Question 1

What was the title of the chief executive in a communist country based on the Soviet model?

Accepted Answer

A) prime minister 
B) president 
C) Supreme Leader 
D) general secretary 
A) prime minister 
B) president 
C) Supreme Leader 
D) general secretary D

Question 2

How were religion,gender relations,sexuality,and nationalism handled under communist regimes? Were preexisting ethnic identities reduced or sharpened,and why?

Accepted Answer

A good answer will note that all four institutions were considered part of the Marxist "superstructure" and actively reinterpreted by communist regimes.Religion was suppressed,thought to be a way to legitimize class distinctions.Women were encouraged to enter the workforce but many traditional roles for women persisted.Marriage was considered a "repressive institution." Divorce laws and birth control were allowed along with child care by the state.Nationalism/ethnic identities were repressed,thought to be a tool to divide and conquer,although identities were arguably not reduced but rather sharpened under the surface of a communist identity (playing a large role in the fall of communism in the 1980s).

Question 3

Which of the following is an accurate description of some components of communist government in the Soviet Union?

Accepted Answer

A) The only truly democratic process that occurred within the state happened during the party congress that was held every few years. 
B) Party cells were primarily used in the practical representation of the interests of the people. 
C) Some unions were allowed to operate outside of the state,though they were linked to the Communist Party. 
D) The nomenklatura were often set in opposition,sometimes violently,to the judiciary and local government officials. 
A) The only truly democratic process that occurred within the state happened during the party congress that was held every few years. 
B) Party cells were primarily used in the practical representation of the interests of the people. 
C) Some unions were allowed to operate outside of the state,though they were linked to the Communist Party. 
D) The nomenklatura were often set in opposition,sometimes violently,to the judiciary and local government officials. C

Question 4

Describe the political and economic strategies undertaken by Gorbachev as a means of reforming the Soviet Union.What changes did he propose in the international arena?

Accepted Answer

A good answer should note that glasnost

Question 5

How do we evaluate the economic transitions that postcommunist countries have undergone as either successful or unsuccessful? What are some of the factors correlated with a successful transition from communism?

Accepted Answer

A good answer may argue that economic tr

Question 6

For Marxists,socialism represents

Accepted Answer

A) the enemy of communism. 
B) the final end-stage of human history. 
C) a transitional phase before communism. 
D) the enemy that has to be overthrown. 
A) the enemy of communism. 
B) the final end-stage of human history. 
C) a transitional phase before communism. 
D) the enemy that has to be overthrown.

Question 7

In which of the following ways do postcommunist success stories like Hungary,Poland,and the Czech Republic differ from countries with less successful records like Romania,Bulgaria,Croatia,and Serbia?

Accepted Answer

A) They were more heavily influenced by the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires. 
B) They are much more ethnically diverse. 
C) They have a greater precommunist history of healthy civil society. 
D) They had less contact with the West during communist rule. 
A) They were more heavily influenced by the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires. 
B) They are much more ethnically diverse. 
C) They have a greater precommunist history of healthy civil society. 
D) They had less contact with the West during communist rule.

Question 8

The term used to describe Marx's conception of historical change is

Accepted Answer

A) dialectical materialism. 
B) graduated materialism. 
C) dialectical gradualism. 
D) graduated episodism. 
A) dialectical materialism. 
B) graduated materialism. 
C) dialectical gradualism. 
D) graduated episodism.

Question 9

Why was communism able to spread across such a large part of the globe? What explains its attraction?

Accepted Answer

A good answer should discuss how communi

Question 10

The individual primarily associated with articulating the political theory of communism is

Accepted Answer

A) Mao Zedong. 
B) Karl Marx. 
C) Vladimir Lenin. 
D) Adam Smith. 
A) Mao Zedong. 
B) Karl Marx. 
C) Vladimir Lenin. 
D) Adam Smith.

Question 11

Marx argued that once socialism had triumphed,the state would eventually

Accepted Answer

A) become highly centralized. 
B) grow in power. 
C) grow despotic and have to be overthrown again. 
D) wither away. 
A) become highly centralized. 
B) grow in power. 
C) grow despotic and have to be overthrown again. 
D) wither away.

Question 12

Under communism,ethnicity and nationalism were

Accepted Answer

A) suppressed. 
B) embraced and "socialized." 
C) tolerated as relics that would fade in time. 
D) generally merged with Marxist ideology. 
A) suppressed. 
B) embraced and "socialized." 
C) tolerated as relics that would fade in time. 
D) generally merged with Marxist ideology.

Question 13

Gorbachev's perestroika was concerned with

Accepted Answer

A) economic and political reforms. 
B) devolution and federalism. 
C) military disarmament. 
D) encouraging public debate. 
A) economic and political reforms. 
B) devolution and federalism. 
C) military disarmament. 
D) encouraging public debate.

Question 14

Which of the following statements about communist parties in India is accurate?

Accepted Answer

A) Communist parties became obsolete after the collapse of the Soviet Union. 
B) India's lowest percentage of electoral participation rates are in states often led by communist parties. 
C) Persistent inequality and poverty have provided a ready constituency for India's communist parties. 
D) India's liberal economic reforms have provided communist parties with increased support in recent years. 
A) Communist parties became obsolete after the collapse of the Soviet Union. 
B) India's lowest percentage of electoral participation rates are in states often led by communist parties. 
C) Persistent inequality and poverty have provided a ready constituency for India's communist parties. 
D) India's liberal economic reforms have provided communist parties with increased support in recent years.

Question 15

The bourgeoisie are the

Accepted Answer

A) working class. 
B) aristocratic elites. 
C) military. 
D) property-owning middle class. 
A) working class. 
B) aristocratic elites. 
C) military. 
D) property-owning middle class.

Question 16

Postcommunist economic reform has been most successful in

Accepted Answer

A) Russia. 
B) Eastern Europe and the Baltics. 
C) the Balkans,such as Romania and Bulgaria. 
D) the Caucasus,such as Armenia and Georgia. 
A) Russia. 
B) Eastern Europe and the Baltics. 
C) the Balkans,such as Romania and Bulgaria. 
D) the Caucasus,such as Armenia and Georgia.

Question 17

In which of the following ways did Lenin's beliefs about communism differ from those of Marx?

Accepted Answer

A) He argued that the state did not have to wither away after the communist revolution. 
B) He argued that socialism could be an end goal,not a transitional phase. 
C) He argued that some democratic processes could be incorporated into the operation of the state. 
D) He argued that revolutions could take place in less advanced countries. 
A) He argued that the state did not have to wither away after the communist revolution. 
B) He argued that socialism could be an end goal,not a transitional phase. 
C) He argued that some democratic processes could be incorporated into the operation of the state. 
D) He argued that revolutions could take place in less advanced countries.

Question 18

Which of the following statements about communism in China under Mao is accurate?

Accepted Answer

A) Mao argued,like Marx,that communist revolutions could only be successful in countries with advanced capitalism. 
B) Mao sought to destroy the power of the party-state in order to expand the Communist regime. 
C) Mao's strategy for cultural and economic advancement proved to be far less cruel and resulted in much less loss of life than Stalin's regime. 
D) Mao rejected the broad political structure and institutions of the Soviet Communist regime and developed uniquely Chinese ones based on Confucian philosophy. 
A) Mao argued,like Marx,that communist revolutions could only be successful in countries with advanced capitalism. 
B) Mao sought to destroy the power of the party-state in order to expand the Communist regime. 
C) Mao's strategy for cultural and economic advancement proved to be far less cruel and resulted in much less loss of life than Stalin's regime. 
D) Mao rejected the broad political structure and institutions of the Soviet Communist regime and developed uniquely Chinese ones based on Confucian philosophy.

Question 19

How does East Germany's political culture differ from that of West Germany?

Accepted Answer

A) East Germans are more xenophobic. 
B) East Germans are more skeptical of authoritarianism. 
C) East Germans are more trusting of state institutions. 
D) East Germans have higher levels of civil society. 
A) East Germans are more xenophobic. 
B) East Germans are more skeptical of authoritarianism. 
C) East Germans are more trusting of state institutions. 
D) East Germans have higher levels of civil society.

Question 20

How have current governments in Russia and China responded to growing nationalism in their countries?

Accepted Answer

A) They have tolerated nationalist sentiment without taking overt action. 
B) They have sought to emphasize ethnic multiculturalism to reduce nationalism. 
C) They have liberalized laws that restrict religious freedom and cultural expression. 
D) They have promoted nationalism as a means of maintaining legitimacy. 
A) They have tolerated nationalist sentiment without taking overt action. 
B) They have sought to emphasize ethnic multiculturalism to reduce nationalism. 
C) They have liberalized laws that restrict religious freedom and cultural expression. 
D) They have promoted nationalism as a means of maintaining legitimacy.

Exam 14: Communism and Postcommunism

What was the title of the chief executive in a communist country based on the Soviet model?

How were religion,gender relations,sexuality,and nationalism handled under communist regimes? Were preexisting ethnic identities reduced or sharpened,and why?

Which of the following is an accurate description of some components of communist government in the Soviet Union?

Describe the political and economic strategies undertaken by Gorbachev as a means of reforming the Soviet Union.What changes did he propose in the international arena?

How do we evaluate the economic transitions that postcommunist countries have undergone as either successful or unsuccessful? What are some of the factors correlated with a successful transition from communism?

For Marxists,socialism represents

In which of the following ways do postcommunist success stories like Hungary,Poland,and the Czech Republic differ from countries with less successful records like Romania,Bulgaria,Croatia,and Serbia?

The term used to describe Marx's conception of historical change is

Why was communism able to spread across such a large part of the globe? What explains its attraction?

The individual primarily associated with articulating the political theory of communism is

Marx argued that once socialism had triumphed,the state would eventually

Under communism,ethnicity and nationalism were

Gorbachev's perestroika was concerned with

Which of the following statements about communist parties in India is accurate?

The bourgeoisie are the

Postcommunist economic reform has been most successful in

In which of the following ways did Lenin's beliefs about communism differ from those of Marx?

Which of the following statements about communism in China under Mao is accurate?

How does East Germany's political culture differ from that of West Germany?

How have current governments in Russia and China responded to growing nationalism in their countries?

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