15. Economic Problems No Reforms 1973: Oil Price Boom 1980s prices fell 1979 Afghanistan War was expensive Kosygin's half-hearted reforms had failed Warsaw Pact Failed coup – Moscow 1991
16. Political Problems Samitzat Explicit dissidents Helsinki Accords Jewish refuseniks Russian nationalists “cadre stability” many Russian nationalists had secret support in highest ranks of CPSU
17. Choose one domestic and foreign problems of the Brezhnev era: economic and political stagnation; Afghanistan (Abhinav, Yahya, & Charlie) Gorbachev and his aims/policies (glasnost and perestroika) (Matty, Tian, Ing) consequences of Gorbachev’s policies for Eastern European reform movements: Poland—the role of Solidarity; (Pitchaya) Czechoslovakia—the Velvet Revolution; fall of the Berlin Wall (Aakriti, Becky & Wook) Gorby
18. consequences of Gorbachev’s policies for the Soviet state Glasnost unleashed a torrent of criticism, both against the Party and within the Party Perestroika exposed the weaknesses of central planning and the Soviet economy Gorbachev had not anticipated the torrent of criticsm, especially from Russian nationalists
19. Historians to consider Melvyn Leffler (UVa) attributes signficance to the relationship between Gorbachev and Reaga, and considers Gorbachev the man primarily responsible for ending the Cold War Archie Brown (Oxford) points to the inherent instability opf the Communist system and emphasizes the importance of Yeltsin and Russian nationalists John Merriman (Yale) likes Gorbachev but attributes significance to the masses of Eastern Europeans fed up with communism, particularly in Poland Jack Matlock (former US ambassador to USSR) says “Kennan got it right” and credits Reagan “The Baltic Chain”
![Y 13s – End of Cold War Communism in Crisis 1976 – 1989 ,[object Object]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/history13-02-01-110824210728-phpapp01/85/History-13-02-01-1-320.jpg)
