West Civ Ch 21 – Flashcards
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Which state was under communist rule at some point in the twentieth century?
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Afghanistan → Communists backed by the Soviet Union came to power in Afghanistan in 1979; support of the communist Afghan regime led to the long and bloody Soviet intervention in Afghanistan that helped destroy the USSR.
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After World War II, Stalin installed communist governments in which of the following states?
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Czechoslovakia was one of several Eastern European states in which a communist government was imposed after World War II.
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Which of the following was part of communist feminist legislation?
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A policy that fully incorporated women into the workforce → Global communism advocated women's productivity, encouraging them with both legislation and education to enter the workforce in equal numbers to men.
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What political development in the United States is associated with the cold war?
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The "imperial" presidency → The need for quick and often secret decision making gave rise to a strong or "imperial" presidency and a national security state in which defense and intelligence agencies acquired great power within the government.
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In terms of the use of force, Gorbachev
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refused to use force to suppress protesters. → In sharp contrast with the Chinese experience, Gorbachev refused to use force to crush political and economic protest.
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In the 1950s, an intense wave of fear of communists and their political repression in the United States was known as
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McCarthyism. → America's "second red scare" in the 1950s was led by U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy.
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What impact did the civil war that raged from 1918 to 1921 have on Russian society?
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Lower-class men found opportunities for social mobility in both the Red Army and new local governments.
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Which of the following reflected the limits of the feminist movements in the Soviet Union and China?
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Women rarely held important political positions, with men dominating both the party and government leadership.
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What was the "third world" during the cold war?
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Countries emerging from colonial rule
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Why has 1989 been dubbed a "miracle year"?
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Popular movements toppled communist governments throughout Eastern Europe. → Starting with Poland's Solidarity movement, 1989 saw the surprisingly peaceful overthrow of communist rule in much of Eastern Europe.
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In what kind of societies did a majority of successful communist revolutions in the twentieth century take place?
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Largely agrarian societies → In one of history's strange twists, the communist revolutions of the twentieth century took place in largely agrarian societies.
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Which of the following best reflects the situation in Eastern Europe following World War II?
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Local communist parties in Eastern Europe enjoyed some support after World War II because of their role in resisting the Nazis.
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What was the Zhenotdel?
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It was the name given to a special organization within the Communist Party that dealt with women's affairs.
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Which of the following statements best describes the establishment of communist rule in China?
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It was a decades-long violent struggle. → Communism's triumph in China came only after a long process of violent upheaval that lasted from 1911 to 1949.
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What was the end result of Mao's two great campaigns, the "Great Leap Forward" and the "Cultural Revolution"?
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They led to the death and ruin of tens of millions and the widespread discrediting of communism. → Both the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution led to widespread death and economic hardship, leading many to doubt the benefits of communism in China.
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Which of the following is true of the nuclear standoff during the cold war?
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Following the Cuban Missile Crisis, both powers continued to expand their arsenals. → Despite their increased efforts to avoid provoking the other power, both continued to expand their arsenals.
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Which of the following did the Bolsheviks promise to the people Russia?
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The promise to seize land from wealthy landlords and give it to peasants led many to support the Bolsheviks.
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Which of the following was a feature of Mao's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution of the mid-1960s?
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It sought to bring health care and education to the countryside. → In an effort to address inequalities between urban and rural China, the authorities did seek to bring health care and education to the countryside.
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Which of the following statements accurately reflects the relationship between communist states during the cold war?
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The Soviet Union invaded both Hungary and Czechoslovakia. → The Soviet Union invaded Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968 to crush reform movements.
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During the 1980s, with what did China's leadership associate democracy?
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The chaos of the Cultural Revolution → Deng Xiaoping associated democracy with the chaos and uncontrolled mass action of the Cultural Revolution.
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From a communist perspective, which of the following is the best definition of socialism?
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An intermediate stage on the way to a final goal of social equality and collective living → Socialism was never intended to be a final goal, but a step toward eventual creation of true communism in which all people are equal.
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The event that provided a decisive opening for the Chinese Communist Party to take control of the government was
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the Japanese invasion of 1937. → Japan's 1937 invasion of China destroyed Guomindang control of much of the country, giving the communists the opportunity they needed to establish themselves.
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Which of the following was an outcome of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution?
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Mao had to call the army out to restore order and to stop violence that threatened civil war. → As the Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution progressed, rival revolutionary groups fought with one another across the country. Fears of civil war forced Mao to call in the military to restore order and the Communist Party.
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Which of the following best statements describes the experience of third-world countries during the cold war?
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Third-world countries had no single shared experience, with their individual circumstances running the spectrum from being the pawn of a superpower to actually benefiting from the rivalry between the United States and Soviet Union. → Third-world countries had varied experiences, depending in large part on local factors and the goals of the superpowers.
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Which of the following was a critical part of China's economic reform after 1976?
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Managers of state-run factories were encouraged to act like private owners by seeking profits. → Managers of state enterprises were given greater authority and encouraged to act like private owners, making many of their own decisions and seeking profits.
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Which of the following best describes the communist world in the second half of the twentieth century?
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Rivalry and hostility marked the communist world as much or more than solidarity and cooperation.
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Which of the following was an outcome of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution?
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Mao had to call the army out to restore order and to stop violence that threatened civil war. → As the Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution progressed, rival revolutionary groups fought with one another across the country. Fears of civil war forced Mao to call in the military to restore order and the Communist Party.
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What distinguished the extension of communism into Asia as compared to Europe following World War II?
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Asia was the scene of the most destructive and prolonged hot wars during the cold war. → Asia was the sight of several such wars including the Korean and Vietnam wars.
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Which of the following best reflects the situation in Eastern Europe following World War II?
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Local communist parties in Eastern Europe enjoyed some support after World War II because of their role in resisting the Nazis.
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Which of the following was an outcome of the Chinese initiative to form enormous "people's communes" during the Great Leap Forward of the 1950s?
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It led to administrative chaos; disruption of marketing networks and bad weather combined with the collectivization project to produce a massive famine.
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Which of the following best describes the role of the Chinese communists in resisting the Japanese during World War II?
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They were able to establish themselves behind enemy lines and offered some security to many Chinese communities. → Using guerilla warfare techniques learned in the struggle against the Guomindang, they were able to establish themselves behind enemy lines and provide some security to local communities.
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What helped the communists to earn the respect of China's rural population?
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Many peasants respected the communists because of their vigorous resistance against the Japanese. → Moreover, in those regions controlled by the communists, they reduced rents, taxes, and interest payments for peasants; taught literacy to adults; and mobilized women for the struggle.
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What policies did Chinese communists pursue which helped to attract women to the struggle?
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They experimented with land reform that offered men and women equal shares. → This was an attractive policy for women as were new laws on marriage, the right to vote, and the ownership of property.
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Which of the following was a reason for Russia's successful 1917 revolution?
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Blaming the government for Russia's very poor performance in World War I → Russia fared very badly in World War I and the government proved unable to feed and equip its own soldiers, leading to widespread discontent that helped spark the revolution.
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Which of the following was part of the Bolsheviks' message in 1917?
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Self-determination for non-Russian nationalities → Early on the Bolsheviks supported self-determination for non-Russian nationalities, but during the civil war that followed many regional nationalists sided with their opponents. A quick end to Russia's participation in World War I
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Which of the following statements best reflects Soviet and Chinese industrialization during the twentieth century?
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They experienced unprecedented economic growth through massive mobilization of their nations' human and material resources. → Both did experience unprecedented economic growth based on centrally directed five-year plans that focused human and material resources on specific priorities.
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How did the Chinese communist revolution differ from its Russian counterpart?
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The Chinese Revolution was a much longer and more drawn-out struggle. → The Russian Revolution occurred in a single year, while the Chinese struggle took decades.
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Which of the following best describes the political situation in the decade that followed the Bolshevik seizure of power in 1917?
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The Soviet Union was the only communist regime in the world. → For twenty-five years the Soviet Union remained a communist island in a capitalist world.
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Which statement best describes the revolutionary strategy used by Chinese communists to seize power?
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They focused on securing the support of China's rural population. → Unlike classical Marxism, which envisions revolution taking place in a fully industrialized society, or the communist revolution in Russia, which was primarily urban in orientation, Chinese communists looked to the country's peasant villages for support.
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Which earlier revolution was a model for the revolutions in both Russia and China?
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French Revolution → Consciously modeling their plans on the French Revolution, Chinese and Russian revolutionaries sought to create new and better worlds for their people.
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What distinguished the French Revolution from the Russian and Chinese revolutions?
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Only the Russian and Chinese revolutions carried an explicit message of gender equality. → The Russian and Chinese revolutions did carry an explicit message of gender equality, while the French Revolution did not.
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Which of the following was an important difference between the industrial histories of the Soviet Union and China?
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Only the Soviets came to accept that industrialization and urbanization required that a new set of privileged elites emerge. → While the Soviets largely accepted this situation, the Chinese during the Great Leap Forward and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution actively sought to combat these developments.
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In the revolutionary period, which of the following sectors of the Chinese population provided essential support for Chinese communists?
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Peasants → Mao Zedong, himself the son of peasants, was particularly effective in rallying Chinese peasants behind the banner of communism.
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Who fought against the communists during the civil war in Russia that raged from 1918 to 1921?
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Disaffected socialists → Some disaffected socialists did oppose radical Bolshevik rule.
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Which of the following was a result of urbanization in both China and the Soviet Union?
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The growth of a privileged bureaucratic and technological elite → One of the challenges of communism was that urbanization led to the growth of a privileged educated elite, thanks to the need for bureaucratic and technological expertise.
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Which of the following was a distinct difference between communist feminism in China and Russia?
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Only in Russia was there talk of free love and the withering away of the family. → Feminists in the Soviet Union did push these concepts further than their Chinese counterparts.
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Who was the communist leader who led his party to victory in 1949?
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Mao Zedong → Mao Zedong, in his position as chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, was the founding father of the People's Republic of China, serving until his death in 1976.
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Why did communist regimes generate terror and violence on such a massive scale?
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Perceived enemies came to include high-ranking members and long-term supporters of the Communist Party. → These members were perceived as corrupted by bourgeois ideas.
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Which of the following statements best reflects the development of communist feminism?
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It was a largely state-directed initiative.
