Activity 1 - What were Gorbachev's policies?

  1. Research - How did Gorbachev try to solve the problems facing the USSR? In groups, complete the first two columns of this worksheet by researching each of Gorbachev’s policies, what his aims were and what they achieved. Using the following sources to help you research:
    1. Mamaux, A. (2015). Oxford IBDP Programme - The Cold War, pp. 197-202
    2. Rogers, K., & Thomas, J. (2015). Pearson Baccalaureate: History the Cold War, pp. 212-213
    3. Williamson, D.G. (2015). Access to History - The Cold War, pp. 258-266
  2. Watch - Watch and make notes from at least one of the following videos about Gorbavhev’s policies. Add these notes to your table.
    1. Perestroika & Glasnost (The End of the Soviet Union)
    2. The Cold War: Gorbachev Reforms - Perestroika and Glasnost - Episode 53
    3. The Soviet Bloc Unwinds: Crash Course European History #46
    4. Glasnost and Perestroika
  3. Discuss - How successful were Gorbachev’s policies? Discuss the successes and failures of each of Gorbachev’s policies with the class. Was his approach to reforms within the USSR successful?

Activity 2 - What was his impact?

  1. Evaluate - Now consider the impact each of Gorbachev’s policies had on the Cold War. In what ways did it help end the Cold War? Complete this last column of your worksheet with your reflections on this question.
  2. Analyse - Complete Activity 4 on page 216 of Rogers, K., & Thomas, J. (2015). Pearson Baccalaureate: History the Cold War. Do you agree with Garthoff that “it was Gorbachev who brought the Cold War to an end”?
  3. Reflect - What causal role would you assign to Gorbachev in ending the Cold War? Did he have more impact than Ronald Reagan in reducing Cold War tensions? Did he address the problems in the USSR or make them worse?

Activity 3 - Was Gorbachev to blame?

  1. Watch - Watch this interview with Mikhail Gorbachev. What information does the interview give you about his aims and intentions? How does he defend himself from accusations that he made mistakes?
  2. Discuss - Split into pairs. One person should consider the arguments that Gorbachev was to blame for making problems within the USSR worse. The other person should argue that Gorbachev wasn’t to blame. What evidence would you use for each side of the argument?
  3. Write - To what extent can Gorbachev be blamed, or celebrated, for ending the Cold War? Write an extended paragraph answer to this question.

Further Research

OBLIGATORY READING
  1. Mamaux, A. (2015). Oxford IBDP Programme - The Cold War, pp. 197-202
RECOMMENDED READING
  1. Rogers, K., & Thomas, J. (2015). Pearson Baccalaureate: History the Cold War, pp. 212-213
SUPPLEMENTAL READING
  1. Williamson, D.G. (2015). Access to History - The Cold War, pp. 258-266
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