Class 12 Political Science 2020 Board Exam

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) came into being after the Socialist Revolution in Russia in

Choose the correct option to complete the sentence :
Mikhail Gorbachev was ___________.

Give any four arguments to prove that the Soviet Union had become stagnant in an administrative and political sense.
OR
If the Soviet Union had not disintegrated, how would that situation have affected world politics ?

State any six factors responsible for the disintegration of the Soviet Union (USSR).

Study the passage given below carefully and answer the questions that follow :
These developments were accompanied by a rapidly escalating crisis within the USSR that hastened its disintegration. Gorbachev initiated the policies of economic and political reform and democratisation within the country. The reforms were opposed by leaders within the Communist Party.
(5.1) Which developments hastened the disintegration of the Soviet Union ?
(5.2) What was the outcome of opposing the reforms initiated by Gorbachev ?
(5.3) How did Boris Yeltsin emerge as a national hero ?

Study the passage given below carefully and answer the questions that follow :
Each of these countries was required to make a total shift to a capitalist economy, which meant rooting out completely any structures evolved during the Soviet period. Above all, shock therapy meant that private ownership was to be the dominant pattern of ownership of property. Privatisation of state assets and corporate ownership patterns were to be immediately brought in. Collective farms were to be replaced by private farming and capitalism in agriculture. This transition ruled out any alternate or 'third way', other than state-controlled socialism or capitalism.
(6.1) What is meant by private ownership ?
(6.2) Why were collective farms to be replaced by private farming ? Give any two reasons.
(6.3) Highlight any two advantages of state-controlled socialism.

Study the passage given below carefully and answer the questions that follow :
The Soviet system became very bureaucratic and authoritarian, making life very difficult for its citizens. Lack of democracy and the absence of freedom of speech stifled people who often expressed their dissent in jokes and cartoons. Most of the institutions of the Soviet state needed reforms. The party refused to recognise the urge of people in different republics that formed the Soviet Union.
(7.1) How many different republics together constituted the USSR ?
(7.2) What type of party system was there in the Soviet Union ? How far did it follow the democratic norms ?
(7.3) Highlight any two main aspirations of the people of different republics of the Soviet Union.

Which among the following statements about the objectives for the establishment of the European Union is false ?

Analyse any three constraints on American power. In your view, which constraint can get more important in the future ?

Describe any three targets to be achieved according to the proposed reforms of the global trading system in the report brought out by UNCTAD in 1972.
OR
Describe any three positive features and three weaknesses of the Soviet System.