This student booklet and teacher's guide examine the causes and the aftermath of the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The first two sections of the student booklet briefly summarize the Cold War and describe the unfulfilled promises of Mikhail Gorachev's "perestroika," the rising discontent among the people, and the birth of…

This unit is part of a continuing series on current foreign policy issues. This unit draws students into a debate on Russia's identity. Unlike previous units of this series, this one is not written from the U.S. perspective. Rather, students are asked to see the world through Russian eyes and to contemplate Russian choices in the areas of economic…