Gorbachev's 'new thinking'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain Gorbachev's 'new thinking' and its impact on US-Soviet relations.
Key learning points
- By the mid-1980s, the USSR was facing a range of serious problems.
- Gorbachev became Soviet leader in March 1985, determined to reform communism in the USSR.
- Through his policy of perestroika, Gorbachev reorganised and restructured the Soviet state.
- Through Gorbachev's policy of glasnost, the USSR adopted a more open approach to government and foreign relations.
- Reagan worked with Gorbachev to reduce Cold War tensions and important steps were taken to limit nuclear weapons.
Keywords
Standard of living - the level of wealth, comfort, and access to goods and services available to a person or community
Martial law - when the military takes over the normal functions of government in an emergency
Reform - to make changes in order to improve something
Market competition - when businesses compete to win customers by providing better products, services, or prices than others
Disarmament - the process of reducing or eliminating military forces and weapons to promote peace and security
Common misconception
Gorbachev succeeded Brezhnev as leader of the Soviet Union in March 1985.
Brezhnev died in November 1982. Following his death, the Soviet Union was ruled by two leaders who were in poor health and ruled only briefly: Yuri Andropov (November 1982 - February 1984) and Konstantin Chernenko (February 1984 - March 1985).
Teacher tip
After introducing Gorbachev's new thinking, ask students to predict how it would be received by different audiences. You could ask students to make predictions about the response of the USA, Soviet satellite states and Soviet citizens.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What was the name of the Soviet leader who signed SALT I with President Nixon in 1972?
Q2.What did USSR stand for?
Q3.Which country had the USSR invaded in December 1979, leading to increasing tensions between the superpowers?
Q4.Part of the reason for Reagan's SDI strategy was the hope that even more investment into military technology would cause what to collapse?
Q5.By the 1980s, living in the USSR and its satellite states were well below those of the USA and its allies.
Q6.Put these leaders of the Soviet Union in chronological order of their premierships.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Who took over the leadership of the USSR after Brezhnev's death in 1982?
Q2.What was the name of the Polish trade union led by Lech Wałęsa?
Q3.What does 'perestroika' mean in Russian?
Q4.What is the Russian word for 'openness': the name of the policy that aimed to promote greater transparency and freedom of expression in Soviet society?
Q5.President Reagan of the USA recognised that Gorbachev was genuinely open to reform and as a result discussions began to reduce tensions between the superpowers. What did those discussions focus on?
Q6.Put these summits involving Reagan and Gorbachev in chronological order.
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: Gorbachev's 'new thinking', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: Gorbachev's 'new thinking', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the Period study: Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941–91 unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.