Deck 8: States and Economies in Transition: Between Democracy and Yesterday

Question 1

When the Soviet Union dissolved, over half of the population was in Russia.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Glasnost, or openness, reinforced perestroika by relaxing controls on the media and liberalizing the culture.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The Pan-Blue Coalition favors an official declaration of Taiwanese independence.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

What term was used to describe the Soviet elite, who enjoyed a privileged life of luxury apartments, specialty shops, vacation resorts, private health spas, and hospitals?

A) Blat
B) Glasnost
C) Nomenklatura
D) Duma
E) Politburo

Question 5

The most critical social problems in the former Soviet Union were alcoholism, corruption, and a widening technology gap.

Question 6

Totalitarianism has essentially disappeared from Europe.

Question 7

With the breakup of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan inherited and retains a significant nuclear arsenal.

Question 8

South Korea's economic success has enabled the country to surpass Japan in GDP per capita.

Question 9

What was the real purpose of Gorbachev's glasnost program?

A) Revitalize central planning
B) Establish new ties with the United States
C) Give the public access to the media
D) Make workers more productive
E) Expose government incompetence and corruption

Question 10

What did Georgia have that Russia wanted so much that led to the Russian invasion?

A) Control of oil and gas pipelines to the West
B) Access to large gold reserves
C) Access to the Red Sea
D) Access to vast mineral deposits
E) All of these choices are correct.

Question 11

Small business enterprises struggled in Poland after the end of Communist rule.

Question 12

After becoming the Russian president, Vladimir Putin took all of the following steps EXCEPT

A) cracking down on oligarchs.
B) expanding executive powers.
C) diversifying the economy.
D) making foreign policy more aggressive.
E) fighting money laundering.

Question 13

Argentina is the most prosperous country in South America.

Question 14

Cuba is the last unreconstructed Stalinist state.

Question 15

The Russian economy immediately got better after the fall of the Soviet Union and the introduction of privatization.

Question 16

Russia rekindled memories of the Cold War with its attack on Georgia in August of 2008.

Question 17

Gorbachev's aim in reforming Communism was to save it.

Question 18

After 1989, Hungary's popularly elected government slowed down the pace of free­market reforms.

Question 19

The election of Vicente Fox was a major victory for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

Question 20

Perestroika included all of the following goals EXCEPT

A) challenging the power of the nomenklatura.
B) restructuring the Soviet economic system.
C) initiating economic reforms.
D) improving the efficiency of Soviet workers.
E) relaxing media censorship.

Question 21

Which South American country has risen to prominence, along with China and India?

A) Mexico
B) Brazil
C) Argentina
D) Chile
E) Columbia

Question 22

Which statement about Russia under Putin is FALSE?

A) Some of Putin's more vocal critics have ended up dead.
B) Long lines for food and other items continue.
C) Historical materials about the country's not-so-pleasant past have been made avialable to the public.
D) Russia's relationships with Europe and the United States remain strained.
E) The country seeks to create its own Silicon Valley-type region to boost technological innovation.

Question 23

Which of the following transitional states has the most powerful economy?

A) Mexico
B) Taiwan
C) South Korea
D) Czech Republic
E) Poland

Question 24

Of all the Eastern European countries experiencing transition after the collapse of the USSR, which has experienced the most economic success?

A) Poland
B) Hungary
C) Slovenia
D) Czech Republic
E) Bosnia

Question 25

What is the main reason for Chile's economic success?

A) Its reliance on a feudal system
B) Its refusal to sign trade agreements
C) Its exports
D) Its imports
E) Its foreign investments

Question 26

All of these statments about Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto are true EXCEPT

A) He is the leader of the Democratic Progressive Party.
B) His party won most of the seats in Congress at the same time he was elected president.
C) He pledged to curb organized crime.
D) He promised transparency in his government.
E) He oversaw Mexico's economic rebound since taking office.

Question 27

Which of the following best describes the government of the Czech Republic?

A) Chaotic mess
B) Coalition government of the elite
C) Parliamentary democracy
D) Constitutional monarchy
E) Totalitarian regime

Question 28

Which of the following is no longer recognized as a sovereign nation and does not have a seat in the United Nations?

A) South Korea
B) North Korea
C) Thailand
D) Malaysia
E) Taiwan

Question 29

What term was used to describe Asia's financial crisis of 1997-1998?

A) Asian flu
B) Far East malaise
C) Economic pox
D) Siamese sickness
E) Korean plague

Question 30

What important change did a 2012 amendment make to the Czech constitution?

A) All Czech citizens were made shareholders of formerly state-controlled enterprises.
B) The Judiciary was given the power to uphold or overturn new laws.
C) Freedom of speech and the press was protected.
D) The president would be elected by popular vote.
E) Members of parliament could only serve two terms.

Question 31

The New Economic Mechanism (NEM) attempted to decentralize the economy of which state?

A) Romania
B) Poland
C) Hungary
D) Russia
E) Czech Republic

Question 32

As a rule, change in Latin America has followed which pattern?

A) Economic reforms with little or no political reform
B) Economic reform preceding political reform
C) Economic and political reforms moving forward at the same time
D) Political reforms preceding economic reforms
E) Political reforms with little or no economic reform

Question 33

Which Taiwanese coalition is seeking eventual reunification with China?

A) Pan-Chinese Coalition
B) Pan-Blue Coalition
C) Pan-Red Coalition
D) Pan-Asian Coalition
E) Pan-Green Coalition

Question 34

How did Mexico benefit from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?

A) It gave Mexico leverage to pressure the U.S. government to make economic reforms.
B) It provided Mexico with substantial loans to invest in its economic growth.
C) It gave Mexico easy access to U.S. markets.
D) It provided Mexico with most-favored nation status.
E) It made Mexico a member of the World Trade Organization.

Question 35

What is Taiwan's diplomatic position vis-a-vis other nations of the world?

A) It became a member of the World Trade Organiztion.
B) It lost its status as a part of the People's Republic of China.
C) It is a debtor nation that faced a severe downturn after 2008.
D) It is only recognized as a sovereign nation by the United States.
E) It is no longer a member of the United Nations and lacks diplomatic recognition.