AP European History Flashcards: The Fall of Communism
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 10 cards to help you master important concepts.
Identify one example of a nation reuniting and one example of a nation splitting apart after the fall of communism.
Germany was reunited after the fall of communism, while the Czechs and the Slovaks parted ways.
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Identify one example of a nation reuniting and one example of a nation splitting apart after the fall of communism.
Germany was reunited after the fall of communism, while the Czechs and the Slovaks parted ways.
What happened to Yugoslavia after the collapse of the USSR?
Following the end of Soviet influence and the Cold War, Yugoslavia dissolved.
Define *perestroika* and *glasnost*.
These were Mikhail Gorbachev’s internal reforms, with *perestroika* focusing on economic restructuring and *glasnost* promoting political openness, intended to address the USSR's economic stagnation.
What is meant by the Soviet Union's 'hegemonic control' over its satellites?
This refers to the Soviet Union's dominant influence and authority over the nominally independent nations of Eastern and Central Europe during the Cold War.
What economic change occurred throughout Eastern Europe after the Cold War ended?
Following the end of the Cold War, capitalist economies were established throughout Eastern Europe.
How did the end of the Cold War affect the European Union?
The end of the Cold War led to the enlargement of the European Union, as former Soviet satellite states joined the organization.
What was the primary internal cause leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union?
A long period of economic stagnation was the primary internal cause that Gorbachev's reforms failed to fix, ultimately leading to the Soviet Union's collapse.
What major global conflict ended with the collapse of the USSR in 1991?
The collapse of the USSR in 1991 officially ended the Cold War.
What was the ultimate effect of Gorbachev's internal reforms on the Soviet Union?
Gorbachev's reforms failed to stave off the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of its hegemonic control over Eastern and Central Europe.
What was the relationship between economic stagnation and Gorbachev's reforms?
A long period of economic stagnation in the USSR was the direct cause for Mikhail Gorbachev to introduce his internal reforms of *perestroika* and *glasnost*.