About $2 trillion were spent, the most ever spent on military buildup in peacetime  Led to an expensive arms race btw the SU and US  Gorbachev realized the SU could not afford to keep up  Signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty  Banned nuclear missiles with ranges for 300 to 3,400 miles

REFORMING THE ECONOMY AND POLITICS As Gorbachev offers more freedom to the SU, the satellite states are interested in the same freedom Leads to nationalist movements across the SU Lithuania March First challenger to Soviet rule To force it back in, Gorbachev ordered an economic blockade of the country Did not work Gorbachev feared this might set an example for the other countries Jan 1991 Soviet troops attacked unarmed civilians in the capital 14 were killed, hundreds were wounded

THE SOVIET UNION FACES TURMOIL Yeltsin denounces Gorbachev W/ Lithuania and the slow recovery of the economy, Gorbachev loses popularity Boris Yeltsin – member of Parliament and former mayor of Moscow Criticized the actions in Lithuania and the pace of reforms June 1991 Yeltsin was elected president of the RUSSIAN FEDERATION Threat of hard-liners – conservatives who opposed reform Argued the SU role as the dominant forces in Eastern Europe Vowed to undo his reforms

MORE TURMOIL The August Coup Aug 18, 1991 hardliners detained Gorbachev at his vacation home on the Black Sea Demanded his resignation as SOVIET PRESIDENT Hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles rolled into Moscow but the people did not back down Protestors started to gather at the parliament, where Yeltsin had his office Aug 20 – hardliners ordered the troops to attack the parliament building but they refused Aug 21 – military withdrew forces from Moscow Gorbachev refused

FALL OF THE SOVIET UNION Coup sparked anger against the Communist party Gorbachev resigned Soviet parliament stopped all party activities Estonia and Latvia declared their independence, others followed By Dec all 15 republics declared independence Yeltsin met with all the leaders to chart a new course Agreed to form the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) – a loose federation of former Soviet territories Dec 25, 1991 – Gorbachev resigned as president of the SU SU ceased to exist

RUSSIA UNDER BORIS YELTSIN Yeltsin’s problems “Shock Therapy” – abrupt shift to free market economics Lowered trade barriers, removed price controls, and ended subsidies to state-owned industries Lead to initial high prices Factories shut down – thousands of people were thrown out of work Led to a political crisis Legislators opposed the policies by locking themselves in the Parliament building Yeltsin ordered the building bombed – many were killed, the others surrendered

RUSSIA UNDER BORIS YELTSIN Chechnya Rebels Chechnya – an area of largely Muslims in SW Russia – declared its independence Yeltsin denied it and sent in troops to keep control Aug 1996 the sides signed a cease-fire but it did not help 1999 the fighting started again Forced Yeltsin to resign and Vladimir Putin was named acting president

RUSSIA UNDER VLADIMIR PUTIN Putin and Chechnya Aggressively attacked the rebels, which was initially welcomed by the Russian people Brought violence to Moscow Rebels seized a theater in Moscow and more than 150 people died in the rescue attempt War dragged on and while today they have been relatively quiet, the rebellion is still going on politically

RUSSIA UNDER VLADIMIR PUTIN Economic, Political, and Social Problems Russia has been moving to greater participation in world trade through modernization of banks, insurance, and tax codes They have also been suppressing the free press and religious freedom