23) Collapse of Communism in the Eastern European Satellite States

Question 1

Sinatra Doctrine

Answer 1

-October 1989
-not a real thing
-soviet spokesman Gennadi Gerasimov said “the Brezhnev Doctrine is dead (…) You know the Frank Sinatra song ‘My Way’? Hungary and Poland are doing it there way. We now have the Sinatra Doctrine”

Question 2

Gorbachev’s removal of the Brezhnev doctrine

Answer 2

-Speech in July 1989, G renounces the Brezhnev doctrine
-Eastern Europe faced the same economic problems that the USSR did
-this resulted in the USSR becoming a debtor nation to them
-withdrawal from Afghanistan and Africa focused policy on Europe
-too expensive for the USSRV to keep up their support for these nations so Gorbachev decided to reject the Brezhnev doctrine
-this was not welcome news among Eastern European leaders, while they feared an invasion from Moscow, Soviet support was the only thing keeping them in power

Question 3

How did eastern European communism collapse so quickly?

Answer 3

the soviet union was unwilling to uphold its traditional principles of invasion/removal as they had in Hungary (1956) Czechoslovakia (1968) and Poland (1981)
Since eastern regimes lacked the authority within the country and from the Soviet union, Public opinion prevailed

Question 4

Negotiated Revolutions

Answer 4

-Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria
-changes that occurred in these countries were introduced with the support of the ruling communists and took place/were decided before the fall of the Berlin wall

Question 5

Collapse of Communism in Poland

Answer 5

-Feb 1988, food prices are raised by 200% to cope economic problems, this leads to strikes and demands for change (glasnost as justification)
-April 1989, results in the round table agreements in which solidarity are included
-3 main agreements from glasnost were the legalisation of non-gov trade unions, the position of president and the formation of a senate
-Soviet union approved of these reforms, more socialist leading instead of capitalist
-In June elections solidarity win 92/100 seats in the upper house and 160/161in the lower house
-Communists still in control of major industries like Ministries of Defence, Interior and Foreign trade. Jaruzelski was still president and Poland was in Warsaw pact
-only after the collapse of the GDR that solidarity began to move communists from positions of power

Question 6

Collapse of Communism in Hungary

Answer 6

-Communist party initated reforms due to their need for trade, the bad economic conditions pushed them to the West
-Nov 1988, Janos Kadar resigns and is replaced with the younger Miklos Nemeth
-Nemeth brokers a 1 Billion Deutsch Mark loan from western banks
-May 1989 Nemeth is made Prime Minister and implements reforms that lead Hungary to have a multi-party system
-open their borders with Austria and Germany, results in a mass exodus of German citizens from the GDR
-free elections in 1990
-all Soviet military apparatus is removed by 1991

Question 7

Cronyism

Answer 7

-favouring ones friends by granting them favours, especially when they are underserving
-essentially corruption
-big feature of Todor Zhivkov’s government in Bulgaria
-some officials would receive up to 500% more salary than others and could shop is special stores which imported Western goods

Question 8

Bulgarianisation

Answer 8

-a policy which expelled some 200,000 people with Turkish origins from Bulgaria
-resulted in widespread condemnation
-implemented by Zhivkov

Question 9

Collapse of Communism in Bulgaria

Answer 9

-July 1989, foreign minister Petar Mladenov informs Gorbachev that he is planning to ‘carry out a change in direction’
-Gorbachev does not oppose the Mladenov forces Zhivkov to resign
-thus paves the way for multiparty elections in June 1990
-old communist party (now socialist party) just win, however they are removed in a general strike in November

Question 10

Dramatic revolutions

Answer 10

-not an actual term
-the countries in which communist party leaders were not willing to reform and were compelled to reform by dramatic events occurring in the GDR
-include the GDR itself, Czechoslovakia, Romania and Albania

Question 11

GDR

Answer 11

-reputation for being the most loyal state to the Soviets (fear of Stasi)
-product of the cold war
-only western loans in 1983-4 stopped the GDR from going bankrupt (Ostpolitik)
-Erich Honecker ignored perestroika
-August 1989, Hungary opens it borders and an estimated 15,000 people flee
-Sep, beginning of the Monday demonstrations, Honecker does not stop them as he knew Gorbachev would not approve if he did, upon attending the GDR’s 40th anniversary celebration, in his speech Gorbachev said ‘life pushes late comers’
-similar to berlin crisis in the 60s, the mass exodus forced the government into action, granted visas, could only leave if they would promise to return (to their families/homes ect.). Made Honecker seem unsure
-October, Honecker resigns and is replaced by Egon Krenz

Question 12

Opening of the Berlin Wall

Answer 12

-lack of government intervention meant that the Monday demonstrations only grew, on November 4th, 1/2 million people gathered in east Berlin demanding reforms
-on 9th of November, the Krenz government makes the decision that any person with a valid German passport can leave
-that evening 20,000 east Germans crossed the border

Question 13

2 + 4 meetings

Answer 13

-allies believed they had ‘reserved rights’ over Germany
-agreement made with the 2 states and 4 allies that led to German reunification in October 1990
-people feared (esp Margaret Thatcher) that a reunified Germany would lead to a return of nazism

Question 14

Collapse of Communism in Czechoslovakia

Answer 14

-economic condition was thriving in comparison to the east however quite bad in comparison to the west
-Velvet revolution, a series of protests through Czechoslovakia in 1989
-Although economic reforms were introduced in June, there were not enough and the public continued to protest
-encouraged by the fall of the wall, however protests in November were violently suppressed
-Nov, opposition group Civic Forum is formed and oust the communists from power by rejecting the idea of a coalition
-December Vaclar Havel is elected as primister

Question 15

Collapse of Communism in Romania

Answer 15

-faced issues like economic stagnation and corruption, as symbolised through their leader, Nicolae Ceausescu, building a 1100 room palace (he was very unpopular)
-encouraged by the fall of wall and Velvet revolution
-December, during protests the army side with the police against the secret policy. Following this Ceausescu is arrested and executed
-elections in May 1990 resulted in the National Salvation Front winning a majority (socialist)
-Gorbachev did not oppose with the deposition of Ceausescu if communists remained in power

Question 16

Collapse of Communism in Albania

Answer 16

-in 1961, Enver Hoxha broke ties with the USSR and stuck to the stalinist model of governing
-upon his death is successor (Ramiz Alia) introduces some reforms based of perestroika (1989)
-encouraged by Ceausescu fall, there are protests which lead to more reforms
-by 1992, the communist party is ousted (by 1989, Albania was the only remaining communist party in the eastern bloc)

Question 17

Collapse of Communism in Yugoslavia

Answer 17

-death of Tito in May 1980 results in a civil war
-collapse was due to increasing ethnic rivalries as well as economic problems, inflation had reached 300% by 1989

Question 18

role of Gorbachev in the Collapse of Communism

Answer 18

by 1989 it was clear he would not authorise the use of force against reformers
-agreed with Ceausescu’s removal
-his stance meant the east German government would not intervene with the Monday demonstrations
-allowed for Mladenov to dispose of Zhivkov