| A | B |
|---|
| czar(tsar) | Latin word meaing Caesar-the title for the rulers of the Russian Empire |
| abdicate | to resign or give up power |
| soviet | the local governing council of each republic of the Soviet Union during the Soviet era |
| autarky | economic self-sufficiency |
| superpower | a huge, powerful nation |
| client state | a country that is politically, economically, or militarily dependent on a more powerful country |
| glasnost | the policy of open discussion promoted in the Soviet Union shortly before its breakup |
| perestroika | the policy of economic reform and restructuring promoted in the USSR just before its breakup |
| What prevented the westward expansion of the Russian Empire? | Russian Empire was different from Europe in political ideas and religions & the presence of powerful European kingdoms |
| What was the Communist(Russian) Revolution? | overthrow of Russia's government by the Bolshevik party in 1917 |
| Why did the Russian Revolution happen? | uneven distribution of wealth, droughts & food shortages in the 1880s, and loss of life in WWI & the costs of WWI |
| What role did the physical geography play in the early history of Russia? | the steppe allowed movement of many groups, the growth of Kiev, the Mongol Empire, and the Russian Empire |
| What economic policies did the Soviet Union follow? | government made all economic decisions and it wanted the country to be economically self-sufficient |
| What economic problems did the Soviet Union have? | low food production due to little investment in agriculture, low factory efficiency, low product quality due to lack of competition |
| What are characteristics of daily life in the Soviet Union? | poor working conditions, limited supplies of food, crowded living arrangements, schooling that stressed science, widely available health care, and threat of imprisonment for criticizing the government, limited religious freedoms |
| Why was the rivalry between the USSR and the US called the Cold War? | because it did not lead to any actual fighting between the two nations |
| What role did the reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev play in the collapse of the USSR? | Communist Party lost power because of the policies of open discussion and economic restructuring |
| What economic challenges faced the USSR? | little money available for investment, increased unemployment, increased crime, uneven distribution of resources |
| What environmental challenges faced the USSR? | deforestation, pollution, toxic waste |
| Why did the Soviet Union have little concern for the environment? | leaders felt pressured to produce immediate results at the lowest cost |
| What is the Commonwealth of Independent states? | organization consisting of regions of the former Soviet Union and serves as a forum for leaders to address shared problems |
