SAT II World History : The USSR

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT II World History

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : The Ussr

The Great Purge took place in which country in the twentieth century?

Possible Answers:

Vietnam 

The U.S.

France

The U.S.S.R.

The U.K.

Correct answer:

The U.S.S.R.

Explanation:

The Great Purge was a campaign initiated by Stalin in 1934 to remove all “undesirable” elements from the Communist Party and the Soviet Union. In practical terms, it involved the removal of numerous government officials from their positions, the execution of much of the Red Army’s leadership, repression of the peasantry, and the execution and imprisonment of intellectuals. The Purge was primarily caused by Stalin’s desire to consolidate his control over the Communist Party and to remove any factions who might remain loyal to his chief challenger, Leon Trotsky.

Example Question #2 : Russian Revolution And The Cold War

The policies of Glasnost and Perestroika were introduced by which Russian leader?

Possible Answers:

Dmitry Medvedev  

Mikhail Gorbachev

Nikita Khrushchev 

Vladimir Lenin 

Joseph Stalin

Correct answer:

Mikhail Gorbachev

Explanation:

When Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev rose to power in 1985 he set about reviving the stagnant Russian economy. He soon realized that the Soviet Union’s extensive economic problems could not be resolved without a complete restructuring of the political and social institutions of the U.S.S.R. To this end he adopted two famous policies called “glasnost” (openness) and “perestroika” (restructuring). “Perestroika” sought to replace Russia’s planned economy with something much more akin to a western economic system, whereas “glasnost” was designed to implement openness and accountability into the Soviet government. These two major reforms are usually credited with bringing about the end of communism and fracturing the Soviet Union. 

Example Question #3 : The Ussr

Glasnost was primarily intended to __________.

Possible Answers:

Promote the interests of Russia in the Balkan region

Support the growth of industry and agriculture in the Ukraine

Liberalize an increasingly orthodox and conservative Russian society

Liberate the serfs from economic servitude

Provide greater transparency of the actions taken by the Soviet government 

Correct answer:

Provide greater transparency of the actions taken by the Soviet government 

Explanation:

“Glasnost” was a policy of openness implemented by Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev in the waning years of the Soviet Union. Its primary intention was to provide the public with greater access to information and ensure higher levels of accountability in the government.

Example Question #4 : The Ussr

In which months of 1917 was Russia beset by revolution?

Possible Answers:

April and November 

April and September

March and December

March and November 

April and October 

Correct answer:

March and November 

Explanation:

The Russian Revolution of 1917 is the collective term given to the process whereby the Tsarist regime was overthrown and replaced by the Soviet Union. Due to differences at the time between the European and Russian calendars, the two revolutions are called either “the February and October Revolutions” or “the March and November Revolutions.” The March revolution overthrew the Tsarist regime and replaced it with a provisional government; however, the Socialists were still not in complete control, and in November, Lenin overthrew the provisional government and established the Soviet Union.

Example Question #5 : The Ussr

The Brezhnev Doctrine stated that __________.

Possible Answers:

communist countries were responsible for aiding the spread of Communism around the world

the Soviet Union could not survive without incorporating some elements of capitalism

the concentration of power in the hands of a few oligarchs was antithetical to the nature of communism and would ensure the demise of the Soviet Union

the Soviet Union would win the Cold War due to its massive supply of raw resources

the key to winning the Cold War was to win the Space Race and to ensure technological superiority

Correct answer:

communist countries were responsible for aiding the spread of Communism around the world

Explanation:

The Russian Premier during much of the 1960s and all of the 1970s was Leonid Brezhnev. He argued, in what would come to be called the Brezhnev Doctrine, that all Communist states (particularly the Soviet Union) had a responsibility to aid the spread of Communism around the world. And, furthermore, to ensure that those states that had become Communist remained so.

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