GEOG 1310 - Globalization and the Developing
World - Dr. Yeong Kim - Exam 2 Study Guide/Q’s
and A’s
What are transition economies? - -Transition economies are the former
socialist nations changing from centrally-planned economies to market
economies.
- What were the primary causes of the former Soviet Union Bloc's collapse in
the late 1980's and early 1990's? - -1. Economic trouble of the 1980's:
Inefficient, low-productivity centrally- planned economy
2. Communist governments legitimacy question by citizens (political stability
necessary for economic growth)
3. Mikhail Gorbachev's Perestroika: Reforms introducing privatization into the
economy. Failed. (primary cause of collapse)
- Explain the "uneasy transition" that Eastern European countries underwent
in the 1990's. - -1. The rocky road to capitalistic success: Eastern European
nations suffered from political instability and lost significant economic aid
from the Soviet Union following its collapse.
2. Conflicting policy advice for reform: "Shock Therapy" (sudden, stark
change) vs "Gradual Transition" (slow, gradual reform)
- Name the Eastern European nations that have joined the EU since 2002. -
-2004: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia,
Hungary
2007: Bulgaria, Romania
2013: Croatia
- Explain the Copenhagen Criteria. - -The Copenhagen Criteria (1993) is the
set of rules and standards which dictate which nations are eligible to join the
EU.
The CC assist Eastern European transition into the EU, and focus on three
major pillars:
1. Democratic governance (shedding communistic governance of the past)
2. Human rights (stop genocide)
3. Market economy/capitalist (transition to a market economy)
, - Explain Gorbachev's policies of glasnost and perestroika. - -Textbook,
page 313:
"When Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev initiated his policy of glasnost - or
greater openness - during the 1980s, several republics - most notably the
Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia - demanded independence."
Glasnost, or openness, was a reform meant to loosen restrictions on social
and political discussion. These reforms gave Soviet citizens greater social
and political freedom, allowing more individual expression. A prime example
is how it loosened restrictions on criticizing the government and government
officials. This hastened the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Textbook, page 313:
"In addition [to Glasnost], Gorbachev's policy of perestroika, or restructuring
of the centrally-planned economy, was an admission that the Soviet
economy was increasingly lagging behind those of western Europe and the
United States."
Perestroika, or reform, opened the Soviet economy to capitalistic reforms,
which were desperately needed. In an essay, a prime example to recall
would be the film on the USSR we viewed in class, which noted that once
reforms began, people began going to the market to buy and sell groceries
again. (Remember: if people were buying eggs in the film, it was a sign the
reforms were working. Indeed, the soviets purchased eggs.) Similarly to
glasnost, this reform most likely hastened the downfall of the Soviet Union. It
should be noted that, from Gorbachev's perspective, the goal of Perestroika
was not to end socialism, but rather to improve it.
- What is the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)? - -Textbook,
page 313:
"For a time, it seemed that a looser political union of most of the former
republics, called the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), would
emerge from the ruins of the Soviet Union. CIS faded in importance,
however. More recently, Russia has instead backed the growth of the
Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), a customs union designed to encourage
trade and closer political ties between member states. The EEU contains five
member states: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan."
Established in 1991 through the Belovezh Accords, which also brought an
end to the USSR, the CIS intended to coordinate policy among member
states and foster closer economic and political ties. The CIS can essentially
be said to have been designed to try and replace the Soviet Union, albeit in a
much looser fashion. CIS intended to keep former soviet states from
World - Dr. Yeong Kim - Exam 2 Study Guide/Q’s
and A’s
What are transition economies? - -Transition economies are the former
socialist nations changing from centrally-planned economies to market
economies.
- What were the primary causes of the former Soviet Union Bloc's collapse in
the late 1980's and early 1990's? - -1. Economic trouble of the 1980's:
Inefficient, low-productivity centrally- planned economy
2. Communist governments legitimacy question by citizens (political stability
necessary for economic growth)
3. Mikhail Gorbachev's Perestroika: Reforms introducing privatization into the
economy. Failed. (primary cause of collapse)
- Explain the "uneasy transition" that Eastern European countries underwent
in the 1990's. - -1. The rocky road to capitalistic success: Eastern European
nations suffered from political instability and lost significant economic aid
from the Soviet Union following its collapse.
2. Conflicting policy advice for reform: "Shock Therapy" (sudden, stark
change) vs "Gradual Transition" (slow, gradual reform)
- Name the Eastern European nations that have joined the EU since 2002. -
-2004: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia,
Hungary
2007: Bulgaria, Romania
2013: Croatia
- Explain the Copenhagen Criteria. - -The Copenhagen Criteria (1993) is the
set of rules and standards which dictate which nations are eligible to join the
EU.
The CC assist Eastern European transition into the EU, and focus on three
major pillars:
1. Democratic governance (shedding communistic governance of the past)
2. Human rights (stop genocide)
3. Market economy/capitalist (transition to a market economy)
, - Explain Gorbachev's policies of glasnost and perestroika. - -Textbook,
page 313:
"When Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev initiated his policy of glasnost - or
greater openness - during the 1980s, several republics - most notably the
Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia - demanded independence."
Glasnost, or openness, was a reform meant to loosen restrictions on social
and political discussion. These reforms gave Soviet citizens greater social
and political freedom, allowing more individual expression. A prime example
is how it loosened restrictions on criticizing the government and government
officials. This hastened the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Textbook, page 313:
"In addition [to Glasnost], Gorbachev's policy of perestroika, or restructuring
of the centrally-planned economy, was an admission that the Soviet
economy was increasingly lagging behind those of western Europe and the
United States."
Perestroika, or reform, opened the Soviet economy to capitalistic reforms,
which were desperately needed. In an essay, a prime example to recall
would be the film on the USSR we viewed in class, which noted that once
reforms began, people began going to the market to buy and sell groceries
again. (Remember: if people were buying eggs in the film, it was a sign the
reforms were working. Indeed, the soviets purchased eggs.) Similarly to
glasnost, this reform most likely hastened the downfall of the Soviet Union. It
should be noted that, from Gorbachev's perspective, the goal of Perestroika
was not to end socialism, but rather to improve it.
- What is the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)? - -Textbook,
page 313:
"For a time, it seemed that a looser political union of most of the former
republics, called the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), would
emerge from the ruins of the Soviet Union. CIS faded in importance,
however. More recently, Russia has instead backed the growth of the
Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), a customs union designed to encourage
trade and closer political ties between member states. The EEU contains five
member states: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan."
Established in 1991 through the Belovezh Accords, which also brought an
end to the USSR, the CIS intended to coordinate policy among member
states and foster closer economic and political ties. The CIS can essentially
be said to have been designed to try and replace the Soviet Union, albeit in a
much looser fashion. CIS intended to keep former soviet states from
