- Due to open travel opportunities (Soviet citizens could now travel abroad after years of living behind the “Iron Curtain”) and major economic woes and shortages, the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev faced a sharp increase in emigration
True
False
2 Which one of the following changes in the Soviet society listed below is NOT associated with the name of Mikhail Gorbachev?
Opening up the public voice and weakening the Communist Party
Major alleviation of nuclear, chemical and industrial pollution in the Soviet Union
Allowing liberation of East Central Europe
Seeking security and friendship with the West and with China
3 The chief goal of Mikhail Gorbachov’s reforms was to abolish socialism, Communist Party rule and, ultimately, to dissolve the Soviet Union
True
False
4 With Gorbachev’s ascent to power in the USSR, many countries of the communist bloc echoed the new reform impulses from Moscow Ultimately, all of these East and Central European counties began a wave of revolutions to replace their old, pro-Soviet governments Which of the countries listed below executed their Communist dictator?
Todor Zhivkov in Bulgaria
Nicolae Ceausescu in Romania
Janos Kadar in Hungary
Wojciech Jaruzelski in Poland
5 Mikhail Gorbachev was born after the October Revolution that overthrew the tsars; therefore he did not belong to the group of early Soviet bolsheviks who formed the gerontocracy (rule by the old) in the Communist Party of the 1970s and 80s
True
False
6 Which of the following statistical data is INCORRECT? (please note: you must choose only ONE answer below)
Soviet cows gave less than half as much milk as their American counterparts
In 1989, fewer than one family in three had access to a telephone
In 1990, the USSR produced four times as many bulldozers as the USA, but only 1/50 as many pairs of women’s underwear
In 1989, 25% of Russians had homes with no indoor toilet and one third of Russian population had no hot running water
In 1991 Russia had one -fiftieth as many personal computers per capita as the US and one-tenth as many personal computers as South Korea
An estimated 12% of Soviet population (or approximately 20 million people) provided underground services (from shoe repair to abortions)
All of the data listed here is incorrect
All of the data listed here is, indeed, correct