Gorbachev’s break with the Brezhnev Doctrine contributed to the collapse of which bloc?

Gorbachev’s break with the Brezhnev Doctrine contributed to the collapse of which bloc?

• A. Western Bloc
• B. Eastern Bloc
• C. Non-Aligned Movement
• D. NATO

Answer: (B)

The shift tests how a major power’s foreign policy can reshape influence over other states. When Gorbachev moved away from the Brezhnev Doctrine—the idea that the Soviet Union could intervene militarily to keep socialist regimes in power—he signaled that Moscow would no longer use force to prop up Eastern European governments. This opened the door for Eastern European countries to pursue reforms or even replace those regimes without fear of Soviet intervention. As a result, the rigid control of the Eastern Bloc weakened, leading to democratic movements, the fall of communist governments, and the eventual dissolution of that bloc. This change did not cause the collapse of Western alliances like NATO or separate movements like the Non-Aligned Movement, which remained distinct from the Eastern Bloc.

The shift tests how a major power’s foreign policy can reshape influence over other states. When Gorbachev moved away from the Brezhnev Doctrine—the idea that the Soviet Union could intervene militarily to keep socialist regimes in power—he signaled that Moscow would no longer use force to prop up Eastern European governments. This opened the door for Eastern European countries to pursue reforms or even replace those regimes without fear of Soviet intervention. As a result, the rigid control of the Eastern Bloc weakened, leading to democratic movements, the fall of communist governments, and the eventual dissolution of that bloc. This change did not cause the collapse of Western alliances like NATO or separate movements like the Non-Aligned Movement, which remained distinct from the Eastern Bloc.