Kryachkov 2!indd

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Английский язык для магистратуры
R
ussia: a Part of The W
orld or...
8. The perception that our values are not converging, especially with regard to the rule of law, 
has taken a toll on Russo-Western relations.
9. [D]ifferences have been played up for reasons of domestic politics. (…) It seems to me that 
Russia’s anti-Western rhetoric is being aimed above all at the domestic audience. 
10. [T]he West must recognize that change in Russia will come from within, and over a long period.
Ex. 16. Explain and expand on what the following mean for Russia
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.
spectre of communism
Catherine II
Alexander II and the Great Reforms
Peter the Great
Alexander I
the Crimean War
the Battle of Poltava
the Holy Alliance
Ivan the Terrible
the Congress of Vienna
Nicholas I
the Golden Horde
the Third Rome
the Third International
Ex. 17. Discuss your answers to these questions. Use the active vocabulary and the 
phrases from ex. 13 and 14.
A. Perestroika
a. Russia’s image as a former superpower beset with enormous political and economic 
weakness is to a certain extent a result of a number of chaotic reforms aimed at bringing 
democracy to the country. Perestroika started by Mikhail Gorbachev was the first of them. 
Can you define Perestroika, Glasnost, Acceleration? What were the aims of these policies? 
How were they implemented? What hopes did the country pin on it? How did Perestroika 
affect the international status of the country? Did it benefit form a certain convergence 
with the West that began during Perestroika? 
b. People’s attitude toward Gorbachev’s reforms changed over time. Which of the following 
perceptions of Perestroika summarized by Alexander Yakovlev, the architect of Perestroi-
ka, is closest to yours? Why?
—
Perestroika was a conspiracy organized by the CIA, and by the West in general, a 
conspiracy aimed at military/political subversion of the USSR and of communism in 
general.
—
Perestroika was a betrayal, either intended as such from the very beginning and 
quite conscious, or a betrayal that just happened to occur, a betrayal with respect to 
one’s country, to one’s class, and to one’s people. 
—
It was a stupidity, probably caused by good intentions, which resulted in an absolute 
lack of responsibility; the “perestroika people” did not know the real situation that 
existed in the country; they were unable to find those factors and those mechanisms 
that drive real life in the country, and their short-sightedness resulted in political 
reckless driving.
—
Perestroika was an initiative of historical significance, definitely noble in its goals, 
courses, and extensions, but that the true significance, true scope, and true conse-
quences of perestroika will become clear only a long time from now.
—
No evaluation of perestroika whatsoever. In this case, Perestroika is written off into 
the past together with communism. Any kind of evaluation satisfies this response, 
whether perestroika was an uprising of noble intentions or whether it was just 
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The list comes from the text in Reading 1. Make sure you use English-language resources. While they 
may be lacking in depth or balance, they will enrich your discussion with both ideas and language.

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