Lecture Notes on the Communist Takeovers of Eastern Europe lecture 19

Introduction to the Communist Takeovers in Eastern Europe

  • Lecture Date: 10/10/25

  • Topic: The Communist Takeovers of Eastern Europe 1

  • Notable Quote: Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech

    • Quote: '…an ‘iron curtain’ has descended across the continent. Behind that line…all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject, in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and in some cases increasing measure of control from Moscow.'

  • Importance: Establishes the ideological divide and control exerted by the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe after WWII.

Overview of the Cold War in Eastern Europe

  • Duration: More than 40 years.

  • Global Context: The Cold War set an agenda that was complex and multifaceted, characterized by far more than just the binary of East versus West.

  • Western Experience:

    • The Cold War in the West often reflected a time of relative stability.

    • This stability was based upon the repression of millions in Eastern Europe (EE).

Postwar Eastern Europe

State of Eastern Europe Post-WWII

  • Factors of Division:

    • The separation between Eastern and Western Europe was deepened during WWII due to various factors.

    • Nazi occupation, agrarian economies, and the destruction of social and political structures.

    • Eastern Europe experienced unprecedented hyperinflation after the war.

  • Soviet Military Presence:

    • Presence of approximately 11 million Red Army troops.

    • Stalin's quick incorporation of territories gained in 1939.

    • Outside the USSR, a flexible approach was adopted, yet preparations for imposing Communist regimes were underway.

Stalinization of Eastern Europe (1945-1948)

Methodology: "Salami-slice Tactics"

  • Definition: A strategy where the Communists would gradually take control by forming National Fronts that enacted widely supported legislation.

  • Stages of Coalition Formation:

    • Genuine Coalition: Initially, authentic stakeholder involvement.

    • Bogus Coalitions: False representation leading to disillusionment.

    • Monolithic Regime: Final stage where a single party controls the political landscape.

Exceptions in the Stalinization Process:

  • Poland and Romania: Sovietization occurred more rapidly.

  • Yugoslavia and Albania: Achieved liberation independently.

  • USSR’s Withdrawal: Left Iran in 1946.

  • British Actions: Suppressed the Communist revolt in Greece in 1946.

  • Finland: Experienced a unique case known as "Finlandization."

  • Austria: Maintained independence but with complex interactions with Soviet powers.

Visual Aids

  • Charts:

    • Chart of Communist Takeovers in EE (1945-1948).

    • Map Illustrations of the Eastern Bloc and Occupied Germany.

  • Photos:

    • Stalinist Polish Palace of Culture and Science built between 1952 and 1955.

    • Aftermath of the Communist coup in Czechoslovakia.

Key Events and Dates in Eastern Europe

Timeline of Important Events

  • Mar. 1947: Announce of the Truman Doctrine.

  • Sep. 1947: Establishment of Cominform.

  • Jun. 1948 - May 1949: Berlin Blockade and the ensuing Airlift.

  • Feb. 1948: Communist coup in Czechoslovakia.

  • Jan. 1949: Creation of Comecon.

  • Apr. 1949: NATO Formation; Warsaw Pact formed in 1955.

  • May 1949: Establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG).

  • Oct. 1949: Establishment of the German Democratic Republic (GDR).

Tito-Stalin Split (1948) and Its Significance

Context of the Split

  • Overview: Stalin's fear of "National Communism" was illustrated through his attempts to dominant Tito, the leader of Yugoslavia.

    • Failed attempts led to the formal split being public by June 1948.

  • U.S. Involvement: Troops sent to defend Yugoslavia during the Korean War.

Tito’s Leadership

  • Experimentation: Tito’s administration sought various economic and political reforms outside Soviet orthodoxy.

  • Response to Split:

    • Albania formally split with the USSR in 1961.

  • Stalin's Reaction:

    • Tightened his grip on Eastern Europe post-split.

    • Notable Trials:

    • Trial of Foreign Minister Ana Pauker in Romania (1952).

    • Slansky Trial in Czechoslovakia (1952), resulting in the execution of 11 communists.

Reasons for Communist Support in Eastern Europe

  • National Front Formation: Initially providing popular support through policies.

  • Benefits of Membership: Becoming part of the Communist Party offered career advancement opportunities.

  • Ideological Attraction: Some individuals were drawn to the party due to egalitarian promises.

  • Intellectual Considerations:

    • Czeslaw Milosz: Suggested that many intellectuals joined the Communist Party for insider knowledge and power, though at the cost of personal integrity and well-being.

    • Heda Kovaly: Noted the influence and role of Communist resistance witnessed during WWII on public sentiment towards the Communist Party.

Tito's Assertiveness

  • Notable Quote from Tito to Stalin:

    • Quote: 'Stalin: stop sending people to kill me. We’ve already captured five of them, one of them with a bomb and another with a rifle. If you don’t stop sending killers, I’ll send one to Moscow, and I won’t have to send a second.'

    • This act exemplifies Tito's defiance against Stalin and the complexities within Communist politics at the time.