Collapse of the Eastern Bloc and the USSR

1. Collapse of the Eastern Bloc and the USSR History 12 Ms Leslie

2. 4 reasons for collapse 1. Economic failure • Economic stagnation - prices increased, wages did not

3. EEC – 1958-1993 • The USSR was left out of the European Economic Community • The EEC was set up to create stronger trade relations between European communities and economic integration (precursor to the EU) • The original members are Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

4. 2. New technology/media • Electronic communication made censorship more difficult. • Fax machines were difficult for a totalitarian regime to control. Radio and television signals were more and more difficult to jam. • This lead to the east learning about conditions in the West and raising their expectations for standards of living

5. 3. Gorbachev • Reluctant to use force, which caused the Europeans to become bolder. • Reformed the communist regime to the point of collapse

6. 4. nationalism • Countries like Poland wanted to rid their country of occupiers for years. • Czechs and Slovaks had finally been freed of the Austrian-Hungarian empire, only to lose to the Nazis and then Soviets. • ‘Ruskie go home’ was a common cry.

7. The Prague Spring • Czechoslovakia’s attempt at liberalization • Was a democratic country between the two world wars. • In 1968 Dubcek is in charge. He brings back freedom of press, assembly, worship and travel abroad. He was preparing for free elections and called his reform movement ‘socialism with a human face’

8. His reforms: allowing workers more say in factories, standard of living raised travel to the West open to all. • His reforms were threatening to spread to Romania, this was a threat the Soviets could not allow

9. August 22, 500,000 troops were sent in. • there was no organized Czech resistance like there was in Hungary in 1956 • Dubcek was arrested and replaced with Husak who followed Moscow’s instructions and removed all the newly gained freedoms.

10. It is important to note that the Czechs were not trying to break out of the USSR, but to humanize communism. • This resulted in the BrezhnevDoctrine. – it was the right and duty of neighbouring socialist countries to intervene in each others affairs when socialism was threatened.

11. Results of the Prague Spring 1. Czechoslovakia returned to communist control and Russian troops were stationed there.

12. 2. The Brezhnev Doctrine stated that Iron Curtain countries would not be allowed to abandon communism, "even if it meant a third world war". 3. Increase of the Cold War. People in the West were horrified and so were many communist countries, especially Romania and Yugoslavia.

13. Poland • In 1980 Poland had created the Solidarity trade union by Lech Walesa. They organized several peaceful protests and massive strikes. • In 1981 the government declared martial law, made solidarity illegal and Walesa was imprisoned.

14. In the 1980’s the economy of Poland was going down hill. • In 1981 there was a new leader, General Jaruzelski, who was a hardline soviet. • Food prices rose 400%.

15. In 1983 martial law was lifted and a few solidarity leaders were released. (illegal until 1989)

16. Poland 1989 • In the spring Jaruzelski began talks with the opposition about economic reform as he needed them onboard to make his reforms. • They produced a new constitution which allowed for free elections but the communists would keep special privileges

17. elections gave Solidarity 92% of the seats in the Senate and 160/161 seats in the lower house. • The Communists invoked their special constitutional privileges and Jaruzelski remained president while a solidarity leader, Mazowiecski, was Prime Minister. • lead to a government coalition of communists and non-communists.

18. 1990 – Lech Walesa Became president of Poland. • They become separate from the USSR • It’s important to note that the soviets did nothing to intervene in the democratization of Poland.

19. Hungary • In 1985 the economy was in trouble. The leader Janos Kadar, started democratization. • 1988 he’s thrown out by people who want communistic reforms • But, after seeing the events unfolding in Poland, the communists in charge decided to leave peacefully.

20. In March 1990 free elections were held and the Democratic Forum party (Peasants and Farmers) won and Jozsef Antall became Prime ministers. • Not a single shot was fired in this revolution, opposite of what happened in 1956.

21. Czechoslovakia • 1980’s – economy is failing causing the leader, Husak to resign and be replaced by hardliner Milos Jakes. • Nov 17, 1989 was the ‘Velvet revolution’ when huge demonstrations in Prague were violently put down

22. Further demonstrations and strikes are organized by former leader Dubcek and Vaclev Havel, causing the communist party to leave peacefully.

23. Havel became President of a democratic Czechoslovakia on Dec 29, 1989. • In 1992 Czechoslovakia split in to the two states it is today.

24. Romania • Had a brutal dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu since 1965. • Romania was still loyal to the Warsaw Pact.

25. Small changes happened in Romania such as dropping Russian language from the school system and not supporting the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, they also had their own relationship with Israel.

26. On Dec 17, 1989, in Timisoara the government massacred protesters, • this sparked another protest on Dec 21 which resulted in more deaths.

27. By the Dec 22 Protest the army refused orders to fire on the people. • The crowds arrested Ceausescu and his wife and within days they were tried and executed. • Romania was then lead by another dictator, Ion Iliescu until 1996

28. East Germany • Was ruled by dictator Erich Honecker since 1971, the most repressive of all the soviet satellites. • Refused to make any concessions with his people despite the events that were unfolding around him.

29. On the other hand, Gorbachev had traveled to West Germany to seek financial assistance and had stated he wished to see the end of the division between the two Germanys.

30. Summer of 1989 thousands of East Germans were now escaping through the Polish, and Hungarian borders to Austria. • By October there were demonstrations all over East Germany calling for reform. • This reform movement was led by the Protestant church and was called the ‘New Forum’.

31. Honecker wanted to shoot the protesters but he was overruled by party officials. • Honecker was then dumped by the party and Egon Krenz became the new leader of East Germany, for 3 months.

32. And the wall came tumbling down • Nov 9, 1989 Krenz announced that he would make it easier for East Germans to cross the border • By 10 pm East Berliners flocked ot the wall demanding it be opened • The border guards let them through

33. Thousands of people stormed the wall • Started tearing it down • Biggest party in history • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM2qq5J5A1s

34. First elections • Nov 9, 1989 the Berlin wall was opened up and free elections were promised. • These elections were won by Hulmut Kohl’s Christian Democrats.

35. The reunification process of Germany started and Gorbachev promised to withdraw troops. • On Oct 30, 1990 Helmut Kohl became the first chancellor of all of Germany since Hitler.

36. Yugoslavia • Was not a soviet satellite. • It was created in 1919 at the Paris Peace conference and had 2 nations in it – Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia.

37. A lot of ethnic based hatred, especially between the Serbs and Croatians – stemming from the Croatian collaboration with the Nazis in WWII. • Big Nazi movement still

38. Tito who ruled until his death in 1980 liberated the country from the Nazis. • He did not tolerate nationalist sentiments, upon his death a new ethnic representative government was set up – this new government fell apart in the mid 1980’s

39. In 1988 Slobodan Milosevic became Prime Minister and he started a civil war. He was elected on the pretense that he would maintain a united Yugoslavia was Serbs as the dominant group • By 1991 Croatia and Slovenia were demanding independence.

40. 1991- Serb-Croatian war • June – Croatia declares independence. Followed by Slovenia. Croatia had a large Serbian Majority which complicated things. Serbia then invaded Croatia and held key parts of the republic by summer.

41. Milosevic was willing to negotiate peace terms with Croatia, now that he was in possession of most of it. • The UN had to intervene with 11,000 peacekeepers. • End of 1991 – Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina were independent.

42. War in Bosnia- Herzegovina • Population made up of Muslims, Croatians and Serbs. • Bosnian Serbs attacked the Bosnian Muslims, hoping to gain their territory. • Milosevic encouraged the Serbs to undertake ethnic cleansing – meaning the Serbs moved the Muslims to camps and killed most of the men.

43. No one intervened to stop the genocide – but everyone knew about it. • NATO finally deployed its airforce and did a few air strikes against the Serbs • 1996 – peace was reached in December • 1999 – events in Kosovo are directly related to this war.

44. Milosevic was tried for crimes against humanity, violating the laws of war, breaches of the Geneva Conventions and alleged genocide for his role during the wars in Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbian province of Kosovo. • He died of a heart attack in 2006 in his jail cell

45. Fall of the USSR • Khrushchev was removed from power in 1964 • because of failures in agriculture and the Cuban Missile Crisis. • His behaviour at the UN was also embarrassing (shoe banging) • He stepped down officially for health reasons and died in 1971. Btw - this famous photo is doctored - no actual photo of event

46. Leonid Brezhnev • Leader 1964-82 • More like Stalin • Stubborn. Would not recognize the decay of Communism • Benefited from the struggles of the working class.

47. Tightened control over criticism and artistic freedoms. • Exiles Solzhenitsyn in 1974 over his biographic ‘one day in the life of Ivan Denisovich’ • Became ill - made him talk funny, kiss people and award himself a lot of medals • Had a stroke in May 1982 and died November.

48. The KGB also fed him a lot of pills as he got older and sicker, causing erratic behaviour

49. Yuri Andropov • Leader 1982-84 • Former chief of KGB = ability to use police terror to crush dissidents • 67 years old with a heart problem • Knew the party needed reform for economic growth to happen

50. Wanted to eliminate corruption in the high levels of the party – punished black marketers, tightened factory discipline (punishing drunkenness on the floor), managers were given more decision making power in regards to prices and wages. • Productivity increased