CIE IGCSE History - The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union

what was the soviet sphere of influence?

the influence the USSR had over the communist countries in Eastern Europe that cooperated with the USSR

what relationship did countries in the SSI have with the USSR?

hey relied on it for support and acted under it’s direction

which three terms were given to countries in the SSI?

satellite states, buffer states, puppet states

what were ‘buffer states’?

states that formed a protective ring around the USSR, protecting it from west Germany and anti-communism

what was the function of ‘satellite states’?

to report information back to the USSR before it was widely available - keep surveillance on activities in western Europe

why were some states called ‘puppet states’?

because although they were technically separate states from the USSR, they acted purely on it’s wishes

when was cominform set up?

1947

what was cominform?

the communist information bureau

what was the function of cominform?

to coordinate the various communist governments, to run meetings between them and send instructions

where was cominform located?

it originated in Belgrade (Yugoslavia) but migrated to Bucharest in Romania (1948) after Yugoslavia was expelled

when was comecon set up?

1947

what was comecon?

the council for mutual economic assistance

what did comecon do?

it coordinated industries and trade of Eastern European countries

what was the basis of comecon?

the idea that members should trade with each other and not Western Europe

what bias did comecon have?

it favoured the USSR and provided a goods market to it - a cheap supply of raw materials - Poland was forced to sell coal to it for 1/10th of the open market price

when did comecon set up a bank?

1964

what was the political impact of communism?

there was a loss of free speech and democracy, newspapers were censored, political opponents were imprisoned, and travel was forbidden out of Eastern Europe

what was the economic impact of communism?

the economy recovered slightly but soon wages fell behind inflation, and there were shortages of coal and clothing/shoes were very expensive

which common western consumer goods were unavailable in the SSI?

radios, electric kettles, TV’s

when did Stalin die?

1953

who was he replaced by?

Khrushchev

how did Khrushchev appear?

he appeared to be very different to Stalin - he closed down cominform, released 1000s of political prisoners, he improved ordinary citizen’s lives and he moved toward peace with the west

what did Khrushchev’s nature encourage?

the spread of criticism of communist rule

what did the spread of this criticism lead to?

demonstrations in Poland demanding the implementation of the war time resistance leader Gomulka

how did Khrushchev react?

he did not want this, however he compromised and allowed it, but at the same time he sent Soviet troops and tanks to the Polish border to discourage further unrest

when was the Hungarian uprising?

1956

why was there unrest in Hungary - political reasons?

• there were many restrictions on free speech and freedom of expression

• wearing/doing anything that may associate you with the west was dangerous

why was there unrest in Hungary - economic reasons?

• it was difficult to access commonly found western consumer goods

• Hungarians had to pay excess taxes for things they didn’t want (see next)

why was there unrest in Hungary - military/culture reasons?

• thousands of Soviet troops had occupied the country for 10 years

• Hungarians had to pay for this

• some areas were indoctrinated with Russian culture/language - e.g. schools and shops

who was the (original) communist leader of Hungary?

Rakosi

what problems faced the communist party in Hungary?

schisms had opened up in the party - a group opposed Rakosi

how did Rakosi react to this?

he appealed to the USSR for the power to arrest 400 opponents

how did the USSR react to Rakosi’s appeal?

they ordered that Rakosi should be retired for health reasons and implemented a new leader

how the hungarians react to the short-term leader after Rakosi?

• they disliked the new leader so there were large protests - on the 23rd October the Stalin statue in Budapest was pulled down

• soviets lost some influence

who was the new leader of Hungary?

Nagy - he had been de facto prime minister from 1953-55, but had been largely overruled by Rakosi - was now wholly leader

what was the significance of Nagy being made leader?

this meant that the Hungarian rebels had achieved some form of democracy

what was the immediate aftermath of Nagy’s leadership?

• new government formed under Nagy

• tanks and troops from the USSR began to withdraw

• thousands of local councils were formed which replaced soviet power/indoctrination

• many Hungarian soldiers defected to rebels with weapons

what political standing did Nagy have?

reformist communist

which reforms did Nagy propose?

• free elections

• restore farmland to private ownership

• the total withdrawal of the soviet army

• to leave the warsaw pact

• to declare Hungary neutral in the cold war

• to get support from President Eisenhower

how did Khrushchev very initially respond to these proposals?

he appeared open to the reforms, and it seemed like he might accept some

however, he could not accept Hungary leaving the Warsaw pact

what happened in November 1956 (Soviet response)?

Soviet tanks and troops moved into Budapest

what followed the Soviet ‘invasion’ of Budapest?

• 2 weeks of fighting

• around 3000 Hungarians were killed and 1000 Russians

• 200,000 Hungarians fled into Austria to escape communist forces

how did the west react to the Soviet ‘invasion’ of Budapest?

• they protested but offered no actual help, being preoccupied with the Suez crisis

what were the first outcomes of the invasion?

• the USSR felt encouraged

• Hungarians felt demotivated - they had thought the USA would intervene

who did Khrushchev place as the new leader of Hungary?

Kadar

what action did Kadar take?

• arrested 35,000 activists and executed 300

• some reforms were cautiously introduced

• Hungary remained a part of the Warsaw pact

what problems faced those in East Berlin/Germany?

• the living conditions were passable but were much worse than in West Germany

• this could be seen in Berlin - many shop fronts that could be seen by EG were full and plentiful (form of propaganda)

• low morale

what nickname was given to West Berlin?

an ‘island in a Communist sea’

what did many East Berliners do as a response to these problems?

• left East Berlin for West Berlin (defection)

how many East Berliners/Germans defected in 1953?

over 300,000

who was the leader of Eastern Germany?

Ulbricht

how did defection make Communism/Ulbricht appear?

• looked very bad, especially for

• dictatorship vs democracy

• communism vs capitalism

what impact did the defection have locally?

• weakened the communist system - reduced work output

• many defectors were highly skilled workers

what impact did defection have over the whole Soviet Union?

• set a precedent for the rest of the bloc

• made others think that they could defect

• very bad for USSR

what was the solution to the problem of defection?

• a barbed wire barrier was erected along the entire Berlin frontier, ending all free movement

• not long after it was replaced by a brick-and-concrete wall

• all crossings were closed except for Checkpoint Charlie - no EBs could cross to WB

what orders did Soviet soldiers have?

to shoot anyone who tried to cross the Berlin wall without permissionwha

when was the Berlin Wall erected?

Sunday 13 August, 1961

which freedom were allied diplomats/troops supposed to have?

• be able to cross freely at crossings - Checkpoint Charlie

• throughout October 1961 diplomats crossed it regularly to test it

what happened at Checkpoint Charlie on the 27th October, 1961?

• Soviet troops + tanks pulled up to CC and refused to allow any further access

• there was a full day stand off and people thought war was imminent

what happened after 18 hours of this stand off?

tanks began to slowly retreat, inch by inch

what was the international reaction to the withdrawal of tanks at CC?

• relief

• Ulbricht had ordered to avoid any actions that would increase tension

what was the Berlin wall a symbol of for the USSR/West?

• Protection - USSR

• Prison - West

what were the short-term consequences of the Berlin wall?

• international tensions were greatly increased

• people of Berlin were separated - jobs and lives were lost, telephone lines were cut

• people went as far as to jump out of windows to escape (on wall lines)

what were the long term impacts of the Berlin wall/standoff?

• international relations improved as the crisis was eased

• the USSR did not want a war and the Americans did not keep testing the USSR at CC

• same impact as ST for Berliners

when was the Prague Spring?

1968

who was the leader of Czechoslovakia in 1968?

Dubcek (e with a hat)

what political views did Dubcek hold?

he was committed to communism, but proposed a policy of ‘socialism with a human face’

what did ‘socialism with a human face’ entail?

• the belief that communism did not have to be as restrictive

• less censorship

• more free speech

• less activities of the secret police

what lessons had Dubcek learnt from the Hungarian uprising?

• to not go to far

• assured USSR he had no plans to pull out of Comecon/Warsaw pact

why were Dubcek’s actions/ideas worrying for the USSR?

• Soviet communism thrived on restriction

• worried Cz might have an uprising

• worried this may lead to a loss of influence - did not want Cz to move toward democracy

what did Dubcek’s policy lead to?

• a rise in the criticism of the failures of communist rule

• also in exposure of corruption

• asking about the past

what period of time emerged as a result of Dubcek’s policy?

the prague spring

what was the prague spring?

• a time where new ideas flourished

• a time of culture - especially for poets, playwrights, authors, singers, journalists

what was there talk of happening in the prague spring?

setting up a rival social democratic party

why was the prague spring a problem for the USSR?

• could lead to dissatisfaction with communist rule and a loss of communist influence

• demonstrated people actually engaged with reforms and so highlighted problems with SSI

• diminished SSI - worried a domino effect would emerge

how did the USSR first respond?

intimidation - place troops on the border as a ‘training exercise’

which sanction did the USSR not impose?

economic sanctions as they were worried that Hungary would turn to the west

what happened in July 1968?

• a summit conference was held where Dubcek promised not to allow a new party, but kept most of the reforms

• tensions appeared to ease

what happened in August 1968?

tanks invaded Czechoslovakia where was very little violent resistance

why did the USSR (and all communist dictators) decide to invade Czechoslovakia with tanks?

• the dictators did not want a pattern to emerge or uprisings to happen in their countries

• so they urged Brezhnev wto do it

what happened to Dubcek in August 1968?

he was removed from power

what was the outcome of the crushing of the prague spring for communist leaders?

• showed party and leaders were opposed to reformation

• showed loyalty of leaders, their desire to repress new ideas, and their compliance

which doctrine arose as a result of the crushing of the prague spring?

Brezhnev doctrine

what was the Brezhnev doctrine?

a doctrine which defined the essentials of communism:

• had to be a one party state

• member of the warsaw pact

• said that if a threat arose to communism in one country, it was a threat to communism in all countries

what message did the crushing of the prague spring send to people in the SSI?

attempts to reform/move away from communism will be met violently

what happened to Dubcek after the crushing of the prague spring?

• not executed

• slowly downgraded

• returns at the fall of the USSR to speak to crowds (velvet revolution)

what problems faced Polish people in the 1970’s-80’s?

• living standards and prices were poor in Poland

• result of economic crisis of late 1970’s

• many people angered as wanted an improvement

how did polish people respond to these problems?

workers put forward demands to the government including trade unions and the right to strike

which trade union was set up?

solidarity - set up in August 1980

how did the government react to these demands?

agreed to all demands

how did solidarity membership change after it was set up?

• from Sept 1980 to July 1981 membership grew from 3.5 million to 9.4 million

what fraction of polish workers joined solidarity?

1/3

what was the early government perspective on solidarity?

• they did not want a general strike to happen as it would devastate industry - esp. ship building and heavy industry

• they hoped it would eventually break into rival factions and fall apart

what was the relationship between communism and solidarity?

• solidarity did not appear to be a threat to communism

• 1 million CP members joined solidarity

what religious factor encouraged the increasing membership?

• solidarity had the support of the Catholic church which was very popular in Poland

who was the leader of solidarity?

Lech Walesa

what tactic did Lech Walesa employ in his negotiations?

• he was very careful - worked to avoid disputes so there was no reason for the goverment to shut Solidarity down

what triggered Soviet involvement in Poland?

the Union said that they were not only fighting for the rights of workers in Poland but of the whole communist bloc

why did the statement of fighting for the whole communist bloc worry the USSR?

they were worried the union could spread and communism would fail or fall

what was the slogan of solidarity?

‘Fighting for your freedom and for ours.’