Collapse of the Warsaw Pact

Question 1

When had the trade union Solidarity risen up against the Polish government for higher wages, only to be shut down with force?

Answer 1

1981.

Question 2

When were there strikes througout Poland?

Answer 2

1988.

Question 3

What happened in Poland in June 1989?

Answer 3

Solidarity was legalised and won the elections. Mazowiecki became the first non-communist PM in East Europe since the formation of the Satellite States.

Question 4

Describe the timeline of Poland and how communism lost its grip there.

Answer 4

In 1981, the trade union Solidarity had risen up against the Polish government for higher wages, only to be shut down with force. There were workers’ strikes throughout the country in 1988. Solidarity was legalised in June 1989 and won the elections. Mazowiecki became the first non-communist PM in East Europe since the formation of the Satellite States.

Question 5

When was Solidarity legalised?

Answer 5

June 1989.

Question 6

When did Democratic Forum, an alliance of non-communist groups, win the first democratic Hungarian election?

Answer 6

March 1989.

Question 7

What happened in Hungary in May 1989?

Answer 7

Hungary began dismantling its border fence with Austria - Gorbachev did nothing. Within a few months, more than 70,000 East Germans had fled to West Germany via Hungary.
On the most famous crossing, on 19 August, during a “friendship picnic” between Austrians and Hungarians, over 900 East Germans rushed the border and escaped into Austria.

Question 8

Describe the timeline of Hungary and how communism lost its grip there.

Answer 8

In March 1989, Democratic Forum, an alliance of non-communist groups, won the first democratic Hungarian election. Hungary began dismantling its border fence with Austria - Gorbachev did nothing. Within a few months, more than 70,000 East Germans had fled to West Germany via Hungary.
On the most famous crossing, on 19 August, during a “friendship picnic” between Austrians and Hungarians, over 900 East Germans rushed the border and escaped into Austria.

Question 9

When did Gorbachev announce that Soviet troops would not assist the East German government in shutting down demonstrations?

Answer 9

October 1989.

Question 10

When did the East German government announce the border with West Berlin would be opened?

Answer 10

November 1989.

Question 11

When was Germany formally reunified?

Answer 11

1990.

Question 12

Describe the timeline of East Germany and how communism lost its grip there.

Answer 12

In October 1989, Gorbachev announced that Soviet troops would not assist the East German government in shutting down demonstrations. In November, the East German government announced the border with West Berlin would be opened - people tore down the wall themselves, breaking off pieces to commemorate the symbolism of the event. In 1990, Germany was formally reunified.

Question 13

When was the Velvet Revolution (huge, anti-communist demonstrations in Czechoslovakia, followed by the resigning of the government)?

Answer 13

November 1989.

Question 14

Havel became the first non-communist Czech president since 1948 in which month of 1989?

Answer 14

December.

Question 15

When did Civic Forum, an alliance of non-communist groups, win democratic elections in Czechoslovakia?

Answer 15

1990.

Question 16

Describe the timeline of Czechoslovakia and how communism lost its grip there.

Answer 16

In the Velvet Revolution of November 1989, there were huge anti-communist demonstrations in Czechoslovakia, followed by the resigning of the government. In December, Havel became the first non-communist Czech president since 1948. In 1990, Civic Forum, an alliance of non-communist groups, won the first democratic elections.

Question 17

When did Romanian secret police fire at demonstrators?

Answer 17

December 1989.

Question 18

What happened after Romanian secret police fired at demonstrators in December 1989?

Answer 18

A huge crowd in Bucharest (the capital) booed president Ceausescu. He fled, but was captured and executed.

Question 19

When did the National Salvation Front win free elections in Romania?

Answer 19

1990.

Question 20

Describe the timeline of Romania and how communism lost its grip there.

Answer 20

In December 1989, the Romanian secret police fired at demonstrators. In response, a huge crowd in Bucharest (the capital) booed president Ceausescu. He fled, but was captured and executed. The National Salvation Front, containing many non-communists, won free elections in 1990.

Question 21

When did the Mladenov, the communist leader of Bulgaria, resign on national TV?

Answer 21

December 1989.

Question 22

When were there free elections in Bulgaria?

Answer 22

1990.

Question 23

Describe the timeline of Bulgaria and how communism lost its grip there.

Answer 23

In December 1989, Mladenov, the communist leader of Bulgaria, resigned on national TV. In 1990, there were free elections.

Question 24

When did the Yugoslavian people vote to become independent in a free referendum, dividing the country into Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro?

Answer 24

December 1990.

Question 25

Describe the timeline of Yugoslavia and how communism lost its grip there.

Answer 25

In December 1990, the Yugoslavian people voted to become independent in a free referendum, dividing the country into Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro.

Question 26

When did military cooperation cease between Warsaw Pact states?

Answer 26

Early 1990.

Question 27

When was the Warsaw Pact formally dissolved?

Answer 27

1991.

Question 28

What encouraged citizens of the USSR’s Satellite States to demand changes to increase their freedoms and improve their living standards?

Answer 28

Gorbachev’s reforms of the USSR and his abandoning of the Brezhnev Doctrine.

Question 29

What was the significance of the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact?

Answer 29

It indicated that the division between the East and West was gone - Europe was reunited. It also indicated that the USSR had lost its control and that the former Satellite States were glad of it; every single country abandoned communism. They were truly independent, for the first time since the end of WW2.

Question 30

What was the significance of the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989?

Answer 30

1) Friends and relatives were reunited for the first time in almost 30 years. People tore down the wall, ripping to shreds the “iron curtain” that had for years separated them from their former lives.
2) As the Red Army did not stop the movement of people, it inspired other Warsaw Pact countries to rebel against their own governments.
3) The fall of the wall was poignantly symbolic of the end of the Cold War.