Paper 3, Option 38.1: The making of modern Russia, 1855–1991 - 5 Gorbachev and the downfall of Soviet communism, 1985–91 — Edexcel A-Level History
Verified courseTeaching note checked against the official specification.
Paper 3, Option 38.1: The making of modern Russia, 1855–1991 - 5 Gorbachev and the downfall of Soviet communism, 1985–91 explained
Paper 3, Option 38.1: The making of modern Russia, 1855–1991 - 5 Gorbachev and the downfall of Soviet communism, 1985–91 covers 3 specification points, including Impact of Afghanistan war; economic… and Treatment of dissidents, including Sakharov;….
Read the full explanation
Open a point below for its explanation and revision guidance.
The impetus to reform: impact of Afghanistan war; economic stagnation; the alcohol problem; rising nationalism; impact of Chernobyl; Gorbachev's personality and ideas.
By 1985 the Soviet system faced multiple pressures making reform urgent. The Afghanistan war drained resources, caused casualties and exposed military limits. Economic stagnation meant low growth, poor quality goods and shortages, worsened by heavy defence spending. The alcohol problem damaged health and productivity; ironically, alcohol sales were a major state revenue source, meaning Gorbachev's anti-alcohol campaign later caused a financial shortfall. Rising nationalism challenged central control. The Chernobyl disaster of 1986 caused deaths and environmental damage, and its handling undermined trust. Gorbachev's personality and ideas shaped his response. Together these pressures explain why he pursued change.
Impacts of glasnost and perestroika: treatment of dissidents, including Sakharov; new appointments, including Yeltsin; attempts at administrative reform and to tackle alcoholism.
Glasnost, meaning openness, and perestroika, meaning restructuring, changed Soviet politics and society. Dissidents faced less repression: Andrei Sakharov was released from internal exile in 1986 and later elected to the Congress of People's Deputies. New appointments brought reformers into government, including Boris Yeltsin, whose criticism of the slow pace of change made him a focus of opposition. Administrative reforms aimed to reduce party control and introduce competitive elections, but they also weakened central authority. Attempts to tackle alcoholism included raising prices, limiting sales and closing distilleries, but they damaged state revenue and led to illegal brewing. These impacts were uneven and contributed to instability.
Divisions in the reformist camp, conservative opposition; growing rivalry with Yeltsin; the conservatives’ attempted coup; the downfall of Communist Party rule.
Gorbachev’s reforms split the reformist camp: radicals led by Yeltsin demanded faster democratisation and marketisation, while moderates feared chaos and favoured gradual change. Conservative opposition came from party apparatchiks, the military, KGB and industrial managers who saw glasnost and perestroika as threats to their power and the Soviet state. Gorbachev’s rivalry with Yeltsin grew as Yeltsin left the Communist Party, won election as Russian president in 1991 and challenged Gorbachev’s authority. In August 1991 conservatives attempted a coup against Gorbachev; it failed after popular resistance led by Yeltsin. The coup discredited the Communist Party, and its rule collapsed, leading to the USSR’s dissolution in December 1991.
Your focus
- Identify and describe the main pressures for reform facing the Soviet Union by 1985.
- Explain how each pressure contributed to the impetus for reform.
- Evaluate the relative importance of different pressures, including Gorbachev's personality and ideas.
Show all 9 objectives
- Describe the key features of glasnost and perestroika.
- Explain the effects of these policies on dissidents, appointments, administration and alcohol policy.
- Analyse how these impacts contributed to political and social change in the Soviet Union.
- Students can explain the divisions within the reformist camp and the nature of conservative opposition to Gorbachev.
- Students can analyse the growing rivalry between Gorbachev and Yeltsin and its impact on Soviet politics.
- Students can evaluate the significance of the August 1991 coup and the downfall of Communist Party rule in the collapse of the USSR.
Paper 3, Option 38.1: The making of modern Russia, 1855–1991 - 5 Gorbachev and the downfall of Soviet communism, 1985–91 exam tips
Marking Points
- Explains how the Afghanistan war created military, economic and social costs that increased pressure for reform.
- Analyses economic stagnation as a cause of reform, including slow growth, shortages and the burden of defence spending.
- Assesses the alcohol problem as a social and economic impetus, linking it to poor health and productivity, while noting that state reliance on alcohol revenue complicated reform efforts.
- Explains how rising nationalism in republics challenged Soviet unity and encouraged reform or concessions.
- Evaluates the impact of Chernobyl as a trigger for reform, including health, environmental and credibility consequences.
- Analyses Gorbachev's personality and ideas as a decisive factor, including his belief in reforming socialism and openness to new thinking.
- Explains how glasnost changed the treatment of dissidents, using Sakharov as a key example.
- Analyses how perestroika and new appointments, including Yeltsin, altered the political landscape.
- Assesses attempts at administrative reform, such as reducing party control and introducing competitive elections.
- Evaluates the impact of anti-alcohol measures, including their economic and social consequences.
- Explains how these changes contributed to instability and the downfall of Soviet communism.
- Explains divisions within the reformist camp: radicals such as Yeltsin and the Inter-Regional Group pressing for rapid democratisation and market reform, versus moderates around Gorbachev who preferred gradual, controlled change.
- Analyses conservative opposition: party apparatchiks, the nomenklatura, military and KGB leaders, and industrial managers who resisted glasnost, perestroika and the loss of Communist Party monopoly.
- Traces the growing rivalry between Gorbachev and Yeltsin: Yeltsin’s expulsion from the party leadership, his election as Chairman of the Russian Supreme Soviet in 1990 and as President of Russia in June 1991, and his use of Russian sovereignty to challenge central power.
- Examines the conservatives’ attempted coup of August 1991: the State Committee on the State of Emergency, Gorbachev’s detention at Foros, Yeltsin’s resistance at the White House, and the coup’s failure.
- Assesses the downfall of Communist Party rule: the post-coup suspension of party activities, the banning of the party, the resignation of Gorbachev as General Secretary, and the dissolution of the USSR in December 1991.
- Evaluates the relative importance of these factors in explaining the collapse of Soviet communism, for example whether the coup was a cause or a catalyst.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Plan an answer that groups pressures into military, economic, social, national and personal factors, then explain how they interacted.
- 💡Use precise examples, such as the date of the Afghanistan invasion or the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, to support each factor.
- 💡Define glasnost and perestroika briefly at the start of an answer to show understanding.
- 💡Use specific names and dates, such as Sakharov's release in 1986 or Yeltsin's appointment in 1985, to support analysis.
- 💡Link each impact back to the question, explaining how it weakened or changed the Soviet system.
- 💡Plan essays around the four clauses of the statement, ensuring each is addressed with specific evidence.
- 💡Use precise dates and names: August 1991 coup, Yeltsin elected Russian president in June 1991, Communist Party suspended in August 1991 and banned in November 1991.
- 💡When evaluating significance, compare factors explicitly rather than listing them; for example, weigh whether conservative opposition or Yeltsin’s rivalry was more decisive.
- 💡Integrate interpretations of Gorbachev’s role, but support them with evidence from the period.
Common Mistakes
- Treating the Afghanistan war only as a foreign policy failure; correction: also link it to domestic costs, such as casualties, expense and loss of trust.
- Assuming economic stagnation was only about shortages; correction: include slow growth, poor quality, defence spending and the impact on living standards.
- Claiming the alcohol problem itself reduced state revenue; correction: alcohol sales were a major revenue source, and it was Gorbachev's anti-alcohol campaign that damaged state finances.
- Confusing glasnost with perestroika; correction: glasnost means openness and greater freedom of information, while perestroika means economic and political restructuring.
- Assuming Sakharov remained a prisoner throughout the 1980s; correction: he was released from internal exile in 1986 and later became an elected deputy.
- Treating the anti-alcohol campaign as wholly successful; correction: it reduced some consumption but caused revenue loss and illegal production.
- Treating the reformist camp as united; correction: identify the radical–moderate split and show how it weakened Gorbachev’s position.
- Confusing the August 1991 coup with the October 1993 constitutional crisis; correction: place the coup in 1991 and link it to the collapse of Communist Party rule, not to later Russian politics.
- Assuming the coup succeeded or that Gorbachev was overthrown by it; correction: the coup failed, but it fatally discredited the Communist Party and accelerated the USSR’s dissolution.
- Describing Yeltsin only as a reformer without explaining his institutional power base; correction: note his election as Russian president and his use of that office to oppose both the coup and Gorbachev.