The Collapse of Communism Study Notes lecture 23

Shevardnadze Quote
Preconditions for Change Inside the USSR
- Mikhail Gorbachev
- Became Party General Secretary in March 1985.
- Embodied a new generation influenced by:
  - Years of Khrushchev's leadership.
  - The de-Stalinization process of the late 1950s-60s.
- Implemented reforms via
  - Glasnost:
  - Advocated for openness and transparency in government.
  - Perestroika:
  - Called for restructuring of the economy and political system.
- Introduced a New Thinking in international relations.
- Impact of the Chernobyl Disaster (April 1986):
- This catastrophe profoundly affected Gorbachev's policies and public perception.
- INF Treaty:
- Signed in December 1987 to reduce intermediate-range nuclear forces.
- Geneva Accords:
- Signed in April 1988, aimed at various arms control measures.
- Repudiation of the Brezhnev Doctrine (July 1989):
- Gorbachev publicly renounced the doctrine emphasizing Soviet intervention in Eastern Europe.
- Replaced it with the Sinatra Doctrine, allowing Eastern European nations to determine their own destinies.

Over 18 months after the Sinatra Doctrine announcement, communist regimes were rapidly dismantled across Eastern Europe.
Two Basic Patterns of Collapse:

Observed in countries where communism was imposed externally:
- Countries: Poland, Hungary, German Democratic Republic (GDR), Czechoslovakia (CZ).
- Collapse was characterized by
- A swift transition.
- Relatively bloodless revolutions.

Seen in countries with deeper roots of communism intertwined with nationalism:
- Countries: Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Yugoslavia.
- Revolutions here were more violent and prolonged.

Polish Roundtable Talks (February-April 1989):
- Key negotiations between the Communist government and opposition, leading to:
- Legalization of Solidarity as a political party.
- June elections where Solidarity won all contested seats.
- Jaruzelski, as President, appointed Tadeusz Mazowiecki, a Solidarity supporter, as Prime Minister.
- Free elections in December 1990 led to Lech Wałęsa becoming president.
Hungary:
- Kádár’s NEM (New Economic Mechanism) program became stagnant by 1985.
- By May 1987, Kádár and his supporters were removed from the Politburo.
- Hungarian leaders opted for a peaceful transition, leading to free elections in March 1990 and the election of Jozsef Antall as Prime Minister.

Events in Hungary influenced the atmosphere in GDR.
GDR:
- Erich Honecker rejected reform initiatives but was eventually removed due to mounting protests.
- Protests erupted nationwide in October, culminating in the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9.
Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution:
- Following Husak's resignation in 1987, Milos Jakes took control.
- Organized protests ignited on November 17, especially after police violence.
- Nationwide protests and a general strike led to the regime's downfall.
- Vaclav Havel became president on December 29.

Romania, marked by a harsh regime, faced a bloody revolution:
- Protests in Timisoara erupted on December 17, met with violent repression.
- On December 21, Ceausescu’s speech was met with public dissent, leading to broader protests.
- When the army refused to disperse protestors, Ceausescu and his wife attempted to flee but were captured, tried, and executed on December 25, 1989.
- Despite this, a semi-authoritarian governance persisted after his fall.

Revolutions in these countries mirrored Romania's, characterized by slow progress toward true democracy as old elites held significant power.