Central & Eastern: Protests against Soviet domination were unsuccessful- EG & Poland Flashcards
Intro/thesis
Unsuccessful in 1950s but lay groundwork for protests and build up dissatisfaction → erupted in 1980s where it was successful in long term but not short.
Paragraphs
-Poland was unsuccessful in the short term
-Poland was successful in the long term
-East Germany was unsuccessful
Poland unsuccessful in short term- examples
-Purges were used to clamp down on dissent and by the early 1950s, 97 concentration camps had been identified in Poland.
-After the Secret Speech in February 1956, many Poles started to demand more political freedoms and national sovereignty.
-Despite Gomulka’s initial success in restoring order and stability through compromise (look at counterargument), his failure to address fundamental issues such as social organization and freedom, combined with the fact that the independent Catholic Church remained a powerful independent force, meant that the potential for further protest remained.
-Indeed, the underlying tensions in Polish society started to re-emerge in the 1960s as improvements in the standard of living failed to materialize and censorship was strengthened.
Poland unsuccessful in short term- explanation
-The underlying economic and social forces that had caused the unrest had not been addressed.
Poland unsuccessful in short term- counterargument
-After workers in Poznan revolted in June of 1956, Gomulka succeeded in relaxing the Soviet stronghold over Poland. For example, he insisted that any Soviet troop movements on Polish soil should first be approved by the Poles.
Poland successful in long term- examples
-The spirit of protest from 1956 had not been fully suppressed. In 1968, a production of the strongly anti-Russian 19th-century play ‘The Forefathers’ encouraged student protest against the communist government and this led to calls for a general strike.
-The protests of 1956 and 1968 were crucial in building up the tension that led to the Solidarity movement. Political agitation had already taken place in Poland - in 1956 and in 1968. In both cases, the unrest had been stopped by the party without Soviet intervention. However, the underlying economic and social forces that had caused the unrest had not been addressed.
-Solidarity was crucial in bringing an end to communism in Poland.
Poland successful in long term- explanation and historiography
-Tony Judt: Opposition had been building up for years: ‘Most of the actors in the drama of 1989…had already been on the stage for many years.’
-‘What no one understood at the beginning of 1989 was that the Soviet Union, its empire, its ideology (…) was a sand pile ready to slide.’- John Lewis Gaddis (supports argument that 1980 was successful in the long term)
-The protests were reflective of larger opposition to communism and dissatisfaction with situation → the collapse of communism that emerged from these protests can be seen as a success.
Poland successful in long term- counterargument
-The revolt in June 1956 led to Gomulka being brought back to political prominence. He succeeded in relaxing the Soviet stranglehold over Poland and he insisted that any Soviet troop movement on Polish soil first be approved by the Poles. This led to Gomulka gaining the support of many Poles as he didn’t conform to Soviet views.
East Germany unsuccessful- examples
-The reasons for the 1953 revolt were discontent with the living standards and a lack of political freedoms. For instance, enforced collectivization led to 15,000 East German farmers moving to the West.
-The revolt had been triggered by a protest against increased work quotas and the threat of pay cuts.
-However, Ulbricht used the rebellion as an excuse to increase political repression. There were 6,000 arrests, 20,000 civil servants lost their jobs, and the Stasi was put under firmer control.
-Intellectuals who advocated a more ‘humane socialism’ risked being arrested.
-Also, the USSR now took the view that any thought of liberalizing East Germany’s internal politics had to be abandoned.
East Germany unsuccessful- explanation
-The June Uprising convinced the Kremlin that a firm hand was needed in East Germany. Ulbricht was given authority to crack down on dissidents.
-Unsuccessful because the standard of living deteriorated and control increased- the very things the protestors sought to change.
East Germany unsuccessful- counterargument
-Ulbricht did make some changes to placate the protestors. For example, he moved to alleviate food shortages, increase wages and pensions, and reduce the price of consumer goods and transportation. However, these reforms were fairly superficial, and the East German economy showed only marginal signs of growth.
