Chapter 23 - The Ending of the Cold War (1985-1991) - Collapse of Communism in the Eastern Bloc

Challenging Communist Control: Barriers (The Brezhnev Doctrine)

From 1968

→ USSR would invade if communism threatened (fear)

• esp. after 1968 Prague Spring + 1979 entering of Afghanistan proved so

Challenging Communist Control: Barriers (The Warsaw Pact)

From 1955

→ kept communist countries together

→ WP army = if people attacked the communist government, they’d be attacked

• esp. a barrier after 1968 Prague Spring proved so

  = hard to leave

Challenging Communist Control: Barriers (Comecon)

From 1949

→ organised economies of the satellite states

→ had to share economic info with the USSR to receive subsidies on goods = cannot receive secret western aid

→ dogmatic + threatening

Challenging Communist Control: Barriers (The Stasi/Control)

The Stasi = the state security service of east Germany 1950-1990 aiming to prevent uprisings from within

• FEAR → could be sent to a Stasi prison camp if speak negatively about communism/leadership + easily found out (spying → phones tapped, paid informants)

  = don’t know who to trust/who agreed

  = hard to start a revolution

• also looked for anyone ‘infiltrated by the west’ (blue jeans, owning luxury items)

Challenging Communist Control: Barriers (Propaganda + Criticism of the West)

→ had some knowledge of the west

• e.g. only 1 model of car within the Soviet bloc but flashier cars such as Mercedes in the west

• but felt theirs worked well enough

→ BUT made to think their lives were better (lies)

• told scenes from ‘Oliver’ + footage of war-torn London after The Blitz (1940s) were the current situation in the west

• told they were more technologically advanced (e.g. best tractors)

• only good news published

→ celebrations of unity

• annual communist parades

  • industries shared successful stats (honest?)

→ told the Iron Curtain protected from the ‘evil west’

actually: food shortages, average person spend 5hrs in a line daily, wait for a flat was 15 years

Challenging Communist Control: Opportunities (The Helsinki Accords)

From 1975

→ rejected the use of force = shouldn’t aggressively put down uprisings

→ Basket 3 (human rights)

• BUT only signed, not acted

Challenging Communist Control: Opportunities (Gorbachev)

From 1985

→ Glasnost = freedom to criticise government

• decreased fear

Challenging Communist Control: Opportunities (Reagan)

From 1981

→ 2^nd term (1986-89)

• made west (and its ideology) more attractive + represents new opportunities

  • e.g. his visit to Moscow in the 1988 summit (freedom speech at the University)

→ 1^st term (1981-85)

• aggressive policies towards USSR = some citizens would hope he could end their oppression

Challenging Communist Control: Opportunities (The Pope)

From 1979

→ represents the west

→ spreading ideas of freedom through religion, inspiring people

• visited Poland 3 times

Gorbachev’s Action: Abandonment of the Brezhnev Doctrine (Reasons)

• Growing Disillusionment (disappointment with reality) with Soviet intervention in Afghanistan

• Expensive to support the Eastern Bloc (e.g. subsidies)

• Gorbachev believe the way to revive communism was to make it the attractive choice > forcing it

• Believed armed intervention is morally wrong = refused to use force

Gorbachev’s Actions: Abandonment of the Brezhnev Doctrine (The Sinatra Doctrine)

Oct 1989

• recognised all countries have the freedom of choice (esp. WP states)

• hoped ending the Brezhnev Doctrine would end the Cold War

  • no more invasions

  • no more threat of communism spreading

    = US no longer fear

Gorbachev’s Actions: Ending Comecon

→ Détente brought closer trading/cultural links with the west + from 1989 the USSR couldn’t afford to subsidise the Eastern Bloc’s fuel + raw materials

= Eastern Bloc looked to west to bridge the gap

• The EC negotiated trade deals with Comecon members

→ 1991: USSR introduced market forces into Comecon = control over

Poland: Solidarity’s First Attempt

Aug 1980-81

who: first non-communist labour union in the Eastern Bloc

leader: Walesa

why: formed after workers felt ignored + exploited so held strikes across Poland which halted the economy

short-lived:

• other countries in the Eastern Bloc tried to discredit Solidarity so doesn’t spread (e.g. spread narrative that the strikers are selfish)

• threat of Red Army

• 1000s Solidarity leaders arrested as the union is banned after the 1981 Soviet-inspired imposition declaring Marshall Law

  = Solidarity moved underground

but survived due to support from Western labour orgs and Polish émigré groups

Poland: Second Attempt

→ Solidarity + people power

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Feb 1988: people power

• rising food prices = strikes and demands for a changed system

Feb 1989: negotiations between the Polish Government (inc. leader Jarwzelski) and members of Solidarity officially opened in Warsaw

April 1989: ‘Round Table Talks’ signed by government and Solidarity reps:

• free elections for 35% of seats in Parliament (Sejm)

  • June election = Solidarity win 161/162 seats allowed to compete for

• free elections for the new Senate

  • June elections = Solidarity win 92/100 Senate seats

• recognition of Solidarity as a political party

June 1989: crushing electoral victory for Solidarity

August 1989: Mazowiecki became first non-communist PM in eastern Europe

• after pressure from Walesa (Solidarity leader) and agreements with the Soviets

Collapse of Communism: Hungary

→ government action

---

→ in need of economic reform as declining = people dissatisfied

→ communist government (Hungarian Socialist Workers Party) already most liberal = initiate reforms themselves

1988: Németh (young Politburo member) negotiated a 1bil deutschmark loan from West German banks (E-W détente)

so Kadar reigns (oversaw brutal suppression of the 1956 uprising) as PM

• Németh replaces as PM (Nov 1988 - May 1990)

April 1989: Soviets agree to withdraw Red Army by 1991

May 1989: remove western border with East Germany

• this allowed migration of East Germans into Hungary (though still illegal)

June 1989: Nagy given a formal public funeral 31 years after he was executed (1956 uprising)

Oct 1989: 10 months after political reforms began = new constitution with a multi-party system + competitive elections (own version of Round Table)

Collapse of Communism: East Germany

→ people power + some gov

---

→ economic collapse = citizens increasingly seek to emigrate to the West

• economic growth:

  • 1985: 5.2%

  • 1989: 2.8%

May 1989: Hungary remove western border with East Germany

• this allowed migration of East Germans into Hungary (though still illegal)

  • by Sept 1989 60,000 East Germans sought asylum in West German embassies in Hungary

  • Budapest overcrowded = increased international pressure as migrants also enter Austria too = E. German gov temporarily allow travel (e.g. open special trains)

Oct 1989: Gorbachev cautioned leadership that they need reform + said Honecker needed replacing (hardliner = ignoring calls for Perestroika)

• 2 weeks later 100,000s marched in protest = Honecker forced to resign

  = Krenz announced democratic reforms (endorsing Perestroika and Glasnost + ending the Brezhnev Doctrine)

Nov 1989: televised, East German gov announce opening of all East German borders + the Berlin Wall came down after the spokesperson accidently said regulations applied to Berlin

• no consequence = reduced fear of Soviet reaction = domino effect

→ Kohl (West German Chancellor) announced plan for reunification (successful in 1990)

Collapse of Communism: Czechoslovakia

→ people power + tiny bit government

---

October 1989: police arrested 100s after an unsanctioned demonstration (people unhappy with economy, esp. seeing Western success)

Nov 1989: 100,000s gathered in Prague’s main square for 12 days to protest government + Dubcek made first public appearance since Prague Spring (1968)

• THE VELVET REVOLUTION (peaceful + smooth)

  • e.g. songs + candles

= communist party suggest a coalition gov with the Civic Forum (Havel’s opposition group) but denied (want NO communism)

Dec 1989: Havel elected President

• Havel = famed dissent

  • 1970s organised opposition to the comm gov so jailed

  • signed Charter 77 (a manifesto detailing HR violations in Czechoslovakia → using Helsinki Accords)

Collapse of Communism: Bulgaria

→ people power

---

Nov 1989: protests = Zhivkov (Communist Party leader) resigned (but effective ousted)

• first known public protest in post-war Bulgaria + longest Eastern Bloc leader (34yrs) = Domino Effect proven

→ replaced with reformist communist Mladenov

• further protests for reform and demanding Zhivkov be trialled ensued

  • most vocal civil rights group: Eco-glasnost

June 1990: first free elections since 1946

Collapse of Communism: Romania

→ people power

[only violent government action]

---

→ people unhappy

• daily power cuts and food shortages in 1989

• BUT latest to protest as isolated from information (e.g. didn’t know Solidarity, Berlin Wall came down, or Prague’s Velvet Revolution)

→ Ceausescu (Stalinist) refused any reforms

Dec 1989: Timisoara

• started when people accessed Yugoslavian TV and found out the Berlin Wall fell

• army and police fired into protestors + tanks deployed, killing dozens

• attempted arrest of respect local priest, Tokes (pastor of the Reformed Church who campaigned for human rights) BUT huge protective ‘human ring’ formed around his church

  • ‘can’t kill us all’ mentality

• up to 10,000 protestors

  = protests spread to other cities (several days of violence)

Ceausescu ordered violent repression of demonstrations (inc. tanks in Bucharest) = 100s killed + closed borders as news leaked (international condemnation)

BUT the national army turned on him forcing him to flee Bucharest but was arrested + executed after a trial at a military base