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COLD WAR THAWS. In 1953, after nearly 30 years as the Soviet leader…. Stalin Dies. Bye Bye Stalin. Bye Bye Stalin. Bye Bye Stalin. Bye Bye Stalin. Bye Bye Stalin. Bye Bye Stalin. Bye Bye Stalin. Bye Bye Stalin. Bye Bye Stalin. Bye Bye Stalin.
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COLD WAR THAWS
In 1953, after nearly 30 years as the Soviet leader…. Stalin Dies Bye Bye Stalin Bye Bye Stalin Bye Bye Stalin Bye Bye Stalin Bye Bye Stalin Bye Bye Stalin Bye Bye Stalin Bye Bye Stalin Bye Bye Stalin Bye Bye Stalin
Joseph Stalin had been leader of the Soviet Union for nearly 30 years. Though he is now considered responsible for the deaths of millions of his own people through famine and purges, when his death was announced to the people of the Soviet Union on March 6, 1953, many wept. He had led them to victory in World War II. He had been their leader, the Father of the Peoples, the Supreme Commander, the Generalissimo.
USSR Leaders Post Stalin • Nikita Khrushchev • (Soviet Leader: 1953-1964) • Pursued a policy of • “de-Stalinization” • Did not change Soviet goals, but freed prisoners and eased censorship • Wanted to ease Cold War tensions – “peaceful coexistence” with the West
Leonid Brezhnev • (Soviet Leader: 1964-1982) • Suppressed people • who spoke out against government (arrest) • Brezhnev Doctrine: • Asserted right of USSR to intervene in any Warsaw Pact nation
Mikhail Gorbachev • (Soviet Leader: 1985-1991) • Wanted to end Cold War • Domestic Reforms: • Glasnost: • “openness”: Ended censorship & encouraged discussion of government • Perestroika: • Restructuring of government and economy • Keep the essence of communism but have element of capitalism
Fall of Communism • CAUSES • Cold War “battles” drain resources (money and people) • Multinational/Ethnic tensions lead to independence movements • Gorbachev’s Reforms: • cause economic turmoil • shortages worse, prices and unemployment soar • glasnost allows for criticism of government, critics call for changes • Gorbachev resigns in 1991
EFFECTS • Soviet Union breaks up into independent countries (with mostly democratic governments and capitalist economies) • East and West Berliners begin to tear down wall / Germany reunified • Independent countries have to deal with a variety of problems: • civil wars • corruption • economic reforms • ethnic tensions