How did the Soviet Union's hold on Eastern Europe come to an end?

In this lesson, you will learn about how Mikhail Gorbachev's 'new thinking' changed Eastern Europe. You will examine how Eastern Europeans responded to the end of the Brezhnev Doctrine and will study the chain of events that his reforms set in motion. Finally, you will evaluate why these changes happened - was Gorbachev alone responsible for the USSR's loss of control over Eastern Europe or were other factors also at play?

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Quiz:

Intro quiz - Recap from previous lesson

Before we start this lesson, let’s see what you can remember from this topic. Here’s a quick quiz!

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Q1.Who became leader of the USSR in 1985?

Leonid Brezhnev Ronald Reagan Mikhail Gorbachev Yuri Andropov

1/6

Q2.Which of the following policies was part of Gorbachev's 'new thinking'?

Increase spending on arms and defence Introduce the Brezhnev Doctrine Cut off relations with the USA Introduce perestroika and glasnost

2/6

Q3.How did Ronald Reagan respond to Gorbachev's 'new thinking'?

He welcomed it He disliked it He distrusted it He challenged it

3/6

Q4.At which summit was the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed by Reagan and Gorbachev?

The Washington Summit, 1987 The Geneva Summit, 1985 The Moscow Summit, 1988 The Reykjavik Summit, 1986

4/6

Q5.What was agreed in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty?

Reagan would abandon the Strategic Defence Initiative Both countries would eliminate all land-based missiles with a range of 500-5500km Both countries would halve their long-range nuclear weapons Neither country would test nuclear weapons in the atmosphere or underwater

5/6

Q6.Overall, how did Gorbachev's 'new thinking' affect superpower relations?

It caused relations between the superpowers to deteriorate It caused relations between the superpowers to improve It caused relations between the superpowers to stay the same as they had been at the start of the 1980s It caused relations between the superpowers to end

6/6

This quiz includes images that don't have any alt text - please contact your teacher who should be able to help you with an audio description.

Quiz:

Intro quiz - Recap from previous lesson

Before we start this lesson, let’s see what you can remember from this topic. Here’s a quick quiz!

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Q1.Who became leader of the USSR in 1985?

Leonid Brezhnev Ronald Reagan Mikhail Gorbachev Yuri Andropov

1/6

Q2.Which of the following policies was part of Gorbachev's 'new thinking'?

Increase spending on arms and defence Introduce the Brezhnev Doctrine Cut off relations with the USA Introduce perestroika and glasnost

2/6

Q3.How did Ronald Reagan respond to Gorbachev's 'new thinking'?

He welcomed it He disliked it He distrusted it He challenged it

3/6

Q4.At which summit was the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed by Reagan and Gorbachev?

The Washington Summit, 1987 The Geneva Summit, 1985 The Moscow Summit, 1988 The Reykjavik Summit, 1986

4/6

Q5.What was agreed in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty?

5/6

Q6.Overall, how did Gorbachev's 'new thinking' affect superpower relations?

6/6

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This quiz includes images that don't have any alt text - please contact your teacher who should be able to help you with an audio description.

Quiz:

How did the Soviet Union's hold on Eastern Europe come to an end?

Don’t worry if you get a question wrong! Forgetting is an important step in learning. We will recap next lesson.

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Q1.Which policy did Gorbachev reject in 1988?

The Sinatra Doctrine The Brezhnev Doctrine The Truman Doctrine The Warsaw Pact

1/6

Q2.What did Gorbachev promise to reduce or remove from Warsaw Pact countries between 1988-1991?

Soviet troops Nuclear missiles Communist leaders Anti-communist opposition

2/6

Q3.Which Eastern European country was the first to elect a non-Communist leader in 1989?

Czechoslovakia Hungary Poland Romania

3/6

Q4.What did the Hungarian government do in May 1989?

Held free elections Opened its border with Austria Became a multi-party state Demanded that Gorbachev remove Soviet troops

4/6

Q5.Which Eastern European country used violence to overthrow communist rule?

Czechoslovakia Bulgaria Hungary Romania

5/6

Q6.In which Eastern European country did the 'Velvet Revolution' occur in 1989?

Romania Hungary Czechoslovakia Bulgaria

6/6

This quiz includes images that don't have any alt text - please contact your teacher who should be able to help you with an audio description.

Quiz:

How did the Soviet Union's hold on Eastern Europe come to an end?

Don’t worry if you get a question wrong! Forgetting is an important step in learning. We will recap next lesson.

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Q1.Which policy did Gorbachev reject in 1988?

The Sinatra Doctrine The Brezhnev Doctrine The Truman Doctrine The Warsaw Pact

1/6

Q2.What did Gorbachev promise to reduce or remove from Warsaw Pact countries between 1988-1991?

Soviet troops Nuclear missiles Communist leaders Anti-communist opposition

2/6

Q3.Which Eastern European country was the first to elect a non-Communist leader in 1989?

Czechoslovakia Hungary Poland Romania

3/6

Q4.What did the Hungarian government do in May 1989?

Held free elections Opened its border with Austria Became a multi-party state Demanded that Gorbachev remove Soviet troops

4/6

Q5.Which Eastern European country used violence to overthrow communist rule?

Czechoslovakia Bulgaria Hungary Romania

5/6

Q6.In which Eastern European country did the 'Velvet Revolution' occur in 1989?

Romania Hungary Czechoslovakia Bulgaria

6/6

Lesson summary: How did the Soviet Union's hold on Eastern Europe come to an end?

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The next lesson in The Cold War: Superpower relations from 1941- 1991 is "What did the fall of the Berlin Wall mean for the Cold War?"

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