1 / 23

Stagnation and Decline of Communism in Eastern Europe, 1964-1991

Stagnation and Decline of Communism in Eastern Europe, 1964-1991. Leonid Brezhnev, r. 1964-1982. Geriatocracy Stagnation Economic decline Collectivized Agriculture: Frequent reform attempts Lack of consumer goods: Toilet paper denim jeans Good shoes. Soviet private lives.

pegeen
Download Presentation

Stagnation and Decline of Communism in Eastern Europe, 1964-1991

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Stagnation and Decline of Communism in Eastern Europe, 1964-1991

  2. Leonid Brezhnev,r. 1964-1982 • Geriatocracy • Stagnation • Economic decline • Collectivized Agriculture: • Frequent reform attempts • Lack of consumer goods: • Toilet paper • denim jeans • Good shoes

  3. Soviet private lives • Work: over-employment, make-work projects • Home: apartment shuffling • Queuing everywhere • Low quality of goods • Grey/black market • Party privileges: stores, trips, prestige • The Soviet Mind

  4. The Prague Spring, 1968 • Aleksandr Dubcek • Action Program • “Socialism with a human face” • Ludvik Vaculik, “Two Thousand Words” • August: 200,000 Warsaw Pact Troops (and 2000 tanks) invaded • Brezhnev Doctrine • Vaclav Havel

  5. Poland and Solidarity • 1976: Workers strikes • KOR: Committee for Defense of Workers • Oct. 1978: Pope John Paul II • Gdansk • Lenin Shipyards

  6. Charter 77 • August 1975: Helsinki Accords • Plastic People of the Universe • Vaclav Havel • "loose, informal, and open association of people . . . united by the will to strive individually and collectively for respect for human and civil rights in our country and throughout the world."

  7. Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, 1979-1989 • Brezhnev stumbled into invading. • Democratic Republic of Afghanistan • Babrak Karmal • Mujahideen: “freedom-fighters” • Soviet losses: • 14,453 Killed (total) • 35,478 Wounded • Afghan minimum losses: 700,000

  8. Poland and Solidarity • Aug. 1980: Gdansk Agreement: Party granted right to strike and independent unions • Sept. 1980: Solidarity: Union of Trade Unions • By early 1981: 10 million Solidarity members • Lech Walesa • December 1981: Martial Law imposed • General W. Jaruzelski

  9. Lech Walesa

  10. Mikhail Gorbachev, r. 1985-1991 • A reformer in sheep’s clothing • Reform Communism (still idealism) • Attempted moderate reform • Perestroika (restructuring) • Glasnost (openness)

  11. Late Soviet Economy • Agriculture: in 1979, 28% of agriculture came from private plots (1% of land). • 1989 GDP: • USSR: $9211 per capita • USA: 21,082 per capita • Soviet economy about half as productive with 10% more people. • Military budget increased every year. • Does NOT prove communism does not work. • Does prove strength of world capitalism. • USSR felt compelled to trade with West.

  12. Chernobyl Nuclear Accident, April 1986 • Poor design • Staff did wrong test • 56 died immediately • 4000 died from radiation exposure • Party’s control of information exposed as very dangerous.

  13. Gorbachev takes bolder action • January 1987 CC plenum • Perestroika: • Economic: • cooperatives • Political reform • Multi-candidate elections • Glasnost: • Rehabilitated more victims • Allowed many documents published. • Foreign policy: • Nuclear disarmament • Let East Europe go

  14. 1988 • Feb: Polish government raised food prices • May: Workers struck • October: Solidarity and Polish government began Round Table talks • December: at UN Gorbachev promised to withdraw troops from Eastern Europe.

  15. 1989: Year of Revolutions • Feb: Hungarians renounced party’s leading role • April: Solidarity legalized; June wins election • June: Tiananmen square massacre • August: GDR refugees left via Hungary. • Oct: Gorbachev visited GDR; encouraged reform. • Nov: Berlin wall opened; Czechoslovak govt resigned: “Velvet Revolution” • December: Romanians overthrew Ceaucescu

  16. 1990 • March: Lithuania declared independence from USSR • July: Ukraine declared sovereignty • July: CPSU declared end to power monopoly. • Oct: German unification; Gorbachev won Nobel Peace Prize. • Dec: Lech Walesa elected president of Poland.

  17. 1991 • June: Croatia and Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia; leads to war. • July: Soviet Republics negotiate new union treaty • Ukraine’s Supreme Soviet declared independence • Warsaw Pact dissolved. • August: Hard-line communists attempt coup: • rise of Boris Yeltsin • Fall of Gorbachev • December 8: presidents of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus signed Belavezha Accords • declared the Soviet Union dissolved • established the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in its place • December: Ukraine votes from independence

  18. CAUSES of the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe and Soviet Union: • Negative comparisons with West • Communism was not working • Pressure of Western containment policy and Soviet military spending • Persistence of nationalism • Chernobyl nuclear disaster (April 1986) • Soviet intervention in Afghan war (1979-1989) • Chinese reform efforts • Mikhail Gorbachev (idealist, planned reform before power, unwilling to use violence)

  19. The New Europe

More Related