7.2 - How effective was Soviet control over Eastern Europe? (Rebellions) Flashcards
Chapter 7.2 - Soviet control over Eastern Europe (rebellions)
Soviet control over Eastern Europe (rebellions)
What were 3 uprisings in Eastern Europe from 1956 to 1984?
- Poland and the Poznan Rising, 1956
- Hungarian Uprising, 1956
- The Czech Crisis, 1968
When did the Kremlin dissolve Cominform?
April 1956
What did Khrushchev announce in a meeting with Tito in June 1956?
‘The path of socialist development differs in various countries’
When did Poles strike over pay?
June 1956
How did the Polish government respond to the protests in Poland?
They sent in tanks to put down the strikers
How many workers were killed in the Polish Uprising in 1956?
74 killed
Who was appointed as general secretary of the Polish Communist Party in October 1956?
Gomulka
When had Gomulka been imprisoned by the pro-Stalinist government?
1951
How did the situation in Poland show that the Soviet Union’s iron grip on its satellites had loosened under Khrushchev?
Khrushchev threatened to use troops to restore control in Poland, Gomulka replied saying the Polish army would resist any intervention, Khrushchev backed down - however, Poland stayed in the Warsaw Pact
When was the Hungarian Uprising?
23rd October 1956 - 11th November
What did the Hungarian Uprising threaten which the Polish Uprising didn’t?
The continued supremacy of communist control
What did Hungarian protestors demand?
- Withdrawal of Soviet troops
- Multi-party elections
- Freedom of speech and the press
Who did the Soviet Union allow become Prime Minster of Hungary as a replacement for hard-line communist leader Erno Gero?
Imre Nagy
Why had Imre Nagy been expelled from the Communist Party in 1955?
Expelled for his reformist views
When did Khrushchev agree to withdraw Soviet troops from Budapest, Hungary?
28th October 1956
What did Imre Nagy announce on the 1st November 1956?
- Withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact
- Abolition of AVO, the secret police
- Move towards multi-party elections
Why did the Soviet Union change its position after Nagy’s announcement on the 1st November 1956?
They feared a collapse of communism in Hungary
How many divisions and tanks did Khrushchev send into Hungary a day after Nagy’s announcement to leave the Warsaw Pact?
15 divisions and 4000 tanks
When was Imre Nagy arrested?
4th November 1956
How many Hungarians were killed in the Hungarian Uprising?
3000
How many Hungarians fled across the border into Austria?
200,000
When was Imre Nagy executed?
16th June 1958
What was the Czech Crisis 1968 also known as?
The Prague Spring of 1968
When did Czechoslovakian leader, Alexander Dubcek, embark on a series of reforms?
April 1968
What were Czechoslovakian leader Dubcek’s reforms dubbed?
‘Socialism with a human face’
What did Alexander Dubcek (Czechoslovakia) promise in his reforms?
- Freedom of speech
- Move towards a multi-party democracy
What did Dubcek promise the Soviet Union?
That Czechoslovakia would stay in the Warsaw Pact and the Communist Party would retain its ‘leading role’
When did Warsaw Pact countries start to conduct military exercises inside Czechoslovakia?
June 1968
What did the leadership of prominent Eastern-bloc countries argue in the Warsaw letter in response to Dubcek?
That challenges to socialism in one country were a threat to the entire socialist movement
How many civilians were killed in the Czech Crisis?
70
What did Brezhnev issue after the Czech Crisis?
The Brezhnev Doctrine
What did the Brezhnev Doctrine (1968) state?
Stated that the USSR could intervene in affairs of socialist countries if communism was threatened
Who went on strike in Poland in 1980 after the government raised food prices by 100%?
Shipyard workers in Gdansk
Who led the strikes in Gdansk in 1980?
Lech Walesa
What trade union was formed in Poland in 1980?
Solidarity
What had the membership of Solidarity grown to before the Polish government agreed to wage increases?
8 million
What key global figure supported the Solidarity movement?
Pope John Paul II
When did Solidarity start to push for further reforms?
August 1981
Who was appointed as first secretary of the Polish Workers’ Party as a result of Solidarity pushing for further reforms?
General Wojciech Jaruzelski
What did Wojciech Jaruzelski impose in December 1981 to stop the Solidarity movement?
Martial law
What happened to the leaders of Solidarity after martial law was imposed in December 1981?
They were arrested
What did Lech Walesa win in 1983?
Nobel Prize
