Central European Nations

4th Century AD - Both

Diocletian splits West and East Europe

Why for split?

1. Military - 4 leaders, more security

2. Administrative - 2 Admin seats - easier to manage

WRE 4th-6th Century AD

Barbarians invade - fall of Rome

WRE 6th-8th Century AD

Carolingian Empire

Carolingian Empire

• led by Martel - Pippin - Charlemagne

• Eventual shift northward

WRE 9th Century AD - 800AD Christmas

• Christendom Begins

• Pope Leo blesses Charlemagne leader of HRE

• Rise of feudal system

Why Christendom?

1. Pope can give legitimate political authority

2. Makes Christianity official faith of the empire

WRE 9th-15th Century AD

Pacification - settling down

• rise of nation state

Europa Occidens - 12th Century AD

Western Europe is recognized

Treaty of Westphalia

Raise of nation state

ERE - 5th-15th Century AD

byzantine takes rome

Constantinople declares itself “Second Rome”

ERE - 11th Century AD

The Great Schism

• Catholic church splits into East and West

• East - Eastern Orthodox

• West - Roman Catholic

ERE - 15th Century AD

• Constantinople is conquered by Ottomans - ends ERE

• Russia Comes - declares “third roman empire”

15th-18th Century AD - Central Europe Empries

West - Prussia, Austria

Central - Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria

East - Russia

South - Ottoman

1795

Central Europe is gone, conquered by west and south

Treaty of Versailles

creates central europe (brings back and adds)

self determination

people of central europe should rule over their own nations

Interwar: advantageous to Germany

1. Geographical Wall (between Germany and Soviet)

2. Frail Neighbors

3. Tempted soviets to collab with Nazi

4. frustrated western efforts (soviet collab with Nazi)

Interwar: internal causes - why didn’t Central Europe join forces against nazi

1. Irredentist claims - territory under different political control, but same culture wants it back

2. Ethnic disputes within countries

3. All perceived enemies as neighbors

4. Economies - all agriculture - Great Depression - Germany helps them (for advantage)

5. All countries except Czechoslovakia were authoritarian - side with nazis

Civil Society

non-government groups established for socioeconomic interests the government cannot cross or take control of

ex. independent media, organizations, universities

Civil Society’s relationship to democracy

necessary but not sufficient for democracy

Physical geography of central europe

Polish Plain - Flat
Danubian Basin - Mix

Balkan Peninsula - Mountains

CA: Dual Transition - political

• from communism to democracy

1. multiple political parties

2. f3C elections - free, fair, frequent competitions

3. Functioning parliament

CA: Dual Transition - economics

from command to capitalist/free market

CA: Democracy

• Regular elections

• multiple candidates

• secret balloting

• right for all citizens to vote

Components for democracy

• freedom of expression

• freedom to form & join organizations

• free and fair elections

• competitive elections

• right to vote

• alt sources of information

• eligibility for public office

• right of political leader to compete for support

• Gov. still needed

CA: Democratization

• The process of becoming a democracy

Four Criteria for Democratization

1. Free, Fair, Fast Competitive elections

2. Accountability

   • Impeachment - legal means

3. Rule of Law

   • Nobody is above constitution

4. Civil Society

   • Gov. Cannot overstep state of law

Timeline for Democracy

Revolution - F3C elections at National Level - Create a constitution (grant civil liberties, Gov. Institutions) - Civil Society

Democratic Consolidation

• Turn to Government to take care of needs.

• No fear of returning to an autocracy

How do you know you are a democracy?

1. Two-Turnover Test

   • party can peacefully turn power over to a new party after election

     1. party that wins in pro-democratic

     2. 20 years timespan

2. Low public support for anti system parties

3. High public commitment to values and procedures of democratic parties.

4. elite commitment to democratic norms

5. New democratic constitution

6. Stabilized political party system

Political Culture

Shared beliefs, values and norms between citizens and government

Poland - democratic legacies

1. Commonwealth of Poland Lithuania

- democratic constitution

- parliament

- elections

2. Second republic of Poland

- elections (weak)

- constituions

- civil society

Both end in foreign invasion

Third Republic - Undercurrents to keep Polish Society

1. Polish viewed communism as a loss of their independence by SU 

2. Opposition groups in Poland against Nazi perceived national independence as reclaiming western values 

3. Catholic church will become national standard barrer of Polish Independence 

Agents of Polish Society

1. Catholic Church

2. Peasantry - keep tradition alive

3. media and universities

4. Solidarity

Solidarity

workers union

• wanted political say

The Negotiated Revolution Poland

1. Re-legalization of solidarity

2. Round table negotiations

• contract parliament

June 1989 - Poland

Solitary wins every seat

Split between hardliners and reformers

Poland - why didn’t communist overturn?

1. Communist split

• hardliners v reformers

2. Gorbachev - no military aid to enforce

3. Pres of Poland - Jaruzelski not willing to bring out tanks

Jaruzelski retires. Lech Walesa leads

Poland - big constitution - contract parliament 

Legislature - bicameral

National Assembly: Sejm – 460 seats; Senate – 100 seats

Every four years

controls the government – Prime Minister and Cabinet

President – Elected directly every five years for a maximum of two terms.

No longer able to influence the choice of ministers for foreign affairs, defense, and internal affairs

Sejm can override his veto with 3/5ths majority

Judicial: Courts are independent

Constitutional Tribunal is supreme.  Its pronouncements are final 

Soviet activity in Hungary

Uncertain

1. set up a provisional government

• Hungary lead not soviets

• temp

2. Soviet stripped Hungary as if they weren’t going to stay

• Reconstruction efforts after war

• Nazi threat

3. Soviets asked allies to open Central Front

• harder for forces because of mountains

4. No massive purges

5. Nationwide election

why uncertain soviet behavior in hungary

1. Stalin wasn’t sure he was going to stay

2. lack of geostrategic value

Austria leaves Warsaw Pact, Hungary then

becomes front line

Nagy reforms in Hungary

1. tell red army to leave

2. Hungary wants out of Warsaw Pact

3. have free elections/ non com parties to run

Thought they could leave since Austria did

Hungarian Revolution 1956

Tanks from Warsaw invade Hungary in response to reforms

Back to Stalinism in 60s

New Economic Mechanism - Hungary - Kadar

reestablish social contract

1. Dont question authority

2. Decent standard of living

Hungary 1980s - Decline of Economics

1. Infrastructure

2. Life expectancy

3. Increase in alcohol and drugs

4. suicide increase

5. family unit breaks down

6. pollution

1988 Hungary

Grosz is now in power - not a great leader

• Open to Gorbachev

Three challenges for Grosz

1. Rising Opposition (Democratic Forum and FIDESZ)

2. Divided Communist party

3. No support from Moscow

Hungarian Revolution of 1989

1. No military aid from Gorbachev 

2. Roundtable negotiations - transition from communism

3. legalize strikes

4. open borders at Austria and Hungary

5. change country name - definite transition - revolution from above 

Parliamentary History Hungary

• power shift every four years

• HSP comes back but then FIDESZ wins over and over

Hungary structure of Gov

1. Executive 

• President (HOS) parliament and Prime Minister (HOG) elected by parliament

2. Legislative 

• National Assembly 199 seats - every 4 years

3. Judiciary 

• Supreme Court

The Velvet Revolution (Nov-Dec 1989)

Czechoslovakia - peaceful - from communism to democracy

Velvet Divorce (1/1/93)

Czechoslovakia split peacefully

First republic of Czechoslovakia

Strongest democratic legacy

Foreign invasion ends it

Civil society

What caused velvet divorce?

1. Communist legacy

• federalism - central gov and sub gov with direct authority - communist like unitary

• Split keeps them from uprise

2. Depressed interest room formation

• no civil society

• Because of leader Novotny - Stalinist

Characteristics of Stalinism

1. Absolute obedience to Soviet Union

2. Administrative supervision by Soviet trained personal - indoctrinate people

3. Politcs terror state

4. Economic deprevation while perusing demand economy - from farms to factory