Yeltsin and the fall of the USSR

• What was Yeltsin known for regarding the communist party?

  Attacking corruption and privileges
• How did Yeltsin respond to communists who opposed reform?

  He publicly attacked them
• In which year did Yeltsin campaign for radical reform?

  Late 1989
• What percentage of the popular vote did Yeltsin win in Moscow?

  89 percent
• How did Yeltsin use his electoral victory?

  To criticize Gorbachev and the party
• What organized opposition group did Yeltsin help form?

  IRDG
• What impact did Yeltsin's resignation in July 1990 have on the communist party?

  It damaged the party's authority
• What was the party membership in 1990?

  19.2 million members
• What did the party's popularity drop to after Yeltsin's resignation?

  18.8%
• Who was Gorbachev's rival in 1990?

  Yeltsin
• How did opinion polls reflect Yeltsin's popularity compared to Gorbachev?

  Yeltsin was more popular among voters
• How did Yeltsin's emphasis on rights and autonomy affect the USSR?

  It weakened the USSR
• What advice did Yeltsin give to leaders during his summer visit to several republics?

  Take as much sovereignty as you can swallow
• What did Yeltsin support regarding the Baltic states in 1991?

  Declarations of independence
• How did Gorbachev weaken his powerbase compared to Yeltsin?

  Gorbachev never stood for election
• What did Yeltsin use the coup as a pretext for?

  To ban the communist party in Russia
• What did Yeltsin seize under the pretext of controlling the union?

  Communist party assets
• How did Yeltsin's reputation change after the coup?

  He emerged as a hero
• What was the outcome of Yeltsin's secret meeting with Belarus and Ukraine leaders?

  Destroyed Gorbachev's new union treaty
• What did Yeltsin persuade the Soviet military leaders to do?

  Abandon the USSR and form a new Russian army
• Why couldn't Gorbachev hold the union together after losing the military's support?

  Without an army, he lacked control