Fill in the blanks.

A. The Soviet political system was based on ____________ ideology.


B. __________ was the military alliance started by the USSR.


C. _____________ party dominated the Soviet Union’s political system.


D. ____________ initiated the reforms in the USSR in 1985.


E. The fall of the _____________ symbolised the end of the Cold War.


A) Communist


Explanation: The Soviet Union was based upon the idea of communism and it abhorred capitalism. It promoted equality of people and discouraged accumulation of private property.


B) Warsaw Pact


Explanation: Warsaw Pact was a military alliance between the countries of the socialist bloc or the USSR that held the member countries together.


C) Communist Party


Explanation: The Communist Party of the Soviet Union had tight control over all institutions and dominated the political system.


D) Mikhail Gorbachev


Explanation: Mikhail Gorbachev, who became the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1985, initiated the reforms in the USSR in 1985.


E) Soviet union (USSR)


Explanation: As the states forming the Soviet Union disintegrated, the ideology of communism also fell flat in front of the ideology of capitalism. The difference between these ideologies and their followers was the cause of the Cold War.


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