POLITICAL APPROACH OF “THE REVOLUTION OF ‘89” 2

Topic

POLITICAL APPROACH OF “THE REVOLUTION OF ‘89” 2

Instructions

The extent to which the approach assumes the decisions and ideas of political actors (individuals,
groups) matter or– or do structural processes (social or economic structure, legacies of history,
structure of international politics) determine the course of events.

The extent to which the approach think general lessons can be drawn from the specific experience
of the “Revolutions of ’89. Do they compare across time (history) across space (countries, regions)
or both?

The extent to which the approach try to explain the causes –  whether they focus a single cause, or
a small number of causes, many causes or whether they do not try and explain the causes of
revolution at all.

Answer preview

Although structural processes influenced the historical events of the “Revolution of 89,” historians focus on the political actors as influencers of major decisions. For the example, the fall of Soviet Union in 89 resulted from international politics that led to a coup in Moscow. During this time, Gorbachev expressed the desire to resign following health issues, but the Soviet Union wanted to oust him from power. Following the political competition, a state of emergency was declared without the backing of the United States. President George Bush, for example, wrote a virtual letter to Gorbachev advising him to stay firm to avoid being removed from power by the right-wing coup.

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