In 1958, Soviet authorities forced Boris Pasternak to reject the Nobel Prize tha
ID: 2748522 • Letter: I
Question
In 1958, Soviet authorities forced Boris Pasternak to reject the Nobel Prize that he won for his novel Dr. Zhivago (the novel was banned in the USSR and had to be published in Italy).
True
False
QUESTION 2
The policy of glasnost introduced in the mid-1980s was intended to...
increase censorship and government control of the media
increase political transparency of Soviet institutions and allow greater freedom of information
reduce stockpiles of nuclear weapons
introduce several new and important economic reforms
QUESTION 3
In 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev banned the Communist Party in Russia.
True
False
QUESTION 4
The majority of Russian artists did NOT support the Revolution of 1917 and actively opposed the Bolshevik regime.
True
False
QUESTION 5
Which of these countries never was a Soviet republic? (for a comprehensive list of Soviet republics, see My Perestroika study guide, p.8)
Poland
Turkmenistan
Moldova
Armenia
QUESTION 6
The Soviet system was in place during...
1914 - 1999
1914 - 1985
1917 - 1985
1917 - 1991
QUESTION 7
Birgit Beumers writes (p.11): "Throughout the Soviet era, the state and the dissidents had shared a common ground..." What was that common ground? Why did these seemingly opposing groups (intelligentsia and the government) share this one attitude?
QUESTION 8
Which era of Soviet cultural history is known as "the Thaw"? Why did this particular period get this name? Give one or two specific examples from your reading.
QUESTION 9
On p.1 of her "Introduction," Birgit Beumers writes that "the term popular culture was, in a sense, contradictory to the entire Soviet ethos." Based on what you know so far, explain how you understand this statement.
QUESTION 10
Mikhail Gorbachev was the first and only elected president of the Soviet Union.
True
False
QUESTION 11
The policies of glasnost and perestroika were introduced after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
True
False
QUESTION 12
When did the bolsheviks seize power from the Tsars? (event that became known in history as the October Revolution)
1917
1985
2001
1914
QUESTION 13
Russia is the largest country (in terms of land mass) on Earth.
True
False
QUESTION 14
On p.11 of her article, Beumers writes: "When the Soviet system collapsed in 1991, a shift from the ideological to the commercial culture took place." Explain how you understand this statement and give specific examples from the article of how Russian cultural production changed from Soviet to post-Soviet eras.
QUESTION 15
1. How many republics comprised the USSR?
5
12
10
15
QUESTION 16
Removal of Nikita Khrushchev from the office in 1964 and the Coup of 1993 are the two successful coups in Soviet history.
True
False
QUESTION 17
During most of the Soviet rule (and certainly after 1934), any form of experimental art was considered dissident and, therefore, could only exist as a part of underground culture.
True
False
QUESTION 18
When did the Soviet Union collapse and all of the former Soviet republics declared independence?
2001
1985
1991
1999
QUESTION 19
Birgit Beumer's article (p.3) argues that Socialist Realism (the only artistic mode allowed in the Soviet Union, especially during the rule of Joseph Stalin) limited "the emotional or intellectual challenge of the artistic product." Based on your readings and powerpoint slides, explain how you understand this statement.
QUESTION 20
What was the first Soviet republic to declare independence from the Soviet Union in 1990?
Ukraine
Lithuania
Estonia
Latvia
Explanation / Answer
1.True
2. The policy of glasnost introduced in the mid-1980s was intended to increase political transparency of Soviet institutions and allow greater freedom of information
3. False
4. True
5. Poland
6. 1917 - 1991
7.
8.
9.
10. True
11. False
12. 1917
13.True
14.
15. 15 Republics
16. False
17. True
18. 1991
19
20. Ukaraine