Back to the full dot-point answer
VICModern HistoryQuick questions
Unit 2: The changing world order (1945 to 2010)
Quick questions on End of the Cold War and globalisation: VCE Modern History Unit 2 Year 11
15short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is gorbachev's reforms (1985-1991)?Show answer
Mikhail Gorbachev became Soviet leader in March 1985. His reforms responded to systemic Soviet weakness (economic stagnation, military overstretch).
What is revolutions of 1989?Show answer
Without Soviet enforcement, Eastern European communist regimes collapsed:
What is german reunification (3 October 1990)?Show answer
The Two Plus Four Treaty (between the two German states and the four occupying powers) settled the international status. The Federal Republic absorbed the German Democratic Republic. The unified Germany remained in NATO.
What is dissolution of the USSR?Show answer
Inside the USSR, nationalism strengthened:
What is glasnost?Show answer
Increased freedom of expression. Soviet press began addressing previously taboo topics (Stalinist crimes, environmental disasters).
What is perestroika?Show answer
Limited market mechanisms within the planned economy. Results were poor: shortages, inflation, declining living standards.
What is foreign policy?Show answer
- Reykjavik Summit (1986): near-agreement on radical nuclear disarmament. - INF Treaty (1987): eliminated intermediate-range nuclear forces. - Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan (1988-1989).
What is nATO expansion?Show answer
Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999. Russia accepted (with reluctance).
What is gulf War?Show answer
US-led coalition expelled Iraq from Kuwait. Demonstrated US military dominance and UN cooperation (US-Soviet cooperation in the Security Council).
What is russian decline?Show answer
Russia under Yeltsin (1991-1999) suffered economic collapse, social crisis, and loss of international status. Putin (President from 2000) reasserted Russian power.
What is end of History thesis?Show answer
Francis Fukuyama's 1989 essay (book 1992) argued that liberal capitalism had decisively won the ideological contest; major historical conflict was over. The thesis seemed plausible in 1992 but was challenged by subsequent events.
What is continued conflicts?Show answer
- Yugoslav wars (1991-2001): collapse of multi-ethnic Yugoslavia; ethnic cleansing in Bosnia (1992-1995); Kosovo (1998-1999). - Rwandan genocide (April-July 1994): around 800,000 Tutsis killed. - First Chechen War (1994-1996).
What is trade?Show answer
- NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement, 1 January 1994). USA, Canada, Mexico. - World Trade Organization (1 January 1995).
What is china?Show answer
Continued economic opening under Deng Xiaoping (from 1978) and successors. By 2000, China was the world's leading manufacturer.
What is internet?Show answer
Commercial internet from 1991 (World Wide Web). Rapid growth through the 1990s. Globally connected by 2000.