End of CW⭐ Flashcards
Long-term factor: USA ECONOMIC superiority
The economic reforms introduced in the USA enabled it to recover from the economic downturn in the 1970s and stimulated economic growth in the early 1980s. Furthermore, the success of the Marshall Plan contributed to good economic growth in Japan and West Germany, allies and trade partners of the USA. Their economic partnerships with the USA contributed to the economic boom in the USA in the 1980s.
This economic boom made the disparity in the economic capabilities of the two superpowers even more glaring. The boom also provided the USA with the means to renew the arms race. This in turn put pressure on the Soviet Union to try and keep up with the USA. With its stagnating economy & economically weaker allies, the Soviet Union knew that is could not keep in the military competition with the USA in the long run.
Thus, widening the gap between superpowers had a bearing on the Soviet foreign policy thrusts, as it made the Soviet leadership seek ways to end the military competition, paving the way to the end of CW
Long-term factor: USA MILITARY superiority
The economic boom in the USA in the 1980s provided President Reagan with the money to renew the arms race. He funded the costly Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI) or the ‘Star Wars’ Programme to develop new technologies to protect the USA from nuclear attacks. The NATO stationed Pershing II missiles (aka can be moved easily) in West Germany, aimed at a joint military exercise with its NATO allies in Western Europe called Able-Archer 83: This convinced the Soviet government that it was a dress rehearsal for an actual nuclear attack. In response, the USSR put their air forces in Poland and East Germany on alert.
The USA’s renewed arms race put pressure on and made it difficult for the Soviet Union to keep up with the former’s military production due to its limited resources. This also made the Soviet leadership realised that the USSR could not keep up in the arms race with the USA and that continuing the arms race could be done only at the expense of neglecting the people’s needs and losing their support. This made the new Soviet leader, Gorbachev, seek ways to end the military competition, hence leading to the end of the CW.
Deployment of the Pershing II missiles also escalated the American-Soviet tensions. However, it was the USSR’s fearful reaction to the Able-Archer 83’ exercise that made Reagan realise that the USSR also wanted peace and made him rethink his attitude towards the USSR. He realised that his aggressive militaristic policy had pushed the 2 countries closer to a nuclear war.
As a reulst of the renewed arms race and its impacts, Reagan adopted a more favourable attitude towards the USSR in 1984 and made him more willing to work with the USSR towards nuclear disarmament. This change worked well with Gorbachev who sought to end the military competition.
Causing end of CW
Long-term factor: Structural weakness of a command economy in USSR
Economic stagnation in the USSR in the 1980s due to structural weaknesses in the Soviet command economy. Unlike the USA’s capitalist free market economy, which allows private ownership and gives individual producers the freedom to decide on what and how much to produce, the Soviet government made all the
economic decisions and no private ownership was allowed. Very often, poor economic decisions were made due to the poor quality of information available to the decision-makers. The lack of checks on government officials encouraged the falsification of targets and the over-emphasis on quantity rather than quality resulted in the production of goods of poor quality. In contrast, economic competition in the US economy contributed to improvement in the quality and quantity of goods.
Therefore the structural weaknesses of the Soviet command economy resulted in Inefficiency, low productivity and an under-performing economy. This Soviet economic stagnation was in sharp contrast to the economic boom in the USA in the 1980s.
This meant that the Soviet Union was in no position to keep up with its military competition with the USA In addition, the poor Soviet economy also increased hardship and suffering for the Soviet people. This made them lose faith in the government and grow increasingly dissatisfied with it. Thus the structural weaknesses of the command economy led to economic slowdown and meant that the USSR was no match for the USA in the Cold War rivalry. It also meant an urgent need for the Soviet leadership to save the economy so that public confidence in the communist regime could be restored.
All these made the new Soviet leader, Gorbachev, take drastic steps to improve the Soviet system and work with his American counterpart towards nuclear disarmament. This paved the way for the end of the Cold War.
Long-term factor: Shortage of consumer goods & poor living standards in USSR
Since the time of Stalin’s Five-Year Plans, the USSR had neglected the production of consumer goods such as housing, foodstuff and clothing, as most resources were channelled into military production. The low priority on the production of consumer goods resulted in the production of poor- quality goods and severe shortages of consumer goods in the USSR and Eastern European satellites. This worsened when the USSR was pressured to keep up with the USA’s renewed arms race. However, the Soviet government set up special stores that only high-ranking party officials and staff from foreign embassies can buy from.
The severe shortages of basic consumer goods and poor-quality goods worsened the lives of the people in the USSR and Eastern Europe due to their poor standard of living. This was in sharp contrast to the abundance and variety of goods available in the USA. - This inevitably made people lose faith in the communist way of life. - Moreover, it increased the urgency for the new Soviet leadership to seek ways to address the basic needs of the people in order to save the communist regime.
Thus the lack of consumer goods and the poor standard of living among the people in the USSR and Eastern Europe led to declining confidence in the communist regimes and contributed to the fall of communism and end of the Cold War.
Long-term factor: Rising discontent in the communist bloc
Over the years, the USSR had faced increasing pressure from its people to make political and economic reforms. The USSR relied heavily on the use of force to sustain the communist regimes and control the people in the USSR and Eastern European satellites.
For example, direct Soviet intervention in the Hungary Uprising and the Prague Spring and its brutal suppression of the people who tried to make reforms showed the willingness of the USSR to interfere in the affairs of Warsaw Pact members. - Despite the use of repression, there were some dissidents who openly criticised the communist leadership and became well-known both in their countries and in the West, such as Poland’s Lech Walesa. - Many dissidents were arrested, barred from jobs, tortured and, in some cases, executed.
The harsh treatment of dissidents by the communist regimes led to strong criticism by the US governments, especially after Jimmy Carter’s Presidency.
Therefore rising discontent and resistance within the communist bloc and the Soviet repressive treatment of the dissidents invited criticism, and this led to the erosion of Soviet political legitimacy. This made more people lose confidence in the communist regimes and contributed to the fall of communism and end of the Cold War.
Short-term factor: Gorbachev’s reforms - Glasnost
Gorbachev introduced glasnost, which meant ‘openness, which essentially called for greater transparency, freedom of speech and expression. -There was relaxation of the censorship of books and newspapers. People were given freedom to voice their opinions on the need for reform. - Prominent dissidents were also released. Gorbachev also allowed new discussions and reconstructions of Soviet history so that both the Communist Party and the Soviet people would understand the need for reforms and see socialism as a work in progress, instead of being perfect.
The relaxation of censorship and new revelations about Soviet history had far-reaching and unintended impact on how the Soviet and Eastern European people viewed their communist governments. For many years, the communist regimes had suppressed information on the governments’ failures as well as denied the existence of problems such as severe shortages of basic consumer goods. In short, the communist regimes had been projecting a positive picture of Soviet life to the public With glasnost and the freedom given to anti-communist radio stations, all this information was made available to the public. As a result of the new freedom given to the media, people in the USSR and Eastern Europe were exposed to information about the outside world, especially the better quality of life in the West.
Therefore glasnost made the people lose respect and confidence in the communist regimes, as they blamed their government for lying to them in the past and denying therm a better life. This made many lose faith in the communist regimes and increasingly desire independence. - Instead of rallying the people to support the communist leadership, the introduction of glasnost backfired and led to increased criticism of the leadership.
Short-term factor: Gorbachev’s reforms - Perestroika
Gorbachev introduced perestroika (meaning ‘restructuring), which was essentially a series of economic and political reforms.To achieve economic restructuring, he allowed private ownership of businesses and decentralised state control over the banks. The prices of goods and services were to be decided by enterprises, not the state. Factory managers were to be elected by the workers instead of being appointed by the Under his political reforms, he called for elections of candidates to local party positions, and for general elections for the newly-formed Congress of People’s Deputies, whereby candidates need not be party members.
Perestroika was a departure from the old Soviet way of doing things since Stalin’s time.
They failed to produce the desired economic outcomes of increasing productivity and improving people’s lives. Though the government relaxed its control over the types and quantities of goods to be produced, it still controlled the means of production, such as machinery. Small businesses found it difficult to acquire these technologies due to high taxes and corruption.
Poor and inadequate infrastructure and support, such as transport links from the farms to the markets, and refrigeration facilities resulted in harvested food not being transported to the buyers in a timely manner and spoilage of food. Allowing private enterprises and allowing the freedom to decide what to produce also items due led to enterprises to shun the production of basic goods in favour of luxury to larger profit margins. All these meant that the shortage of foodstuffs and basic consumer goods still continued and did not improve the lives of the people.
Thus Gorbachev’s perestroika failed to improve the lives of the people and further alienated the people from the government. The rise of opposition groups also provided the necessary leadership to rally the support of disgruntled citizens to their cause, thereby leading to the fall of communism and the break-up of the Soviet Union.
Short-term factor: Mikhail Gorbachev as new leader of the USSR
In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became the new leader of the USSR. His leadership was a marked departure from his predecessors, such as Chernenko, who saw the USA as an ideological and military threat to their country and took a hard stance against the USA. They belonged to the generation who had fiercely fought to uphold the communist ideals and went through the horrifying experience of the German invasion in World War II.
Gorbachev was the first Soviet leader born after the Russian Revolution. He was less ideologically motivated than his predecessors and wanted peaceful relations with the West. He believed that the twin evils responsible for the economic ills of the USSR were the inefficiencies of the command economy and the military competition with the USA. He also believed that the use of military force was no longer viable to address social dissent and rising discontent. Thus, as Gorbachev became the new Soviet leader of the USSR, he was prepared to take drastic steps to revive its dying economy, end the military competition with the USA and restore the
people’s confidence in communist ideals so as to save the communist regime. He also took steps to loosen control of the Communist Party and the military over the Soviet economy and its foreign policy
Therefore Gorbachev’s ascension marked the beginning of changes to the Soviet system and society, as he introduced a slew of reforms that were instrumental in ending the Cold War and unintentionally led to the break-up of the Soviet Union
