Chapter 23: The Collapse of Communism in the Eastern European Satellite States

Question 1

What was the Sinatra Doctrine?

Answer 1

• Freedom for all countries
• To go their own way

Question 2

What happened to comecon?

Answer 2

• No longer financed Eastern bloc - 1970s - $80 bil spent in subsidies
• 1991 - market forces introduced - comecon collapsed

Question 3

Why was communism able to collapse in Eastern European states?

Answer 3

• 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

Question 4

Why and how did the Brezhnev doctrine end?

Answer 4

• 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• Communist regimes collapsed and all red army withdrawn 1990

Question 5

When did Poland become non communist?

Answer 5

1989

Question 6

Who was the Polish leader?

Answer 6

Jaruzelski

Question 7

What causes change in Poland to begin?

Answer 7

• 1986 - PM Jaruzelski thought solidarity was no longer a threat
• Ended martial law and legalised solidarity

Question 8

How did conditions in Poland change and what were the consequences?

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

How did communism come to an end in Poland?

Answer 9

• 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

Question 10

When did Hungary become non-communist?

Answer 10

1990

Question 11

What leaders did Hungary have?

Answer 11

• Kadar
• Nemeth

Question 12

How did communism begin to break in Hungary?

Answer 12

• 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

Question 13

How did communism end in Hungary?

Answer 13

• 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

Question 14

When did Czechoslovakia become non communist?

Answer 14

1989

Question 15

How did change begin in Czechoslovakia?

Answer 15

• Jan 1989 - demonstrators jailed causing increased protest
• July - government announced limited economic reform - not enough - Aug - mass protest in Prague

Question 16

How did Czechoslovakia eventually become non communist?

Answer 16

• 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

Question 17

What was the change to non communism called in Czechoslovakia?

Answer 17

Velvet revolution - entirely non violent

Question 18

When did East Germany collapse?

Answer 18

1990

Question 19

What leaders were there of East Germany?

Answer 19

Honecker
Krenz

Question 20

What started the movement to non-communism in East Germany?

Answer 20

• 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

Question 21

How did change develop in East Germany?

Answer 21

• 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

Question 22

How did communism come to an end in East Germany?

Answer 22

• 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

Question 23

When did communism collapse in Bulgaria?

Answer 23

1990

Question 24

What leaders were present in Bulgaria?

Answer 24

Zhivkov
Mladenov

Question 25

How did communism begin to collapse in Bulgaria?

Answer 25

• 1988 - organised protest against leader Zhivkov
• Organisations for reform created

Question 26

How did the collapse in Bulgaria continue?

Answer 26

• 1989 Zhivkov replaced with Mladenov
• Not enough change for the people

Question 27

How did Bulgaria become fully non-communist?

Answer 27

• 1990 - communist party dissolved and became the socialist party
• Free elections held, won by social democrats

Question 28

When did Romania become non-communist?

Answer 28

1990

Question 29

Who was leader of Romania?

Answer 29

Ceausescu

Question 30

How did change begin in Romania?

Answer 30

• 1987 - workers stormed communist HQ and destroyed records
• 1989 - protesters protected pastor Lazlo Tokes - promoted reform

Question 31

How did things escalate in Romania?

Answer 31

• Police violence against protests 1989
• Instructed to kill all protesters

Question 32

How did communism collapse in Romania?

Answer 32

• Dec 1989 - Ceausescu and wife captured and executed
• 1990 - free elections - won by National Salvation front