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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What American movie was shown to students at the Moscow Higher Party School?

2. In what city did the Party cancel the May Day parade in 1990?

3. Who became president of Czechoslovakia?

4. Who became the new KGB chief in 1988?

5. How did the Baltic republics win their independence?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why, for the young, was the West their dream?

2. What happened when Gorbachev withdrew his support for the 500 Days plan?

3. What was "The Charity Society"?

4. How did Yeltsin win his first battle inside the "horror house" of the Soviet system?

5. What did Yuri Savenko, president of the Independent Psychiatric Association, think about the Ministry of Health's cooperation with Kashpirovsky's broadcasts?

6. What happened when the tanks were sent to Lithuania in January 1991?

7. Why would it be difficult for the hard-liners to chart a new historical orthodoxy?

8. In 1991, why were the Kremlin hard-liners terrified of the strikes?

9. Why did Ilya Zaslavsky hobble to the podium at the Congress the day after Sakharov's death?

10. Who was the free man Remnick met on Sakhalin island?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

During the Gorbachev era, there was loosening of restrictions and a small shift toward truth. Compare the Stalin era and the Gorbachev era, and show what changed, what did not change, and how, in some ways, the Gorbachev era retained elements from Stalin's days. Use examples from the book.

Essay Topic 2

Explain the double meaning of the book's title, Lenin's Tomb.

Essay Topic 3

The hard-liners began a coup in August 1991. Explain how and why the actions of the conspirators, the military, the secret police, the people, the media (television, radio, and press), and the reform politicians caused the coup to fail.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,059 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample