Assess students' ability to analyze the political, economic, and social factors that led to the Soviet Union's collapse (late 1980s–1991). Questions will require explanation of key political drivers (Gorbachev's reforms, party legitimacy, nationalist movements, the 1991 coup), economic causes (central planning failures, stagnation, oil price shocks, shortages), and social dynamics (ethnic unrest, public dissent, glasnost and media). Students should explain how these factors interacted, evaluate their relative importance, and support arguments with specific events and examples.