Why did communism collapse in eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, ending the Cold War?
Topic 9.7 The Fall of Communism: the collapse of communism in eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, its causes (economic failure, Gorbachev's reforms, popular movements), and the end of the Cold War.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.7, on the fall of communism: the economic stagnation and political repression that undermined the Soviet bloc, Gorbachev's reforms, the popular movements that swept eastern Europe in 1989, and the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.
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What this topic is asking
Topic 9.7 asks you to explain the fall of communism in eastern Europe and the Soviet Union: its causes, economic failure, Gorbachev's reforms, and popular movements, and how it brought the end of the Cold War. The College Board wants you to understand why the communist system collapsed so suddenly after decades of seeming permanence.
The failure of the system
Gorbachev's reforms
The revolutions of 1989
Once the fear of Soviet force lifted, the system unravelled fast.
The collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War
Why it mattered
The fall of communism is the climax of Unit 9 and the end of the Cold War era. It freed eastern Europe, reunified Germany and the continent, and removed the division that had defined Europe since 1945. It opened the way for formerly communist states to move toward democracy and to join Western institutions, including the European Union (Topic 9.10). But it also released the long-suppressed nationalism and ethnic conflict that erupted in the former Yugoslavia (Topic 9.5). The collapse of a system that had seemed permanent is one of the great turning points of modern history.
Try this
Q1. Name three causes of the fall of communism. [Recall]
- Cue. The economic stagnation and failure of the command economy, Gorbachev's destabilizing reforms and refusal to use force, and the popular movements that swept eastern Europe in 1989.
Q2. Explain how Gorbachev's reforms contributed to the collapse of communism. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Meant to save the system by restructuring the economy and allowing openness, his reforms instead loosened control, and his signal that the USSR would no longer use force to prop up eastern Europe freed popular movements that toppled the communist governments in 1989.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of College Board exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AP 2018 (style)3 marksBriefly describe ONE cause of the fall of communism. Briefly explain ONE way Gorbachev's reforms contributed. Briefly explain ONE consequence of communism's collapse.Show worked answer →
A Short Answer Question (SAQ), 3 points, one per task.
A. Describe: the economic stagnation and failure of the Soviet command economy, and repression that alienated the people.
B. How Gorbachev contributed: his reforms loosened control and allowed openness, but they destabilized the system rather than saving it.
C. Consequence: the end of the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the freeing of eastern Europe.
Markers want a cause, Gorbachev's role, and a consequence.
AP 2021 (style)6 marksEvaluate the most important reason communism collapsed in Europe in the period c. 1985 to c. 1991.Show worked answer →
A Long Essay Question (LEQ), scored on the 6-point causation rubric.
Thesis (1): "Communism collapsed mainly because the Soviet economic and political system had failed, and Gorbachev's reforms, meant to save it, instead released the popular movements that swept it away."
Contextualization (1): the Cold War and the contrast between a stagnant east and a prosperous west.
Evidence (2): economic stagnation; Gorbachev's reforms; the popular movements and revolutions of 1989.
Analysis (2): rank systemic failure and Gorbachev's reforms while weighing popular pressure and Western strength, then add complexity by noting how the factors reinforced one another.
Related dot points
- Topic 9.3 The Cold War: the ideological and geopolitical struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union, the division of Europe, and the crises and competition that defined the conflict without direct war.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.3, on the Cold War: the ideological and geopolitical struggle between the capitalist West and the communist East, the division of Europe and Germany, the policy of containment, the arms race and rival alliances, and how the conflict shaped Europe without direct superpower war.
- Topic 9.4 Two Superpowers Emerge: the rise of the United States and the Soviet Union as superpowers, the formation of rival blocs and alliances, and the eclipse of the old European great powers.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.4, on the emergence of two superpowers: how the United States and the Soviet Union rose to dominate the postwar world, how they built rival military and economic blocs, the place of nuclear weapons, and the eclipse of the old European great powers.
- Topic 9.5 Postwar Nationalism, Ethnic Conflict, and Atrocities: the persistence of nationalism and ethnic conflict after 1945, including population transfers, the breakup of Yugoslavia, and the return of atrocity to Europe.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.5, on postwar nationalism, ethnic conflict, and atrocities: the population transfers after World War II, the suppression of ethnic tensions under the Cold War order, and the violent re-eruption of nationalism after 1989, above all in the wars and ethnic cleansing of the former Yugoslavia.
- Topic 9.6 Contemporary Western Democracies: the development of stable, prosperous welfare-state democracies in postwar western Europe, their politics and social change, and the challenges they faced.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.6, on contemporary Western democracies: how postwar western Europe built stable, prosperous welfare-state democracies, the rise of consumer society and social change, the politics of consensus and protest, and the challenges of economic downturn and social tension.
- Topic 9.10 The European Union: the project of European integration from the postwar coal and steel community to the European Union, its causes, achievements, and tensions.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.10, on European integration and the European Union: how postwar Europe moved from war toward cooperation, starting with coal and steel and widening to a common market and then the European Union in 1993, its causes and achievements, and the tensions over sovereignty and identity that it raised.
Sources & how we know this
- AP European History Course and Exam Description — College Board (2020)