What happened to the USSR in 1991?

• A. It remained a single state
• B. It dissolved into several independent states and Gorbachev resigned
• C. It joined the European Union
• D. It expanded its territory

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is that the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991 and was replaced by independent states. By that year, economic troubles and growing nationalist movements had weakened central control under Gorbachev’s reforms. The turning point came in December when leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus signed the Belavezha Accords, effectively declaring the Soviet Union dissolved and creating the Commonwealth of Independent States. Soon after, Gorbachev stepped down as president, and the Soviet Union ceased to exist as a state. The 15 republics then became independent nations, with Russia emerging as the largest successor state. It clearly did not remain a single state, join the European Union, or expand its territory.