Soviet hegemony and American containment (S1.2/3) Flashcards
What were the three general parties that Stalin aimed to be in coalitions with in each country, as the basis for international communist politics?
- Communists
- Peasant parties
- Social Democrats / socialists
Why did Stalin want to be in coalition with three parties originally?
Stalin thought this would be more acceptable to the West than immediately installing Communist-led one-party states.
What were ‘salami tactics’?
- Supporting local communist parties in Eastern European countries to gradually infiltrate key areas of power, such as the government, military and police.
> Done step-by-step, rather than a sudden takeover, which may have provoked international attention
What was the process of ‘salami tactics’?
- Form coalition government
- Undermine opposition through arrests, purges and intimidation
- Monopolise power
- Establish single party rule
Who is Petru Groza?
Groza becomes PM in March 1945, representing the Ploughmen’s Front, a party closely associated with the Communists
What were the relations between Groza and King Michael in Romania?
- King Michael attempted to force Groza’s resignation by refusing to give royal assent, yet Groza simply chose to enact laws without this.
- Despite the King’s disapproval, Groza brought land reform and women’s suffrage
What happened in November 1945 in Romania?
November 1945; anti-communist demonstration at the Royal Palace in Bucharest ends with dozens killed/wounded
What was the result of the November 1946 election in Romania?
Communist-led BPD claimed 84% of the vote
> Elections characterised by widespread irregularities, including intimidation, electoral fraud and assassinations.
What happened on the 30th December 1947 in Romania?
- King Michael was summoned to Bucharest and presented with a pre-typed letter of abdication, and was demanded to sign it
- Forced to sign as Groza held a gun on him, pro-Communist troops had surrounded his palace and his telephone lines were cut
- Parliament abolished the monarchy and proclaimed Romania as a People’s Republic
How did the Soviet Union intervene in Hungary originally, and why was this done?
- Intervened through force resulting in a puppet government, which;
> Disregarded the democratically elected Tildy and Nagy
> Imposed restrictive measures
> Established the secret police
> Intimidated, falsely accused, imprisoned and tortured opponents
What was the result of the August 1947 election in Hungary?
- Communists became the largest party but were short of a majority
What happened in 1948, which set the Communists up for the May 1949 election?
- Communists merged with the Social Democcrats and by December, had appointed openly pro-Communist Dobi
> May 1949 election had a single list of parties on a common programme
When was the Prague Coup, and what happened?
- February 1948
> Cabinet broke up; Benes (President) gave in and Communists assumed control
> Masaryk (Foreign Minister) defenestrated in March 1948
What happened in August 1949 in Hungary?
- New constitution passed (identical to Soviet constitution)
> Declared ‘People’s Republic of Hungary’
What are two factors which helped a rise in popularity for communist parties in France and Italy?
- Communists had been predominant to resistance to Nazism
- Economic crisis post-WWII which discredited capitalism
What happened in the May 1946 elections in Czechoslovakia?
- Communists won 38% of the vote
> Gottwald becomes PM
How many seats did the PCF (French Communist Party) win in November 1946?
182 seats, becoming the largest party in Parliament.
By how much did the PCI’s (Italian Communist Party) membership increase, from 1943 to the end of 1945?
1943 = 5,000
End of 1945 = 1.7 million
What government was established in 1945 in Poland?
The pro-Stalin ‘Lublin Government’
> Imposed a pluralist party approach in June 1945
Why did the Communists fail in Western Europe?
- Stalin held these parties back from seizing power (“dangerous misadventure” - Molotov)
> Both parties ousted from Parliament in 1949.
