Question

Which of the following statements describe the Soviet Union in the years after World War II? Select all that apply.

used a Communist economic system
placed restrictions on personal freedoms
had a democratic form of government
used a capitalist economic system
was ruled by a dictator
valued personal freedoms
created buffer states in eastern Europe

Answer 1

- used a Communist economic system — yes (state ownership and a centrally planned economy)
- placed restrictions on personal freedoms — yes (censorship, secret police, repression of dissent)
- was ruled by a dictator — yes (authoritarian rule, notably Joseph Stalin after WWII)
- created buffer states in eastern Europe — yes (Soviet satellite states like Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria)

Not applicable: it did not have a democratic government, did not use a capitalist system, and did not broadly value personal freedoms.