Chapter 23: The Collapse of Communism in the Eastern European Satellite States Flashcards
What was the Sinatra Doctrine?
- Freedom for all countries
- To go their own way
What happened to comecon?
- No longer financed Eastern bloc - 1970s - $80 bil spent in subsidies
- 1991 - market forces introduced - comecon collapsed
Why was communism able to collapse in Eastern European states?
- Internal weakness of the USSR - could not afford to intervene or subsidise
- Economic instability and lack of consumer goods - dissent
- New thinking - encouraged reform and criticism
- Domino effect causing copycat change
Why and how did the Brezhnev doctrine end?
- Foreign policy aim was to relax control allowing each state to create its own version of socialism
- Officially renounced the doctrine July 1989
- Needed socialism to be accepted not forced
- Communist regimes collapsed and all red army withdrawn 1990
When did Poland become non communist?
1989
Who was the Polish leader?
Jaruzelski
What causes change in Poland to begin?
- 1986 - PM Jaruzelski thought solidarity was no longer a threat
- Ended martial law and legalised solidarity
How did conditions in Poland change and what were the consequences?
- 1988 - economic downturn - inc food prices
- Caused strikes and peaceful dissent in line with glasnost
- Govt tried to appease the people not suppress them
- 1989 - govt held talks with solidarity - legalised non-governmental trade unions, created the position of president, allowed free election of some house seats
How did communism come to an end in Poland?
- 1989 elections - solidarity won 92 senate seats and 160/161 parliament seats
- August - Walesa demanded a solidarity govt - founded one soviet approval
- 1989 - was a multi party state
When did Hungary become non-communist?
1990
What leaders did Hungary have?
- Kadar
- Nemeth
How did communism begin to break in Hungary?
- 1980s - economic downturn
- 1988 - leader Kadar resigned
- New PM Nemeth - put in economic reform and political reforms - basic freedoms, civil rights, electoral reform, allowed non-communist parties
How did communism end in Hungary?
- April 1989 - USSR agree to withdraw all military by 1991
- June 1989 - free elections decoded for 1990 - think communist party will win
- Elections moved Hungary peacefully to democracy
When did Czechoslovakia become non communist?
1989
How did change begin in Czechoslovakia?
- Jan 1989 - demonstrators jailed causing increased protest
- July - government announced limited economic reform - not enough - Aug - mass protest in Prague
How did Czechoslovakia eventually become non communist?
- Nov 1989 - police violence against protestors
- Civic forum created by Havel
- Coalition proposed by communist party - refused by forum
- Communist party resign, Dec elections - Havel becomes president
What was the change to non communism called in Czechoslovakia?
Velvet revolution - entirely non violent
When did East Germany collapse?
1990
What leaders were there of East Germany?
Honecker
Krenz
What started the movement to non-communism in East Germany?
- May 1989 - Hungary opened their border with Austria
- Sep 60,000 East Germans had sought asylum in Hungary
- Were allowed to move to West Germany via Austria
How did change develop in East Germany?
- Pressure caused East Germans to be allowed west as long as they promised to return
- Oct 1989 - mass protest and change in leadership Honecker to Krenz who endorsed new thinking
- Nov - Travel laws relaxed but were criticised for not being strong enough, entire politburo resigned
How did communism come to an end in East Germany?
- TV conference announced free movement to West Germany and West Berlin
- Borders opened
- Krenz had hoped to boos communist popularity - instead collapsed
- All communist party resigned
- 3 Oct 1990 - reunification
When did communism collapse in Bulgaria?
1990
What leaders were present in Bulgaria?
Zhivkov
Mladenov
How did communism begin to collapse in Bulgaria?
- 1988 - organised protest against leader Zhivkov
- Organisations for reform created
How did the collapse in Bulgaria continue?
- 1989 Zhivkov replaced with Mladenov
- Not enough change for the people
How did Bulgaria become fully non-communist?
- 1990 - communist party dissolved and became the socialist party
- Free elections held, won by social democrats
When did Romania become non-communist?
1990
Who was leader of Romania?
Ceausescu
How did change begin in Romania?
- 1987 - workers stormed communist HQ and destroyed records
- 1989 - protesters protected pastor Lazlo Tokes - promoted reform
How did things escalate in Romania?
- Police violence against protests 1989
- Instructed to kill all protesters
How did communism collapse in Romania?
- Dec 1989 - Ceausescu and wife captured and executed
- 1990 - free elections - won by National Salvation front
