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About This Quiz
From the 1950s through the early '90s, the scariest war for most Americans was one which never occurred - the Cold War. The political controversy left the world to wait and wonder, as no one knew if the world would suddenly be in a planet-ending war. Then, suddenly, the Soviet Union collapsed, split and went from a communist nation to several democratic countries. But what ended the war, why did it end, and how did it happen so quickly?Â
You grew up in this volatile period of time, you lived the fear, concern and worry, but how much did you really know? While the war never came, much of the Soviet Union's economy was destroyed because of a weapons race with the United States over which weapon? And do you remember the official year of the Soviet Union's collapse? We were allies during two world wars and nearly the primary opposing forces in a third. Do you know how long the Soviet Union had been in existence? And were we allies during a communist regime?Â
Gorbachev may have allowed for the decline of a communist state, but can you recall who took over once the Soviet Union collapsed? These are some of the questions you'll face about one of the most pivotal moments in world history. Do you think you're up to the challenge? Take this quiz and find out!
After the Soviet Union fell, what country took its place?
Jamaica
America
Russia
In 1991, the Soviet Union's flag was lowered for the last time. In its place? Russia.
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What year did the Soviet Union collapse?
1954
1991
As the Cold War finally began its inevitable thaw, the Soviet Union began to break apart. The massive country collapsed in 1991 after major political upheaval.
"The USSR will never collapse" - Vladimir Putin
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Before it disintegrated, the Soviet Union had what sort of political system?
democratic
fascist
Communist
When it was first formed, the country was a socialist entity. But as the World Wars altered politics, the Soviet Union slowly and steadily embraced a Communist philosophy.
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The country's economy crumbled in part because the Soviets were caught up in a race with America to create which weapon?
chemical weapons
nuclear weapons
During the Cold War, the U.S. and USSR engaged in a spending battle to build thousands of nuclear weapons. Overspending on these projects hastened the downfall of the Soviet economy.
AK-47 machine guns
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How long did the Soviet Union exist?
521 years
69 years
The Soviet Union rose slowly after the WWI era (in 1922) and lasted until 1961, a span of 69 years.
"It still exists and will never fade from this world. Ever!" - Putin
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Before it collapsed, how many leaders had been in charge of the Soviet Union during the country's 69-year history?
8
The Soviet Union was a short-lived empire. Formally, the county lasted from 1922 to 1991, and it that time, it had eight leaders.
1
39
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Who was the final leader of the Soviet Union?
Nikita Khrushchev
Mikhail Gorbachev
In December 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev finally gave up on saving his country. He resigned from office and passed along his powers to a brand-new leader.
Ronald Reagan
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Who took control of Russia once the Soviet Union was dissolved?
Queen Elizabeth
Bill Gates
Boris Yeltsin
Gorbachev passed along his powers to Boris Yeltsin, who then became President of Russia. Yeltsin started his career as a supporter of Gorbachev but eventually became one of his biggest political enemies.
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True or false: Did U.S. President George H.W. Bush cause the collapse of the Soviet Union?
TRUE
FALSE
Bush took office in January 1989 and he did reevaluate the foreign policies of his predecessor, Ronald Reagan. But by the time Bush became president, many of the forces that caused the Soviet Union's demise were already in motion.
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How did Gorbachev govern during his final years in control?
He imprisoned his political peers.
He allowed moments of democratization.
Gorbachev witnessed calls for democracy throughout Eastern Europe, and he realized that the USSR would not be immune. He slowly began allowing his country small tastes of democracy.
He shot and killed all dissenters.
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Which of following democratic actions did Gorbachev allow during his time in office?
He voted to join the European Union.
multi-party elections
During the Cold War, the idea of multi-party elections in the Soviet Union was laughable. But Gorbachev eventually embraced the election concept, a fact that gave his citizens an idea of what democracy was all about.
open borders
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The Soviet Union broke apart into how many countries?
2
15
The Soviet empire once stretched across much of Asia and Eastern Europe. With the USSR's fall, one big country broke into 15 smaller entities.
91
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What statement about the Soviet Union is true?
The USSR eventually became a totalitarian state.
The Soviet Union morphed from a Communist nation into a totalitarian state, one in which the federal government controlled most aspects of daily life. Ordinary citizens had very little say in the direction of their careers and even their personal lives.
Hitler created the Soviet Union.
The Chinese economy was the backbone of the USSR.
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What caused the fall of the Soviet Union?
It's complicated.
The Soviet Union was a gigantic country that rose into a superpower during the Cold War. A plethora of political, cultural and economic factors played roles in the dissolution of the USSR.
the United States
America, duh!
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Before he left office, Gorbachev encouraged a policy of "perestroika," which means ______.
vodka manufacturing
restructuring
In the late '80s, the Soviet Union was doomed. Gorbachev encouraged perestroika, which referred to massive restructuring within the culture and economy of the country.
death to America
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As the Soviet Union slowly crumbled, Gorbachev encouraged the concept of "glasnost," which referred to what?
de-Stalinization
government transparency
For decades, the USSR clamped down on dissidents, hiding government activities behind a veil of extreme control. "Glasnost" was an attempt to make the government (at least a little) more transparent to outsiders.
nuclear disarmament
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True or false: Did the Soviet Union dissolve BEFORE the fall of the Berlin Wall?
TRUE
FALSE
Anti-Communist revolutions took hold in Europe in 1989, and that same year, the Berlin Wall fell. A domino effect steamrolled throughout the region and didn't end until the Soviet Empire finally crumbled.
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Anti-Communist revolutions first began in which country in 1989?
Poland
In 1989, long-suffering Polish political activists finally gained traction in their home country. The Solidarity movement propelled anti-Communist revolutions in Poland and throughout Eastern Europe … and had major consequences for the Soviet Union.
France
Britain
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What was one unintended result of perestroika?
greater freedom of personal expression
When Gorbachev initiated perestroika, one unintended consequence was greater freedom of personal expression. The bit of personal freedom quickly snowballed into a situation that threatened the control of the totalitarian state.
free checking accounts
Russian Smurfs
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Gorbachev made public promises of economic reforms through perestroika. How quickly did those reforms began changing the Soviet economy?
immediately
The changes were already happening.
The changes happened too slowly for an impatient public.
Gorbachev's promises of economic reforms created excitement in the populace, but when results of those reforms were too slow, the public became restless … and even more ready for revolution.
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Which area of the Soviet Union first demanded its independence?
Estonia
The Baltic state of Estonia was the first place where politicians insisted on autonomy. Gorbachev allowed Estonians a little bit of political freedom but was wary that the situation might spiral out of control if he granted too many concessions.
India
Spain
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When were the Baltic republics (like Estonia) originally added to the Soviet Union's territory?
during the American Revolution
during the Spanish Civil War
after WWII
After the Allies won WWII, the Soviet Union added territory (like Estonia) in the Baltic region through military force. It's no wonder that Estonia and other Baltic states were the first to insist on freedom.
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The concept of glasnost had a profound effect on which part of Soviet society?
the media
Gorbachev insisted that glasnost wasn’t some sort of Communist ruse -- the Soviet media really was free to discuss any issue publicly. Soviet newspaper editors were so suspicious of the change that it took them more than a year begin testing the waters of subject matter.
the federal banking system
the arms race
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In November of 1988, the Soviet Union finally HALTED which activity?
all KGB activity
all jamming of foreign radio
During the Cold War, the Soviets blocked foreign radio signals to prevent its citizens from hearing news about the outside world. When it ceased radio jamming in 1988, Soviet citizens suddenly had a new flood of information about their political predicament.
all Internet blocking
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Gorbachev's ultimate goal was to ______.
modernize Communism
Gorbachev hoped to modernize Communism for the post-Cold War era. But after the Berlin Wall fell, everyday citizens made it clear that they wanted to dump Communism altogether.
be friends with Ronald Reagan
destroy China
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Which American news network was the first to broadcast news into Moscow?
CNN
In 1989, CNN gained permission to send a signal to a hotel in Moscow. Local citizens soon picked up the signal, and the flood of Western news drastically changed their perception of the Soviet state.
Fox News
Rush Limbaugh
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In August 1991, the Soviet vice president and his allies took what action?
They attempted a coup.
That August, the Soviet vice president and his cronies attempted a political coup and placed Gorbachev under house arrest. Boris Yeltsin opposed the coup and rallied the opposition, and after three days, the coup ended without success.
They murdered Gorbachev.
They went to DisneyWorld on vacation.
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Between August and December 1991, how many Soviet states declared their independence?
10
Following the failed coup, the USSR quickly spiraled into irrelevance. Ten states declared their independence, and Gorbachev's power dwindled by the hour.
39
61
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On what holiday did Gorbachev appear on live TV to announce his resignation?
Christmas
On Christmas Day 1991, Gorbachev appeared on live TV and announced the end of his time in office. He passed his powers to Boris Yeltsin, including nuclear weapon launch codes.
Valentine's Day
Fourth of July
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Russian leader Vladimir Putin blames which person for the downfall of the Soviet Union?
Bob Dole
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Putin has often bemoaned the collapse of the USSR, yearning for the days of iron-fisted control. He blames Lenin for the fall, as Lenin once supported the concept of secession for individual Soviet Republics.
G.W. Bush
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You Got:
/30
