2_Soviet control of Eastern Europe

Soviet Policy and Motivation:

  • Post-WWII, the USSR wanted a buffer zone of friendly communist states to protect itself from future Western attacks.

  • Western leaders (Attlee, Truman) insisted on freely defined states, causing tension.

  • “Salami tactics” used by leaders like Rakosi gradually removed political opposition.

Eastern Bloc by 1950:

  • Countries under Soviet influence: Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Ukraine.

  • Khrushchev’s rise (mid-1950s) led to slight relaxation in control (1956 Secret Speech), sparking unrest.

Polish Uprising, 1956:

  • Causes: Economic hardship, collectivisation, food shortages, hope for reforms post-Khrushchev’s Secret Speech.

  • Events: Riots suppressed; Wladyslaw Gomulka introduces economic reforms (private shops, smaller farms).

  • Soviet Reaction: Allowed reforms because they were economic, not political; Poland stayed in Warsaw Pact, Red Army remained.

Hungarian Uprising, 1956:

  • Causes: Khrushchev’s Secret Speech, poor living conditions, desire to remove pro-Stalinist leaders.

  • Timeline:

    • July: Rakosi replaced by Gero

    • 23 Oct: Student & worker demonstration in Budapest

    • 24 Oct: Soviet troops enter Budapest

    • 30 Oct – 4 Nov: Nagy government promises reforms, free elections, exit from Warsaw Pact

    • 4–10 Nov: Soviets crush revolt; Nagy executed, Kadar installed

  • Soviet Reaction: Political reforms threatened Soviet security; ~3,000 Hungarians killed, 200,000 fled, revolt suppressed.

Berlin Crisis and the Wall

Background:

  • Berlin divided post-WWII; before 1961, people could freely cross.

  • Contrast in living conditions:

    • West Berlin: Economic recovery, Marshall Aid, freedom of speech, democratic governance.

    • East Berlin: Economic hardship, restricted freedoms, communist rule.

Causes of Crisis:

  • West Berlin as a “Window to the West”; 2,000+ East Germans per day fleeing to West by 1949.

  • East German & Soviet leaders attempted to stop migration; border closed in 1958 but ineffective.

  • By 1961, 3 million East Germans had fled to West Germany.

Construction of the Berlin Wall:

  • 13 August 1961: Barbed wire erected, soon replaced by a concrete wall, patrolled by armed guards.

  • Purpose: Stop migration and preserve East German control.

  • Consequence: Families and friends separated; symbol of Cold War division.

Paragraph Summary:
The USSR established control over Eastern Europe through force, intimidation, and the suppression of opposition, creating a buffer zone of communist states. While Poland was allowed limited economic reforms after 1956, Hungary’s political attempts at reform were crushed, demonstrating the USSR’s determination to maintain political control. In Berlin, the stark contrast between East and West led to mass migration and culminated in the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, physically symbolising the division between communism and capitalism.