Uprisings, Revolts, and Coups- Set 7

Key terms set 7

Attack on Vilnius

1991: Soviet military attack on Lithuanian independence protestors.

Killed 14 civilians, damaged USSR image.

Czech Coup

1948: Communist seizure of power in Czechoslovakia.

Led by Klement Gottwald with Soviet backing.

Marked full Soviet control of Eastern bloc.

Helped incite the Marshall Plan.

East Berlin Revolt

1953: Worker’s uprising in East Germany over increased work quotas and poor living conditions.

Crushed by Soviet tanks and GDR. 50+ deaths, first major revolt in Eastern Bloc.

Hungarian Uprising

1956: Nationwide revolt against Soviet-imposed politics.

Imre Nagy briefly led reformist govt. Demanded withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact-

Crushed by Soviets. Showed Khruschev’s limits.

Iranian Coup

1953: Overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh.

Orchestrated by CIA (Operation AJAX) and British intelligence.

Reinstalled Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Led to 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Islamic Revolution

1979: Overthrow of pro- Western Shah.

Led by Ayatollah Khomeini.

Iran became a theocracy and held an anti-west stance.

May 1968 Uprising

French Student-led protests discontent over capitalism, education, and governance.

Nearly toppled Gaulle’s government.

Novocherkassk Massacre

1962: Workers’ protests over wage cuts and food price hikes.

Soviet troops fired on unarmed crowd. 26+ killed. Government covered it up.

Poznan Riots

1956: Polish worker uprising for better wages/ living conditions.

Suppressed by Polish army (Dozens killed) led to the rise of Wladyslaw Gomulka.

Soviet Coup Attempt (1957)

Molotov, Malenkov, and Kaganovich tried to oust Khrushchev.

Known as the “Anti-Party Group”.

They failed due to military support for Khrushchev.

Soviet Coup Attempt (1991)

Hardline communists tried to reverse Gorbachev’s reforms.

Failed due to public resistance and Yeltsin’s defiance.

Gorbachev returned weakened- accelerated collapse of USSR.

Tbilisi Riots

1956: Pro-Stalin protests in Georgia after Khrushchev’s de-Stalinization speech.

Warsaw Uprising

1944: Polish resistance effort to liberate Warsaw from Nazi occupation.

Launched by home army (Armia Krajowa)

Soviets halted their advance, refusing to aid the uprising.

Germans brutally suppressed it in 63 days, killing 200,000 Poles and leaving Warsaw in ruins.

Tiananmen Square Massacre

1989: Violent suppression of pro-democracy protests in Beijing.

Chinese govt. declared martial law and sent in military.

Troops opened fire on unarmed protestors (student-led)