End of the Cold war

Question 1

Describe the social unrest in Czechoslovakia that emerged in the late 1970’s
(6 points)

Answer 1

1) during the 1970’s and 1980’s dissent arose against communist regime in Czechoslovakia
2) Notable incident was the arrest of the Czechoslovak rock group, The plastic people of the universe. After their arrest on the 15 March 1976 they were charged with alcoholism, drug addiction and antisocial behaviour which led to imprisonment.
3) Vaclav Havel was an intellect that attended their trial and wrote a manifesto to compel the release of the band members. And also to call attention to human rights violations within Hungary.
4) Motivated in part by the arrest of members of the psychedelic band Plastic People of the Universe, the text of Charter 77 was prepared in 1976. Charter 77 criticized the government for failing to implement the human rights provisions of a number of documents it had signed, including the 1960 Constitution of Czechoslovakia,
5) There were initially 243 signatories which Havel sent to Deutsche radio and West German television. However, People who gave their signatures were faced with loss of jobs, children’s education, citizenship, arrest, trial, imprisonment or exile.
6) To protest against these actions, in april 1978 another group established the committee of the defence of the Unjustly Persecuted but were arrested for subversion and imprisoned
7) - Havel was arrested in 1979 for 4 years for “slandering the state”. After his release in 1982, Havel decided to stay in Czechoslovak, despite constant secret police surveillance

Question 2

State the Siginificance of the social unrest in Czechoslovakia that emerged in the late 1970’s

Answer 2

Highlighted the gradual dissent (opposition) that began to emerge against communist rule and the dominance of the Soviet Union

Question 3

Describe the First Polish Solidarity movement (5 points)

Answer 3

1) The source for declining morale and criticism of communism was rooted in economic distress. The Polish government had enormous foreign debt which led to economic depression this then led to strikes which began as early as June 1976.
2) In July 1980, Poland was facing serious economic problems which led to the government announcing another increase in food prices while simultaneously deciding to put a moratorium on wage increases.
3) Strikes and protests began to emerge across the country due to this, especially in trade and shipyard sectors (workers unions). Further dissent and strikes emerged due to the dismissal of a worker at the Lenin shipyards in Gdansk in August, namely Anna Walentynowicz who singled out because of her involvement in an illegal trade union
4) Poles were then engaged in a form of passive resistance against the communist government. Demanding the legalization of non-government trade unions. By august, 200 factories and entities had joined the strike, paralyzing the economy and its growth
5) EVENTUALLY, the government conceded and signed the Gdansk Agreement, which allowed for the formation of independent trade unions
6) This workers union evolved to be a voice for liberalization in Poland, fighting against the proletariat. In September-October 1981, the Union had its first congress, where Lech Walesa was elected president.

Question 4

Give historical Context of what Soviet satellite states were experiencing in the 1970s

Answer 4

-Generally, Eastern Europe nations in the 70s and early 80s began to question and revolt against soviet ideals and roles. These complaints against communism were mostly due to poor economic growth/wealth

Question 5

State the significance of the First part of the Polish Solidarity movement

Answer 5

This marked the birth of Solidarity, the first national labor union created in a communist country.

Question 6

Describe the Second part of the Polish Solidarity movement (4 points)

Answer 6

1) The Solidarity pressured the government to make reforms through non-violent means so that the government would have no rationale for violent suppression for the movement.
2) However, Soviets demanded a restoration of order out of fear of a somewhat domino effect within its bloc but was wary of enforcing the Brezhnev Doctrine on another country. Polish government recognized that they needed to take decisive action against solidarity or face intervention from Moscow
3) In october prime minister general wojciech jaruzelski was made the first secretary of the communist party and instituted martial law put into censorship law and arrested 5000 members of solidarity. When workers went on strike they were suppressed and potentially injured or killed w.g the Wujek Coal Mine record nine deaths of poles and a worker in Gdansk was also killed the next day.
4) In 1982, non-government unions were once again made illegal and solidarity was forced to disband. Polish government faced international condemnation and the US put a trade embargo on Poland that would provide leverage for reforms to take place in the country.

Question 7

State the significance of the Second part of the Polish Solidarity movement

Answer 7

It marked the beginning of the end of Soviet hegemony in eastern europe.

Question 8

Describe Ronaldo Reagan’s presidency & foreign policy as well as its consequence with respect to the development of the Cold war (8 Points)

Answer 8

1) In 1980, Reagan was elected which largely was influenced his strong stance against the Soviet Union (promised to be “tough on communism”)
2) Reagan’s slogan of ‘peace through strength’ led to KGB agents and the Kremlin to believe that the USA saw the Soviet Union as a nuclear threat. This led to Brezhnev ignoring Regan’s suggestion to renew the arms discussion.
3) This was further excerberated by Reagan’s military expansionism policy as he Reagan approved a deployment of 700 more nuclear weapons and a defense budget that rose to 1.4 TRILLION dollars (More than Vietnam and Korea combined). convinced Soviets that a nuclear attack was imminent
4) Soviets even called for a Warsaw Pact meeting to alert members on change in US policy. Regan’s administration was unaware of this and made statements that made the US appear aggressive towards the Soviet union.
5) For example his 1983 March speech describing the soviets as the evil empire which was a reference to Star Wars used to attract young voters. The leader of the soviets, Andropv didn’t take it well.
6) US military even began naval exercises and surveillance of Soviet waters, prompting further tensions between the sides.
7) The Korean Airlines crisis of September 1983 marked the peak of tension, where flight KAL 007 was shot down, killing all passengers onboard. (The plane was in autopilot and was shot down after entering soviet territory.)
8) This destroyed the Soviet Union’s reputation when the government refused to accept any responsibility for destroying a civilian plane and even blamed the USA

Question 9

Describe the Able Archer 83 crisis

6 points

Answer 9

1) - On the 2nd of November 1983 (after the shooting down of KAL 007) NATO launched a number of military exercises where NATO aimed to test communications. These exercise were known as Able Archer 83”
2) The soviets perceived these exercises as a genuine threat, rather than a war game. The soviets thus sent nuclear submarines to the USA coast, in preparation for a counterattack
3) The Americans only reacted to these threats after confirmations by British Intelligence, prompting an envoy to be sent to Moscow
4) Post Able Archer, the Soviet-American relationship was at an all-time low, where the soviets began to walk out of disarmament agreements talks in Geneva in 1983
5) The Soviets stayed the course with their foreign policy, whereas the Americans became more cautious with provocations through misunderstanding.
6) - MAD (Mutually assured destruction) was possibly the most important parity to keeping peace

Question 10

Who Mikhail Gorbachev? And how did He become leader of the Soviet Union

Answer 10

1) Mikhail Gorbachev was a member of the nomenklatura (Soviet Communist Elites) and was the eighth and final leader of the Soviet Union, he was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991.
2) Within three years of the death of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, following the brief regimes of Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko, the Politburo elected Gorbachev as General Secretary, the de facto head of government, in 1985.

Question 11

Describe economic climate of the in the 1980s

3 points

Answer 11

1) Soviet Union had been stagnant for too long and there was rising dissent in the country.
- - Soviet tech falling behind the West
- - Industrial productivity declining

2) Soviet living standards were becoming worse.
3) The Soviet military was fighting an unpopular war in Afghanistan.

Question 12

Describe Mikhail Gorbachev’s domestic economic policy (Known as perestroika)
(3 points)

Answer 12

1) Gorbachev aimed to perestroika (economic restructuring and reform)
- – wanted to get the USSR back to a level competitive with the West and an emerging China.
- -Gorbachev realised that he had to reduce military spending; he knew that the Soviets could not match Reagan’s SDI system and wanted to abandon the arms race

2) Opposition came from party hardliners who wished to make sure to NOT move to capitalism, but wanted to improve the economy.
3) First major reform targeted Alcohol, attempting to increase productivity, and decreasing alcoholism statistics. This led to prices being raised on wine, beer and vodka and the places and time for selling alcohol was restricted. -

Question 13

Evaluate the effectiveness of Gorbachev’s perestroika

Answer 13

Evaluation:

1) Arguably successful
reform led to the state removing price controls, allowing for a slightly less controlled economy, as prices could be dictated freely.
Though the state was still owners of the land, transition to privatization enable farmers paid for their leases and were taxed on their product.
- farmers and manufacturers to decide for themselves which products to make, how many to produce, and what to charge for them.
(led to more profit maximisation)

1) Arguably a failure
The agricultural sector, for example, had provided food at low cost thanks to decades of heavy government subsidies.

Now, it could charge higher prices in the marketplace – prices many Soviets could not afford. Government spending and Soviet debt skyrocketed, and pushes by workers for higher wages led to dangerous inflation.

2) Despite a drop in Alcohol and Vodka consumption, the state lost 100 million rubles of tax revenue on alcohol. Caused economic distress.
- - There was no effective system in the Soviet Union to cope with a market economy

(possibly highlighted that keeping the Cold War contributed towards the demise of the Soviet Union – according to one school of thought — economic necessity potentially drove Gorbachev’s negotiations with the West & the end of soviet involvement in other countries (Afghanistan & satellite states)

Question 14

Describe Mikhail Gorbachev’s domestic known as Glasnost ( (the policy of open consultative government)

Answer 14

GLASTNOST policy — Gorbachev announced that open debate on government policy and criticism was allowed at all levels.

Former enemies of the state, especially those purged and executed by Stalin were rehabilitated in this time period.

Question 15

State 2 ways Gorbachev’s Glasnost improved US-Soviet relations & 1 way it was viewed as a concern

Answer 15

1) (led to better relations with the West
led to greater contact between Soviet citizens and the Western world, particularly the United States: restrictions on travel were loosened for many Soviet citizens which further eased pressures on international exchange between the Soviet Union and the West.

2) Arguably improved US soviet relations & helped foster disarmament talk
In December 1987 Gorbachev went to Washington and the result was the Intermediate- Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. This led to Reagan visiting Moscow to discuss strategies for a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) that would be finalised in 1991. Both sides agreed to reduce their stockpile of nuclear arms- the soviet union by 25% and the USA by 15%
— policy enabled of Gorbachev’s reforms to flourish

Concern

1) Conservatives viewed Gorbachev as a threat to the stability of apparatchiks (Communist party bureaucracy)
- - highlighted how Gorbachev policy help cataylst the collapse of the Soviet Union from within - and thus to the final end of the Cold War.

Question 16

What were Gorbachev’s two domestic policies (implemented between 1986 & 1991)

Answer 16

1) perestroika (economic restructuring and reform)

2) glasnost (the policy of open consultative government)

Question 17

Describe Gorbachev’s foreign policy & How it related to the Brezhnev Doctrine

Answer 17

1) UNLIKE Brezhnev, he was opposed to the Afghanistan invasion in 1988, withdrawing the Soviets from the invasion in Feburary 1989

2) Gorbachev made it clear that the USSR would engage in a policy of non-intervention in the Warsaw pact countries
– Gorbachev sought to distance the USSR from satellite states. Allowed Satellite states could pursue their own paths to achieving socialism.
Consequnce: Soviet withdrawal from the Warsaw pact countries brought about dissent all over the eastern countries.

3) Policies were complete opposite to the Brezhnev Doctrine.

Question 18

Discuss the consequnces of Soviet’s withdrawal from Aghanistan (3 points) & state historian Historian’s Raymond Garthoff view

Answer 18

1) The soviet-backed regime collapsed immediately after withdrawing from Afghanistan
2) Repressive Islamic regimes emerged wanted to take over the country.
3) The warlord system that had historically dominated Afghanistan once again prevailed and war continued.
4) Historian and former US Ambassador - Raymond Garthoff argues Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan was part of the ‘Gorbachev Doctrine’ Clear policy of disengaging from involvement in Developing World to avoid confrontation with USA

Question 19

Discuss the impact of Gorbachev’s policies in Eastern Europe & Satellite states

Answer 19

1) Gorbacehv’s denial of the Brezhnev Doctrine and encouragement of the Sinatra doctrine arguably led to the end of communism in eastern Europe.
- - helped catalyst revolutions and protests against communist regimes in eastern Europe (regimes fall & docrocracy emerged in eastern Europe)

1) Some believe that it was the ‘domino theory’ in reverse that happened.
2) Some believe that it was the role of international media which allowed people throughout eastern europe to see what was happening.
3) Some believe that Gorbachev’s change made people no longer fear the influx of soviet troops or other warsaw pact countries.

Question 20

Describe how the communist regime ceased in Hungary

Answer 20

1) Movement away from communism was peaceful
2) Poor living conditions and a weak economy acted as the motives for the revolution, where even hardlining communists searched for solutions to a stagnant economy
3) The Secretary General of the government resigned after 33 years in power, while other members of the government negotiated a 1 billion deutschmark loan from West Germany.
4) Change started when Miklos Nemeth was named prime minister
5) He oversaw decisions to remove the physical barrier between Austria and Hungary
6) Announced the freedom of citizens of warsaw countries to cross hungary borders led to east germany crisis (Nov 1989)

7) The government then prioritized basic freedoms, civil rights, and free elections.
The soviets agreed in 1989 to withdraw their forces from Hungary by 1991

Question 21

Describe how the communist regime ceased in Poland

Answer 21

1) Solidarity reconstituted itself in 1987
2) Members of the solidarity and poles continued to rebel against the government, knowing Soviets under Gorbachev would not intervene
3) As the solidarity movement continued, the people continued to rise against the government. With the rise of food prices in 1988, strikes paralyzed the economy, forcing the government to make concessions.
4) In February 1989, the government engaged in talks with the Solidarity movement, where MASSIVE government reforms made way for free elections.
5) In July 1989, free elections were held, where 99% of the seats were won by the Solidarity in the Senate

Question 22

Describe how the communist regime ceased in East Germany

Answer 22

1) East Germany was seen as the most loyal satellite state, due to leadership by hardliners and harsh policing
2) Hungarian government removes fence placed on its border with east germany (2 May 1989)
3) almost 60,000 East germans began to cross the borders to seek asylum in west germany embassies
4) By October, protests and civil disobedience were rampant in the streets, and Honecker REFUSED to make changes, spurring more violence
5) - FINALLY, on the 18th of October, the Politburo forced out Honecker and a number of high ranking officials in order to implement reformism
6) - In a sequence of rapid events, the entire politburo resigned, creating a lack of efficient government. The berlin wall was torn down on the 9th of November, 1989 East Germany became part of the FRG on the 3rd of October, 1990

4) East german government promised safe passage to FRG, if citizens were to return
Only worsened situation

5)

Question 23

Describe how the communist regime ceased in Romania

Answer 23

1) the Romanian transition saw more than 1000 people killed in 1989 including the head of state & his family.
2) The Romanian leader was considered an anti-USSR person, as he criticized the invasion of Czechoslovakia. He became alienated by the Kremlin, and formed ties with the PRC.
3) He was executed on December 25th, 1989, with free elections being held in May 1990.

Question 24

Describe how the communist regime ceased in USSR

Answer 24

1) As Warsaw countries won increased autonomy and then full independence, the non-russian soviet republics (SSRs) began to want autonomy then full independence
2) This were the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
3) To combat collapse in Aug 1991 communists hardliners kidnapped Gorbachev and announced leadership under members of the KGB and Communist Party
4) Public refused to accept the decision, and the military refused to suppress soviet citizens. Coup collapsed 3 days later with lack of military support.
5) Gorbachev dissolves the central committee of the communist party and resigned as general secretary.
6) Boris Yeltsin overpowered Gorbachev
7) Between June and December 1991 ten republics declared independence from the USSR which was legitimized by the Alma-Ata Protocol

8) Soviet Union was replaced by the commonwalth of Indepndent States (CIS) in Jan 1992. There were now 15 independent but related countries, Russia being the largest
Soviet Union was no more.

Question 25

Why did the Cold war end?

Present 3 different Schools of thought

Answer 25

1) The role of Gorbachev
Gorbachev’s polies (both domestic and foreign) were key in precipitating the collapse of communist control in the satellite states and subsequently the collapse of the soviet union as a ripple effect

2) The role of Reagan
Some historians argue that it was Reagan’s actions in the early 1980s in ending détente and in stepping up the tensions in the Cold War through increased arms spending that were key for ending the Cold War.

3) The Soviet economy
- – Economic problems in Soviet union even with Gorbachev’s policy arguably drove Gorbachev’s negotiations with the West & the end of soviet involvement in other countries (Afghanistan & satellite states)