HISTORY CHAPTER 6 USSR's Control Over Eastern Europe

Chapter 6 CIE IGCSE Flashcards

What were the core organizations used by the USSR to control Eastern Europe?

-The Cominform

-Comecon

What did the COMINFORM do?

-Organization to control Eastern European nations and governments

-Sent out direct instructions from Joseph Stalin and the Soviet government

-Set up in 1957

-A network of most Eastern European governments

What did the COMECON do?

-An organization to promote economic co-ordination

-Often favored the USSR in economic deals and initiatives

-Set up various central banks in Communist Nations in 1964

-Forced Nations to sell goods and resources to the USSR at a cheaper price

-Set up in 1949

What were the impacts of USSR control on ordinary Eastern Europeans?

-Freedom

• Censored newspapers and books

• Non-communists were imprisoned for their beliefs

• Forbidden from travelling to Western Nations

• Crushed protests

• No right to criticize

-Wealth

• Recovered in a short period after the war

• Wages fell behind

• Things became more expensive

-Consumer goods

• Did not receive luxury items

• Factories mostly produced necessary items for economic development

How was the transition between Stalin and Khrushchev?

-Stalin died in 1953

-Seemed to be pro-reform

-Seemed to want peaceful coexistence with the west

-Released thousands of political prisoners

-Stopped the COMINFORM

When did Hungary incident occur?

1956

Why did the events of Hungary 1956 occur?

-The Hungarian people despised the Russian presence

• Hated the free-speech restrictions

• Hated the fear imposed on them by the secret police

• hated Russian cultural influence

• Many street signs were in Russian

• Hated having to pay for USSR soldiers to be in their country

• Hated the amount of power the Soviet Government officials had over their country

What Happened during the 1956 incident in Hungary?

-Opposition

• Rakosi wanted to arrest his opposition’s leader however the USSR did not back them

• Rakosi was replaced by Erno Gero

-Protest

• Erno Gero faced protests still

• Massive student demonstrations destroyed a statue of Stalin

-Reform

• Imre Nagy replaced Erno Gero

• Soviet troops began to leave

• Hungarian troops joined the rebels

• Councils were set up to replace the USSR’s control

-Plans

• Imre Nagy planned to institute many reforms

• Privatize farmland

• Free and fair elections

• Wanted to make Soviet troops leave

• Wanted to leave the Warsaw Pact and become neutral in the cold war

What was the Soviet Response to Imre Nagy’s reforms?

-At first they seemed to be accepting of the reforms

-However, they couldn’t let Hungary leave the Warsaw Pact

-In November 1956 the Soviet Union sent troops and tanks across the border to overthrow the government killing 3000 Hungarians and losing 1000 Soviet troops

-200,000 Hungarians fled

-Installed Janos Kadar

-Hunted and arrested 35,000 anti-communists and executed 300 of them

-Kadar did allow some reforms but did not leave the Warsaw Pact

When did the Prague Spring occur?

1968

Why did the Prague spring happen?

-New Leader Dubcek installed as leader

-He was a reformist

• Wanted to institute a policy of Socialism with a human face

• More free speech, less secret police

• Was a committed Marxist however didn’t think communism had to be harsh

• Brezhnev assured Dubcek that he wouldn’t intervene

-Censorship eased allowing other parties to form

• More criticisms

• The Social Democratic Party formed

• New ideas were forming

What was the Soviet response to the Prague Spring?

-Soviets were worried the reforms would spread

-Intimidated the other nations with military exercise

-Almost placed sanctions

-In July Dubcek agreed to crush the SDP and tensions eased

-20 August Brezhnev invaded Czechoslovakia to little violent resistance

What were the outcomes of Soviet intervention in the Prague Spring?

-Brezhnev Doctrine created

-It was clear that reforms would be crushed by the USSR

-Was driven by the East German leader Ulbricht as much as Brezhnev

-Dubcek was not executed however he was removed

What are the terms of the Brezhnev Doctrine?

-Determined the essentials to communism

• One party system

• Remain a member of the Warsaw Pact

When did the Berlin Wall incident occur?

1961

Why did was the Berlin Wall built?

-Following the crushing of the Hungarians many people wanted to leave the East

• Many wanted to leave for economic reasons since the west was more prosperous and had significantly more consumer goods

• Many Western Powers intentionally funded West Berlin to create a contrast so Easterners would go there

• Many wanted to escape Eastern European repression

-It was very tempting for Eastern Berliners to leave East Berlin since travel was unrestricted

-Ulbricht hated that thousands left and did not return

What was the Soviet’s actions to Berlin migration?

-Khrushchev tried to force JFK to withdraw US troops from Berlin

-There was a showdown which led to Eastern Soldiers to erect a barbwire fence

-It was soon replaced with the wall and sealed all exits except for checkpoint Charlie

-Families were separated for 30 years

-Noone was allowed to leave or enter East Berlin Guards would kill any who tried

What were the outcomes of building the Berlin Wall?

-Many US soldiers and diplomats tested the Soviet reaction

-Soviet Soldiers on OCT 27 stopped them and another showdown occurred

-Over 18 hours both sides withdrew

-It became a symbol of division in the following years

• For the West it was a symbol of imprisonment

• For communists the wall was a symbol of protection

When did the Polish solidarity incident occur?

1980-1981

Why did Solidarity occur?

In the early 1970s the Polish Industries were doing relatively well however it was at its worse in 1979

What are the key early actions of solidarity?

-Lech Walesa led Gdansk shipyard workers in insisting on 21 demands

• the demands include the right to strike and free trade unions

• peaked at 9.4 million members

Why was Solidarity such a success?

-Lech Walesa was popular with the majority of the people

-Bided their time

-Very powerful

Explain Lech Walesa’s popularity

-Lech Walesa was popular with the majority of the people

• He was seen as a folk hero

• had the support of the Catholic Church

• More than half of workers joined

• Was not seen as anti-communist leading to a million communist joining

• Well known in the West and Western media; the sheer scale made the USSR act cautiously

Explain Solidarity’s patience?

-Solidarity was extremely careful in negotiations and avoided provoking the USSR

-The USSR was waiting for Solidarity to balkanize and become separated by factions

-The USSR was drawing up plans for Martial Law

Explain Solidarity’s Power

-Controlled the majority of heavy industries; a strike in these industries would cripple Poland

What happened during Martial Law in Poland 1980-81?

-General Jaruzelski took over the Polish Government

-Negotiations were attempted but broke down

-Brezhnev ordered training maneuvers

-Jaruzelski arrested 10,000 solidarity leaders and Lech Walesa

Why was Solidarity Crushed?

-Solidarity acted as a political party; the USSR claimed that they had evidence of solidarity planning a provisional government

-Poland was in crisis: Food rationing, falling wages, unemployment rising

-Solidarity leadership lost control; strikes couldn’t be stopped by leaders and factions broke it apart

What was the significance of Solidarity?

-Highlighted the failure of communism

-highlighted corruption and inefficiency

-Showed that some organizations could become powerful enough to challenge the USSR

-People Power could threaten communist governments

What were Mikhail Gorbachev’s main aspects?

-A realist who thought the USSR was doing terribly. It had a weak economy and spent way too much on the arms race. It was also locked in an unwinnable war in Afghanistan.

-He was also an idealist. He believed the USSR should make life as good as possible for Soviets and Eastern Europeans.

-He was also an optimist. He thought that reform could give people pride and belief in the USSR and give the USSR a chance at survival.

What was Gorbachev’s attitude towards Eastern Europe and the Soviet sphere of influence?

-Gorbachev gave them independence

-Gorbachev told the leaders that they had to reform communism to match the living standards of the West or it would fail.

-Withdrew troops from Eastern Europe in 1988 and refused to prop up any communist regime if there was an uprising

What were Gorbachev’s Key Reforms Early on?

-Glasnost

-Perestroika

What was Glasnost?

-A reform by Gorbachev which meant openness

-Allowed for open debate on government policy and honesty

-Was not a detailed set of strategies

What was perestroika?

-Perestroika was a policy of reform created by Gorbachev

-Meant restructuring

-Introduced markets to the USSR for the first time in 60 years

What were the reforms Gorbachev instituted later on?

-Reduce Defense Spending

-Improved International Relations

• withdrew soviet troops from Afghanistan

• Wanted Co-operation

What was ‘People Power’?

-Poland Held free elections and Solidarity dominated. Lech Walesa became president

-Huge demonstrations led to Czechoslovakia opening borders to the West and holding free elections

-Hungary tore down barbwire fences between Hungary and Austria. The Hungarian Communist party renames itself the socialist party and holds elections

-Short and bloody revolution led to Nicolae Ceausescu being executed

-Latvia leads Baltic states in declaring independence

-Bulgaria held massive protests

-Massive demonstrations led to guards at the Berlin checkpoints to join the protesters

What were the events of German unification?

-Helmut Kohl proposed unification after Berlin wall collapse

-Both parties agreed

-Gorbachev was apprehensive but agreed eventually

-Germany became a part of NATO

Describe the collapse of the USSR?

-Many nations declared that they were independent

• Yeltsin declared that they had no future

• Ukraine declared independence

• Georgia declared independence

• many others as well

-Coup attempted to save the USSR

• Dimitry Yazov and Pavlov attempted to stop the end of the USSR

• They held Gorbachev prisoner however huge crowds under the leadership of Yeltsin forced the coup to collapse

-In December 25th 1991 Gorbachev resigned and declared the end of the USSR