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POST-COMMUNISM IN THE EASTERN BLOC

POST-COMMUNISM IN THE EASTERN BLOC. CHAOS, CONFUSION AND COOPERATION. Coup . THE BREAKUP. First to want to go: the Baltic republics: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania Became part of Soviet Union during World War II as a result of Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact – August 22 “Black Ribbon Day” .

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POST-COMMUNISM IN THE EASTERN BLOC

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  1. POST-COMMUNISM IN THE EASTERN BLOC CHAOS, CONFUSION AND COOPERATION

  2. Coup

  3. THE BREAKUP • First to want to go: the Baltic republics: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania • Became part of Soviet Union during World War II as a result of Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact – August 22 “Black Ribbon Day”

  4. THE SINGING REVOLUTION • 1987: 300,000 Estonians gather at night to sing national songs, led by rock bands. • Songs had been forbidden under Soviet rule. • Begins a nationalist movement calling for independence.

  5. THE ‘BALTIC WAY’ • Aug. 22,1989: 1.2 million people joined hands to form the longest human chain in history • Stretched for over 600 kilometers across all three Baltic republics. • Later, Soviets responded with force in Lithuania – 14 people were killed.

  6. BREAKUP OF THE SOVIET UNION • Referendum in late 1991 shows Ukraine is for independence. • Yeltsin and leaders of Ukraine and Belarus meet in a forest near Minsk in December • Sign documents ending the USSR. • Set up a loose confederation, the Commonwealth of Independent States. • All former republics become independent countries.

  7. Wars that followed the breakup Caucusus: Armenia-Azerbaijan Issue: territory, enclaves Georgia Issue: separatist movement in Abkhazia Chechnya Issue: Independence from Russia

  8. CHECHNYA • Muslim republic • Had long resentment of domination by Russia • Two wars: 1994-96 and 1999

  9. CONSEQUENCES • Destruction of Grozny (capital, right) • Terrorist acts in Moscow thru 2000s: apartment house, jets, movie theater.

  10. MORE TERROR • 2004 School hostage crisis and bombing in Beslan, Russia

  11. PROBLEMS OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS • Soviet nuclear weapons sites in newly independent states: esp. Kazakhstan, Ukraine.

  12. REMOVAL • Kazakhstan and Ukraine and other republics agree to remove old nukes and abandon nuclear programs in 1992 • Russia also destroys some of its nukes (with American funds), but corruption and problems with old storage facilities lead to fears of “loose nukes.”

  13. ELSEWHERE IN SLAVIC WORLD • “Velvet Divorce” – 1996 Czechoslovakia becomes two countries: Czech Republic and Slovakia • Breakup of Yugoslavia, begins in 1991.

  14. BREAKUP OF YUGOSLAVIA • Nation created after World War I to unite South Slav peoples • Historically dominated by Serbs, esp. Army • One of most ethnically diverse nations in Europe

  15. ETHNIC TENSIONS • Serbs were 40% of population: Orthodox Christian, used Cyrillic alphabet, independent since 1840s, close to Russia, fiercely anti-Muslim • Croats and Slovenes were Catholic, closer to Austria and Italy, and were the most prosperous parts of the country • The groups had fought each other in World Wars I and II on different sides. • Bosnia was a mix of all the ethnicities and religions, including Muslims. • Under Tito, advocating for an ethnic group was a crime. • Tito dies in 1980. Presidency revolves among the different republics within the country.

  16. SERBIAN NATIONALISM • 1988 - Slobodan Milosevic becomes President of Yugoslavia. • Advocate for Serbs rather than an avid communist. • Plays to those who advocate a “Greater Serbia” as the other republics secede from Yugoslavia.

  17. “GREATER SERBIA” • Yugoslav army used to clear non-Serbs out of Serbian areas: “ethnic cleansing” • Croats fight, also expel Serbs from some Croat areas.

  18. BOSNIAN CIVIL WAR • Bosnia-Herzegovina declares independence in 1992. • Three groups, none with majority: Serbs Croats Muslims (Bosniacs) More ethnic cleansing. Muslims are particular targets

  19. SIEGE OF SARAJEVO • Serb gunners shell city constantly for 3 and a half years – longest siege of a city in modern history. U.N. ‘peacekeeping forces’ could do little.

  20. SERB “DETENTION CAMPS” FOR BOSNIAN MUSLIMS • Srebenica massacre: 2,000 Muslims killed • Total toll for war: 200-250,000 dead, 3 million made refugees

  21. THE “BAD GUYS” • Radovan Karadzic, head of Bosnian Serb government of breakaway republic • Ratko Mladic, head of Serb military • Karadzic arrested, Mladic still at large

  22. DAYTON ACCORDS • 1995 • Representatives of both sides meet in Dayton, Ohio under auspices of U.S. • Partial separation agreed to along with cease-fire. Serb area and Croat-Muslim area. • NATO troops to patrol and keep peace.

  23. KOSOVO • 1999 • Milosevic tries to stamp out Albanian dissidents in Kosovo province of Serbia. He allows Serbs in Kosovo province to ethnically cleanse out Albanians (90% of population)

  24. WESTERN RESPONSE • US and NATO jets bomb Belgrade for 11 weeks; 2,000 killed (500 civilians) • Serbs pull back • Milosevic loses election, is later arrested and put on trial for war crimes. • Kosovo under NATO occupation and an Albanian-led government. • Declares independence, February, 2008.

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