KW End of Bipolarity
KW End of Bipolarity
KW End of Bipolarity
1. Others felt that their power & privileges were eroding &
Gorbachev was moving too quickly.
1. First of all, it meant the end of cold war confrontations. The end of confrontation
demanded an end to this arms race & a possible new peace.
2. Second, power relations in world politics changed & therefore, the relative influence of
ideas & institutions also changed. The US became the sole power , the capitalist economy
was now dominant economic system.
3. Third, the end of soviet bloc , meant the emergence of many new countries- all these
countries had their own independent aspirations & choices.
4. Thus , international system saw many new players emerge, each it its own identity ,
interest , economic & political difficulties.
Q. What do you understand by shock therapy. How did it
affect Russia?
A. It ruined the economies & brought disaster on the people of entire region
B. In Russia , the large state controlled industrial complex, almost collapsed , as about 90% of its
industries were put up for sale to private individuals & companies.
C. The value of RUBLE , the Russian currency declined.
D. The collective farm system disintegrated leaving people without food security.
E. The old system of social welfare was systematically destroyed
F. The withdrawal of government subsidies pushed large section of people into poverty.
G. The mafia emerged in most of these nations & started controlling many economic activities.
Q. Briefly examine the issues of strain in central republics?
1. Most of the former soviet republics are prone to conflict & many have had civil war.
2. In Russia , two republics – Chechnya & Dagestan , have had violent secessionist
movements.
3. In central Asia – TAJIKISTAN witnessed a civil war that went on for 10 years till 2001.
4. In Georgia , the demand for independence has come from two provinces resulting in
a civil war.
5. There are movements against the existing regimes in UKRAINE, KYRGYSTAN &
GEORGIA. Countries are fighting over river waters.
Q. What are the reasons for the revival for economies of central Asian republics.
1. Most of these economies , especially Russia starting reviving in 2000 , ten years
after their independence.
2. The reason for the revival for most of their economies was export of natural
resources like oil, natural gas & minerals.
3. Azerbaijan , Kazakhstan , Russia , Turkmenistan & Uzbekistan are major oil & gas
producers
4. Other countries have gained because of the oil pipelines that cross the territory
for which they got rent.
INDIA & RUSSIA
1. India has maintained good relations with all the post communist countries.
But the strongest relations are still those between Russia and India. India’s
relations with Russia are an important aspect of India’s foreign policy.
2. Indian heroes from Raj Kapoor to Amitabh Bachchan are household names
in Russia and many post Soviet countries. One can hear Hindi film songs
all over the region, and India is part of the popular memory.
3. Russia and India share a vision of a multipolar world order. What they
mean by a multipolar world order is the co-existence of several powers in
the international system, collective security (in which an attack on any
country is regarded as a threat to all countries and requires a collective
response), greater regionalism, negotiated settlements of international
conflicts, an independent foreign policy for all countries, and decision
making through bodies like the UN that should be strengthened,
democratised, and empowered.
4. More than 80 bilateral agreements have been signed between India and
Russia as part of the Indo-Russian Strategic Agreement of 2001.
5. India stands to benefit from its relationship with Russia on issues like
Kashmir, energy supplies, sharing information on international terrorism,
access to Central Asia, and balancing its relations with China.
6. Russia stands to benefit from this relationship because India is the second
largest arms market for Russia. The Indian military gets most of its
hardware from Russia. Since India is an oil importing nation, Russia is
important to India and has repeatedly come to the assistance of India
during its oil crises
7. India is seeking to increase its energy imports from Russia and the
republics of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Cooperation with these
republics includes partnership and investment in oilfields.
8. Russia is important for India’s nuclear energy plans and assisted India’s
space industry by giving, for example, the cryogenic rocket when India
needed it. Russia and India have collaborated on various scientific
projects
GULF WAR
- In august 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait – rapidly occupied. After series of
diplomatic attempt failed at convincing Iraq to quit its aggression , the UN
mandated the liberation of Kuwait by force.
- EGYPT
- Protest also started in EGYPT – protest is known as
TAHIR SQUARE UPRISING , as a result of which Egypt
president – Hosni Mubarak who was ruling from 1979
was dethroned.
- Then it further went to LIBYA – dictator
Mohammad Gaddafi. In Libya there was a
brutal civil war. In this war dictator was
executed on roads in oct 2011.
- TIMELINE :
- In 1961, premiere khurshchev gave east German permission to stop the flow of emigrants, by
closing its border for good. In just two weeks the east german army , police force & volunteer
construction workers had completed the barbed wire & concrete block wall – the berlin wall
that divided one side of the city from other.
- The berlin wall stood until Nov 9 1989, when the head of east Germany communist
party announced that citizens of GDR could cross the border whenever they pleased.
That night static crowd swarmed the wall. Some crossed freely into west berlin while
others brought hammers & pricks.
- To this day , berlin wall remains one of the most powerful & enduring symbol of the
cold war.
QUIZ SESSION
END OF BIPOLARITY
Q1. In which year Socialist Revolution took place in Russia?
1. 1991
2. 1917
3. 1920
4. 1978
1. 1991
2. 1990
3. 1992
4. 1989
Q3. How many Union Republics were there in U.S.S.R.?
1. 16
2. 5
3. 19
4. 15
5. None
1. Leonard Brezhnev.
2. Nikita Khrushchev
3. Mikhail Gorbachev
4. Boris yelstin
Q5. Russia had to make a total shift to a capitalist economy
1. TRUE
2. FALSE
Q6. The value of RUBLE , the Russian currency declined during shock
therapy.
1. true
2. false
Q7. The country that gave the aid and technical assistance for steel plants in India is
Q8. The USSR came into being after the Socialist Revolution in Russia in the year
(a) 1915.
(b) 1916.
(c) 1917.
(d) 1918.
Q9. The Russian Revolution in 1917 was led by
(a) 1975.
(b) 1977.
(c) 1979.
(d) 1981.
Q11. Who became General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
in 1985?
Q12. Russia took over the U.S.S.R. seat in the U.N. in:
1. Azerbaijan
2. Afghanistan
3. Tajikistan
4. Turkhmenistan
1. Mikhail gorbachev
2. Nikita Khrushchev
3. Vladimir Lenin
4. None
Q15. In 1990 march ________ country become the first soviet republic to declare its
independence
1. Latvia
2. Lithuania
3. Estonia
4. None
Q16. In dec 1991, under the leadership of Yelstin _______, __________ & __________ three major
republics of USSR declared that soviet union was disbanded?
1. Boris yelstin
2. Nikita Khrushchev
3. Vladimir lenin
4. None
Who was the last President of the Soviet Union and for how long?
ANS
Name the republic that succeeded the Soviet Union after its
disintegration. What was its position in the international domain?
ANS
Mention any two reforms initiated by Gorbachev.
ANS
When did India sign the twenty- years ‘Treaty of Peace and Friendship’
with the Soviet Union?
ANS
ANS
Highlight any one major distinction between the Soviet economy and the Capitalist
economy.
ANS
Highlight any one democratic value which the bureaucratic and Authoritarian Soviet
system Lacked.
ANS
Why did Boris Yeltsin oppose the coup that took place in the Soviet Union in 1991?
ANS
Identify the event that took place in 1989 which led to the collapse of the ‘Second World5 and
the end of the Cold War.
ANS