Review Flashcards on the Soviet Union, Communism, and Western Europe

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from lecture notes on the Soviet Union post-Stalin, life under Communism, and Western Europe.

Iron Curtain

Metaphor popularized by Winston Churchill in 1946 for the division between Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe and the democratic West.

Iron Curtain

Border defenses such as the Berlin Wall; prevented Eastern Europeans from fleeing to the West.

NATO

Western military alliance formed after WWII.

Warsaw Pact

Eastern military alliance led by the Soviet Union.

Berlin

City split between East (Soviet/Communist) and West (Allied/free); Berlin Wall built to prevent escapes.

Communist Party

Held total monopoly; no independent parties or real elections.

USSR: Control of Eastern Europe

Used military force to prevent Eastern Bloc countries from leaving the Soviet system.

Communist Party Members

Held key government posts, received better housing, and had access to Western goods.

Corruption Under Communism

Bribery and abuse of power flourished.

Freedom Under Communism

Speech, press, and assembly were harshly suppressed.

Show Trials

Court proceedings used to force confessions and punish dissenters.

Secret Police

Operated throughout Eastern Europe, arresting perceived threats.

State Ownership

Government owned all factories, farms, and businesses; no private ownership.

Economic Planning

Government planners controlled production, prices, and wages.

Right to Work

Everyone had a job, but often low-paid and undesirable.

Collectivization

Farmers shared land and equipment; no private land ownership or decision-making.

Consumer Goods

Scarce, expensive, little variety; long lines were common.

Materialism

Discouraged; no credit cards or checking accounts.

Healthcare

Free but lower quality than in the West.

Social Services

Free healthcare, welfare, pensions, paid maternity leave, childcare allowances.

Religion

State-controlled and discouraged; loyalty to the state prioritized over religion.

Standard of Living

Much lower than in the West.

Communist Elites

Better housing and access to goods, despite official equality.

Homelessness

None, but most lived in group housing.

Cultural Events

Affordable for all.

Education

Free at all levels; illiteracy eliminated by the 1980s.

Travel

Travel outside the Eastern bloc forbidden.

Media

All newspapers, media, and even churches licensed by the state.

Nikita Khrushchev

Soviet leader (1953-1964); sought reforms but maintained Communist Party dominance.

Khrushchev: Domestic Policies

Tried to decentralize economic planning and increase consumer goods, but failed to solve housing and agricultural issues.

Khrushchev: Secret Speech (1956)

Denounced Stalin’s crimes, allowing more criticism and defections from the Communist Party.

Khrushchev

Overthrown in 1964 due to internal criticism and party defections.

Leonid Brezhnev

Soviet leader (1964-1982); continued repression, focused on military buildup, neglected the economy.

Brezhnev Doctrine

Policy justifying Soviet intervention in Eastern Europe.

Mikhail Gorbachev

Soviet leader (1985-1991); introduced reforms that led to the collapse of communism.

Perestroika

Economic restructuring; reduced central control, allowed some private ownership.

Glasnost

Openness; allowed public criticism, relaxed censorship, released dissidents.

Gorbachev

Allowed contested elections, ended Communist Party monopoly.

Collapse of USSR

Gorbachev’s reforms led to loss of control, rise of new political factions, failed coup, and eventual dissolution under Yeltsin (1991).

Berlin Wall

Physical barrier to prevent East Berliners from fleeing to the West.

Collapse of Berlin Wall

Mass exodus, botched government announcement, public pressure, overwhelmed border guards.

Collapse of Berlin Wall

Mass rush at borders, tearing down the wall, guards opened passage rather than shoot civilians.

Charles de Gaulle

French President in 1968.

De Gaulle: Blame for 1968 Protests

Blamed youth, students, anarchists, and 'negation, destruction, violence, anarchy.'

Women’s Rights in France (1968)

Could not wear pants to work; needed husband’s permission for bank account; protests led to equal rights and abortion legalization.

Student Issues in France (1968)

Homosexuality was a crime; overcrowded, authoritarian education system; outdated university rules; police brutality during protests.

University Enrollment

Increased education led to more questioning of norms and social rules.

Daniel Cohn-Bendit

Led protests against dormitory rules; demonstrations spread to wider society.

Traditional French Protest

Barricades, street fighting, throwing cobblestones at police.

Worker Issues in France (1968)

Could be fired at will; suffered from low pay; joined students in strikes.

Influence on 1968 Protests

Inspired by anti-Vietnam protests, other international movements; protests targeted class, education, and sexual norms.

Beveridge Report (1942)

British report recommending a fully integrated welfare system to combat "want", disease, ignorance, squalor, and idleness.

Beveridge Report: Solutions

Proposed social security, a national health service, free education, council housing, and full employment, funded by contributions from workers.

Labour Party

Elected after WWII, they began instituting socialist policies and nationalized 20% of British industry.

Education Act (1944)

Created secondary modern schools in Great Britain.

Family Allowances Act (1945)

Provided payments for large families in Great Britain.

National Insurance Act (1946)

Created compulsory contributions for unemployment, death, sickness, and retirement relief in Great Britain.

Industrial Injuries Act (1946)

Provided money for people injured at work in Great Britain.

National Health Act (1948)

Created a universal, free healthcare system in Great Britain.

National Assistance Act (1948)

Helped all in need in Great Britain.

Council Housing

Additional acts provided council housing in Great Britain.

Margaret Thatcher

Elected in 1979, she and the Conservatives began reforming the government by reducing taxes and spending because the welfare system was becoming unsustainable.

Western Europe: Political

Democracy, right to protest, right to strike, freedom of speech, freedom of press, clashes with authorities.

Western Europe: Economic

Capitalist system, rise of the Welfare State, government-provided housing, retirement benefits, disability insurance.

Western Europe: Religious

Freedom of Religion.

Western Europe: Sociological