Fall of Communism Practice Test

Review the following study guides if necessary:

• Fall of Communism
• Soviet Union Leadership After Stalin
• The Gorbachev Era
• The Cold War Ends in Europe
• The European Union

Practice Test

1. _________________ issues were the primary motivation for the creation of the EEC and later the European Union.

A. Cultural

B. Philosophical

C. Economic

D. Political

2. What was the major cause of the civil war that broke out in Yugoslavia in 1989–1990?

A. ethnic nationalism

B. resistance to Communist rule

C. economic concerns

D. censorship

3. The Polish Solidarity is best described as

A. a trade union of skilled workers.

B. a major political party.

C. an underground resistance movement.

D. a one-party system of government.

4. The political concept of glasnost welcomes

A. free expression of political opinions.

B. universal suffrage for adults.

C. the lifting of restrictions on travel.

D. the establishment of a strong legislature.

5. Which best describes the change in the Soviet government after the death of Stalin?

A. It became substantially harsher and more repressive.

B. It became somewhat less repressive.

C. It became more centralized.

D. It became radically more democratic.

6. The people of Eastern Europe caused the downfall of communism by means of

A. changes in domestic policy.

B. ethnic civil wars.

C. passive and active resistance.

D. establishing a free press.

7. Why do people consider the fall of the Berlin Wall to be the symbolic end of the Cold War?

A. because East Germany was the last European nation to abandon communism

B. because it happened as the result of a fluke

C. because it signaled the reunifi cation of East and West Germany

D. because the wall was the most visible symbol of the Iron Curtain

8. Which best describes the members of the Soviet Congress of People’s Deputies?

A. They all belonged to the Communist Party.

B. They represented all aspects of Soviet society.

C. They all served by appointment from above.

D. They were elected on a strictly geographical basis.

9. Which best describes the Commonwealth of Independent States?

A. It is a parliamentary democracy.

B. It is a federal republic.

C. It is an economic union of self-governing nations.

D. It is an international peacekeeping force.

10. The USSR was bound to lose the arms race with the United States because the USSR was

A. a smaller nation.

B. a poorer nation.

C. a wealthier nation.

D. a more democratic nation.

Answers