The End of Bipolarity| Class 12 Political Science Notes

In this article, we will delve deep into chapter 1 from the NCERT Class 12 Practical Work Geography book that is titled “The End of Bipolarity”. These notes are specially curated by an expert team at GeeksforGeeks for all the students to prepare well and excel in their exams.

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Soviet System

• The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was formed after Russia’s Socialist Revolution in 1917.
• This revolution aimed for a fair society without big differences between rich and poor.
• After World War II, the Soviet Union controlled some countries in Eastern Europe.
• The Soviet economy grew fast, but life was tough for people because the government had a lot of control.
• The Soviet Union tried to keep up with the US in making weapons, but it cost a lot of money.

Gorbachev and the Disintegration of the USSR

• In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union.
• He introduced economic and political reform policies of perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness). But later his policies were criticised.
• In 1991, some hardliners in the Communist Party tried to take over, but people wanted freedom.
• Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus said in 1991 that the Soviet Union was over. They chose capitalism and democracy instead.

Reasons for the Soviet Union Disintegration

There were many reasons why the Soviet Union ended:

• The government didn’t do a good job meeting what people wanted.
• The economy didn’t grow much, and a lot of money went into making weapons.
• Corruption and keeping the government too closed off hurt the Soviet Union.
• Some people didn’t like the changes Gorbachev wanted to make.
• People in different parts of the Soviet Union wanted to govern themselves. Consequences of the End of the USSR:

Consequences of Disintegration

Some of the Consequences of Disintegration were:

• The Cold War between the US and the USSR ended.
• The US became the main powerful country, and capitalism became more important.
• Many new countries appeared, each with its own ideas and problems.
• The world had more players with their own interests.

Shock Therapy in Post-Communist Regimes

• After communism ended, many countries had to switch to democracy and capitalism quickly. This was called Shock Therapy.
• Shock Therapy meant big changes like selling state-owned things and opening up to other countries for trade.
• But Shock Therapy hurt a lot of people.
• Currency lost value, prices went up, and many lost their jobs.
• It also involved a break up of the existing trade alliances among the countries of the Soviet bloc.

Consequences of Shock Therapy

• The shock therapy brought ruin to the economies and disaster upon the people of the entire region.
• The value of the Russian currency ‘Ruble’ declined dramatically. People lost all their savings due to high rate of inflation.
• The government withdrew subsidies which pushed large sections of the people into poverty. The middle classes were pushed to the periphery of society.
• The construction of democratic institutions was not given the same attention and priority as the demands of economic transformation.
• Most of these economies, especially Russia, started reviving in 2000, 10 years after their independence. The reason for the revival was the export of natural resources like oil, natural gas and minerals.

Tensions and Conflicts in Former Soviet Republics

• There were tensions and conflicts in most of the former Soviet republics and many have had civil wars and insurgencies.
• In Russia, two republics, Chechnya and Dagestan have had violent secessionist movements.
• Tajikistan witnessed a civil war for almost 10 years till 2001. The region had many sectarian conflicts.
• Central Asia too become a zone of competition between outside powers and oil companies.
• Czechoslovakia was divided into two, the Czechs and the Slovaks thus forming independent countries.
• Yugoslavia broke apart with several provinces like Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina declaring independence.

India and Post-Communist Countries

• India maintained a cordial relationship with all the post-communist countries. The strongest relation of India is still with Russia.
• Indo-Russian relation is an important aspect of India’s foreign policy. Both the countries share a vision of a multipolar world order.
• India got benefits from Russia over issues like Kashmir, energy supplies, access to Central Asia, balancing its relations with China.
• Russia stands to benefit from this relationship because India is the second largest arms market for Russia. Both the countries have collaborated over many scientific projects.

Political Science Chapter 1: The End of Bipolarity – Important Facts

Some Important & Interesting Facts from the Chapter 1 – The End of Bipolarity includes:

1. The Socialist Revolution in Russia in 1917 led to the creation of the USSR, aiming for socialism and fair living standards. The government controlled basic needs and owned most assets.
2. Among the 15 republics, Russia had the most power and control in the USSR.
3. The Soviet Union fell behind the West in technology and couldn’t meet people’s political hopes. The invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 made things worse.
4. Mikhail Gorbachev started reforms in 1985 to make the system more democratic, but some party leaders and people disagreed.
5. People got tired of the old Soviet rule. In 1991, under Boris Yeltsin’s leadership, Russia, Ukraine, and the Baltic states declared independence.
6. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was formed unexpectedly, including these states as founding members.
7. Russia took over the Soviet Union’s place in the UN Security Council. They kept old agreements and worked with the US on reducing nuclear weapons.
8. The USSR ended because of nuclear and military costs, people realizing they were behind the West, and ordinary people feeling left out.
9. Nationalism and wanting self-rule in places like Russia, the Baltic states, and Ukraine were big reasons for the USSR’s end.
10. The USSR’s end stopped Cold War fights, made capitalism more important, and led to new countries. Central Asian countries used their location to make friends with many big powers.
11. The switch from socialism to capitalism in Russia and other places was called Shock Therapy and was influenced by the World Bank and IMF.
12. Shock Therapy included selling state property, allowing private businesses, and breaking old trade deals to trade directly with the West.
13. Shock Therapy hurt Russia a lot, with a big drop in currency value, inflation, and problems with food and welfare.
14. New democratic governments formed quickly, but strong leaders often took control, and the courts were weak in places like Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
15. Russia got better in 2000 by selling lots of natural resources like oil and gas from places like Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
16. Many ex-Soviet countries had wars or fights. Chechnya and Dagestan in Russia wanted to leave. There were civil wars in Azerbaijan and Georgia. Even countries like Ukraine fought over water.
17. Central Asian countries had lots of oil and gas. Big companies and other countries competed to use these resources. The US wanted bases there for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
18. Russia and India want a world with many powerful countries, not just one. They work together on security and solving problems through the UN.
19. India gets help from Russia on many issues, and Russia sells a lot of weapons to India, benefiting both countries.

Political Science Chapter 1: The End of Bipolarity – Important Terms

1. Soviet System: Soviet system was introduced after Russian Revolution in 1917 based on the principles of egalitarian society and planned economy controlled by the state.
2. Socialist Bloc: The east European countries were known as Socialist Bloc because these countries were liberated from the fascist forces and their political and economic systems were based on this bloc only.
3. Capitalist Economy: In this economy, land and productive assets are owned and controlled by the Capitalists.
4. Unipolar System: Affairs at international level are dominated by only one superpower.
5. Multipolar System: Affairs at international level can not be dominated by one superpower only, instead group of countries play an important role.
6. Egalitarian Society: It believes that all people are equally important and should have the same rights and opportunities in life.
7. Largest Garage Sale: It was resulted due to Shock Therapy to undervalue the valuable industries of USSR to sell them at throwaway prices.
8. Shock Therapy: The model of transition from authoritarian socialist system to a democratic capitalist system in Russia, Central Asia and East Europe under the influence of the World Bank and IMF.

Political Science Chapter 1: The End of Bipolarity – Timeline

Date	Event
March 1985	Mikhail Gorbachev elected as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union; appoints Boris Yeltsin as head of the Communist Party in Moscow; initiates a series of reforms in the Soviet Union.
1988	Independence movement begins in Lithuania; later spreads to Estonia and Latvia.
October 1989	Soviet Union declares that Warsaw Pact members are free to decide their own future; Berlin Wall falls in November.
February 1990	Gorbachev strips the Soviet Communist Party of its 72-year-long monopoly on power by calling on the Soviet Parliament (Duma) to permit multiparty politics.
March 1990	Lithuania becomes the first of the 15 Soviet republics to declare its independence.
June 1990	Russian parliament declares its independence from the Soviet Union.
June 1991	Yeltsin, no longer in the Communist Party, becomes the President of Russia.
August 1991	Communist Party hardliners stage an abortive coup against Gorbachev.
September 1991	Three Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania become UN members (Later join NATO in March 2004).
December 1991	Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine decide to annul the 1992 Treaty on the creation of the USSR and establish the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS); Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan join the CIS (Georgia joined later in 1993); Russia takes over the USSR seat in the United Nations.
25 December 1991	Gorbachev resigns as the President of the Soviet Union; the end of the Soviet Union.

Chapter 1 The End of Bipolarity- FAQs

What was the end of two polarity?

After World War II, the two countries became global powerhouses. Thus, began the Cold War. And once the USSR dissolved, it was the end of bipolarity. After the 1917 Russian Socialist Revolution, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was formed.

What was shock therapy class 12 notes?

Countries by a painful process of transition from an authoritarian socialist system to. democratic capitalist system. The model of transition in Russia, Central Asia and east Europe that was influenced by the World Bank and the IMF came to be known as ‘Shock Therapy’.

What were the consequences of the disintegration of the USSR Class 12 notes?

Disintegration of USSR resulted into the end of Cold War confrontations, created dominant capitalist system, emerged many new states and the advantage was taken by Central Asian countries of their geographical locations by maintaining relations with Russia, the West, the US, China and others.

What is USSR full form?

The USSR stands for Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Are these notes good enough to prepare for our exams?

These notes are specially curated by an expert team at GeeksforGeeks for all the students to prepare well and excel in their exams.