-
Creation of Politburo
A political body created in Russia by the Bolsheviks in 1917. Its purpose was to provide control during the Russian Revolution. This was good for the Soviet Union because it gave them the management they desired during that time. -
Russian Civil War
purpose was to split Russia apart. It occurred because many people were against the Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks were the Reds and the monarchists and militarists were the Whites. This was good for the Soviet Union because it actually started the Soviet Union and got rid of monarchy. -
Treaty of Brest- Litovsk
This lead to the end of the war between Germany and Russia. It was good for the Soviet Union because it ended some conflicts and brought about peace. -
Last of the Romanovs
The family ruled for a long time and their rule ended when they were put to death in 1917. This was good for the Soviet Union because never again will Russia ever have a Romanov leader. -
Stalin's Five Year Plans
The five year plans were economic plans in the Soviet Union to improve the government and financial system. They were put into place to increase industrialization and focus on goods. This was good for the Soviet Union because industrialization was rapidly growing for them. -
WWII
Germany started WWII in 1942 but the war inevitably resulted in the rise of the Soviet Union as a military and industrial superpower. It also resulted in the fall of the Nazi Germans and the allied victory in Europe over the Axis Powers. Although war is never good, this resulted well for the Soviet Union, making them stronger. -
Joe 1
The first Soviet bomb, it exploded on August 29, 1949. It was used in the Soviet Union’s first nuclear weapon test. This was good for the Soviet Union because it showed how successful they were. -
Hyrdogen Bomb
The first soviet H- bomb was successfully tested on August 12, 1953. It was created in “Installation,” a secret city where bombs were designed. This was a benefit for the Soviet Union because at that point they had successful weaponry. -
Warsaw Pact
Officially called “The Treaty of Friendship, Co- operation, and Mutual Assistance.” It was signed in Poland in 1955 by the Soviet Union, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and Albania. This helped the Soviet Union because it placed them in a strong bond with those countries. -
Sputnik
Launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957. It was the first artificial satellite in history. This was really helped the Soviet Union because it showed everyone that they were a force to be reckoned with. -
Laika and Sputnik 2
Sputnik 2 was launched on November 3, 1957, with the first animal to ever be launched into space, Laika. It’s likely that Laika died due to overheating after the launch but this was still very good for the Soviet Union because it paved the way for human spaceflight. -
Creation of the Berlin Wall
Berlin was Germany’s capital city until after WWII, and then it was divided in two by Germany. The wall became a symbol of division of East from West. This wasn’t good for the Soviet Union because they only sided with the East, not the West. -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
The invasion took place on August 20, when the Warsaw pact services took over all of Czechoslovakia. There were over 500,000 troops. The invasion was most likely caused because the Soviet Union felt that Czechoslovakia wasn’t truly committed to the Warsaw Pact. Since the Soviets were not being invaded, this wasn’t bad for the Union. -
SALT 1
SALT stands for Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. SALT 1 was the first cycle of talks. It lasted from November 1969 to May 1972. During this cycle the US and Soviet Union made many agreements and limitations on important international issues. This was good for the Soviet Union because they were negotiating agreements with the US, so it was very beneficial for them. -
SALT II
These negotiations between Jimmy Carter (US) and Leonid Brezhnev (Soviet Union) took place from 1977 to 1979. During this cycle of consultation, new limitations were brought about for things like security, deployment, construction of launchers, and limits on offensive arms. This was also very good for the Soviet Union, because this brought them to the same page as the US; they were on the same terms and agreed to the same limitations. -
Perestroika
It was a political movement during the 1800’s within the Soviet Union Communists because of Gorbachev and his many major policy reforms. It is often said that Perestroika caused the termination of the Soviet Union. This was very bad for the Soviet Union because it lead to a lot of divergence and anger within the Union. -
Chernobyl Disaster
Chernobyl remains the world’s most civil nuclear disaster. The accident occurred in a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, it was the first Soviet power station. This affected many Soviets, and this was bad for the Soviet Union because it affected many of their people. -
Glasnost
The main goal of this policy was to make the Soviet Union more open to debate and discussion so that more people could have control of what went on, rather than only a few people having a say in big issues. This policy was introduced by Gorbachev and is usually linked with Perestroika. -
Soviet- Afghan War
This proxy was during the cold war, it involved the Soviet Union and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. The war took place in Afghanistan and wasn’t very good for the Soviet Union because many were against them during this war and some places like India were helping Afghanistan. -
Voting Reforms by Gorbachev
Gorbachev became the General Secretary of the Soviet Union Party and began making many reforms that were opposed by many of the members of the Communist Party. He appealed over all who were opposed to him and was constantly criticized by people who wanted to stop reform. This wasn’t good for the Soviet Union because this caused a lot of conflict within the Union. -
Free Elections
These countries could now freely vote for the first time. This was good for the Soviet Union because the people were more content and pleased. -
Borbachev becomes leader
After the death of Konstantin Cherenkov; Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union. Because he was so young and became leader of the Soviet Union so quickly, many people were surprised with his new title. He made a lot of changes for the Union. This was good for the Soviet Union because they got a new leader who made a lot of changes for the better of the Union. This was sort of bad though because not everyone was happy with their new leader. It was mainly good though. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
This was caused by Gorbachev and the Soviet Union. Many changes were being made and many things were shifting in the Soviet Union, causing Germany to change as well. East Germany reformed and on July 1 the wall plummeted down and Germany became united. This was good for the Soviet Union, because it made everyone happier. -
Lithuania and Latvia Protest
Lithuania and Latvia declare independence against during this time. This wasn’t good for the Soviet Union because they lost two countries after those protests. -
Boris Yeltsin becomes president
On June 12th; Yeltsin became the Democratic President of the Russian Republic. -
Gorbachev Steps Down
Gorbachev resigned as the Soviet Union leader. He announced his resignation in a short speech admitting to some mistakes that were made but wished the Union the best of Luck. This was bad for the Soviet Union because there was no longer a leader. -
Chernobyl Disaster
Chernobyl remains the world’s most civil nuclear disaster. The accident occurred in a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, it was the first Soviet power station. This affected many Soviets, and this was bad for the Soviet Union because it affected many of their people.
