USSR revolutions without permission in Eastern Europe

When were the post-war elections in Czechoslovakia and how much of the vote did the Communists win?

- The elections were held in May 1946.

- The Communists had won 38% of the vote.

How many seats did the Pcd I's gain in the November 1946 elections?

The Pcd I's became the largest party in the French Parliament with 182 seats out of 627- 29%.

Who was the (communist) Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia?

Gottwald and he was communist and President after the coup in February 1948.

Why was communism popular in Czechoslovakia?

Czechoslovakia was the only urbanised and industrialised country in Eastern Europe.

What happened to the Hungarian Smallholder's party (peasant party)?

In December 1948, Dinnyes (Smallholder) was replaced by the pro-communist, Dobi.

Who was Petru Groza?

- He was a member of the 'Fellow Travellers', who were closely associated with Communism

-He became Prime Minister in March 1945 and was a member of the 'Ploughmen's Front'

-He held a gun to King Michael- to force him to abdicate so Romania could become a People’s Republic in February 1948.

Why was Yugoslavia different to the other Eastern Countries?

Yugoslavia was communist but independent, communist parties were popular in the countryside and so posed a threat to the communists.

And a communist government was already in power as they had led the struggle against fascist invaders.

Romania

March 1945: Groza of the ‘Ploughmen’s Front’ (this was closely associated with communism) became Prime Minister. The first Groza government brought land reform. In the election in November 1946 the BPD communists- led bloc of Democratic parties claimed 84% of the votes.

In December 1947, King Michael was forced to abdicate- Romania was proclaimed a People’s Republic.

February 1948: the Communists forced the Socialist Democratic Party to merge with them and form the ‘Romanian Worker’s Party’.

Hungary

June 1948: the Communists forced the Social Democrats to merge with them and formed the Hungarian Workers' Party, consolidating their power. Rakosi took complete control of the police and had complete control of Hungary by 1949.

20th August 1949: People’s Republic of Hungary was occupied by the Red Army.

Czechoslovakia

The communist Gottwald became Prime Minister. Neither the President, Benes, nor the foreign minister, Masaryk, were communist. Benes and Masaryk tried to maintain a balance between East and West.

In February 1948, a coup led by Gottwald resulted in the communists taking full control, eliminating opposition parties and securing Czechoslovakia as a communist state. Masaryk was assassinated in March 1948.

Poland

Stalin appeared to allow free multi-party elections- he wanted to merge them. The Peasant Party led by Mikolasczyk merged with the communists.

Gomulka opposed Soviet policies as he wanted liberation for the Poles and was expelled from the Communist party in 1951. In 1947, the elections were heavily influenced by violence and manipulation, resulting in the neutralisation of the Peasants Party. Ultimately, it merged with the communists, leading to a consolidation of power under Soviet influence.

Bulgaria

The left-wing coalition won the election in 1945. In April 1947 other political parties were banned. Petkov was the leader of the Agarian Party and they were absorbed into the Bulgarian Communist Party.

Italy and France

Both countries were teetering on the brink of revolution. Italy had fallen to fascism in 1922. Communist parties linked to the Soviet Union were rising in popularity after WW2. In November 1946, the Pcd I’s became the largest party in the French Parliament with 182 out of 627 seats (29%).