QCE Modern HistoryPractice Examination 10

This paper covers

• August 1991 coup attempt against Gorbachev — causes, failure, and acceleration of Soviet dissolution
• Cold War and its aftermath: Reasons for the end of the Soviet Union, 1980s–1990s (QCAA Unit 4 nominated aspect)
• Role of Boris Yeltsin in resisting the coup and accelerating independence movements
• Hardliner motivations: opposition to the Union Treaty and fear of losing central power
• Popular resistance, military defections, and the symbolic failure of the Emergency Committee
• Gorbachev's weakened authority after the coup and the declaration of Ukrainian independence
• Formal dissolution of the USSR — Alma-Ata Declaration, December 1991
• Historical interpretations of whether the coup caused or merely accelerated Soviet collapse
• Source analysis skills: comprehend, analyse, evaluate (usefulness and reliability), synthesise across sources
• QCAA Band A extended response structure: thesis, integrated source evidence, historical argument

Students are permitted to bring into the examination the materials normally allowed for this subject. Answer all questions in the spaces provided.

This is an ATARMAxxing practice paper. It is not an official examination and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced by the VCAA, NESA or the QCAA.