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

2. Where did Yakovlev study abroad?

3. How long did economist Stanislav Shatalin think it would be before the Soviet Union would have a modern economy?

4. Which Russian author wrote about Sakhalin Island?

5. Who became the new KGB chief in 1988?

Short Essay Questions

1. What were three omens that occurred in September 1990?

2. Describe Shcharansky's celebration of Hanukkah in Perm-35.

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

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

5. Why did Yakovlev say that rehabilitation was an act of repentance?

6. What did Volkogonov's team reveal in a draft of a history they were writing that appalled the hard-liners?

7. What was the Baltic strategy to achieve independence?

8. What did the designer of the Chernobyl reactor say about the nuclear accident?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The first piece of writing to appear in the Soviet Union by Solzhenitsyn in three decades was a piece titled "How Can We Revitalize Russia." Explain how Solzhenitsyn wanted to solve the problems in the Soviet Union and why the Party felt so threatened by his views.

Essay Topic 2

Shekhovtsov, Korniyenkova, and some of Stalin's grandchildren still revere Stalin. Explain the reasons why they still support Stalin and their motives for supporting him.

Essay Topic 3

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

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