Topic 5: Creation and Consolidation of Soviet sphere of influence Flashcards

1
Q

USSR background in Europe

A
  • Russia was trying to gain territory out of necessity e.g. coastlines
  • molotov-ribbentop Pact 1939
  • Treaty of Brest-Litowsk - ended Russias participation in WWI
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2
Q

Molotov-ribbentop Pact 1939

A

The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, officially known as the Treaty of Non-aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, was a neutrality pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed in Moscow 1939
* Stalin and Hitler committed to not attack each other (allies at the beginning of WWII)

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3
Q

People’s democracies (1945-49)

Different levels of Soviet participation/control at the creation of new CEEC governments:

A
  • Direct control (Hungary, Romania, Poland)
  • Competing Soviet participation with internal political and social factors in each country (Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia)
  • Creation of Communist regimes just by internal political and social factors (Albania and Yugoslavia)
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4
Q

People’s democracies (1945-49)

* “Sovietization” process followed at CEEC:

A
  • De-Nazification
    • Non-workers’ parties were prohibited
    • Pseudo-democratic and rigged elections
    • Soviet strategy of “gradual development towards a Socialist order” (without experiencing the dictatorship of proletariat stage).
    • Finally, they get single party regimes (1946 – Romania; 1947: Poland and Bulgaria; 1948 – Czechoslovakia; 1949: Hungary and GDR)
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5
Q

People’s democracies (1945-49)

Common characteristics of these new People’s Democracies:

A
  • Single party government (State vs. Party relation; democratic centralism; oversized bureaucratic state; unity of action).
  • Centrally planned economy
  • No Foreign Policy autonomy
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6
Q

People’s democracies (45-49)

* Zhdanov Doctrine (22/09/47)

A
  • Soviet response to Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan (same kind of discourse)
  • Division of the world in two blocks:
    * Imperialist and antidemocratic
    * Anti-imperialist and democratic
  • No Communist way can divert from Moscow guidelines (Stalinization of CEECs)
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7
Q

Cominform (1947)

A
  • Alliance of communist parties to co-ordinate activity under Soviet Union
    • Direct reaction to Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan.
    • Goal (theoretically): exchange of information and political coordination of the CPs.
    • Members (CPs): USSR, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, France and Italy
    • Dissolution in 1956
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8
Q

COMECON (1949)

A
  • Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
  • Economic goal: promotion and planification of trade between its MS
  • Political goals:
    (1) Resisting the economic influence of Marshall Plan
    (2) Preventing ideological deviationism
  • Functioning: international division of the productive system through multiannual plans of economic development.
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9
Q

Warsaw Pact (1955)

A
  • Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance
  • 4 reasons for its creation: (1) denial Treaty of Collective Security in Europe; (2) GFR access to NATO; (3) preventing revisionism within CEECs CPs; (4) China’s rising
  • Structure and contents parallel to the Washington Treaty:
    • Political Structure and Military structure
  • positive security treaty and mutual defence
  • reply to creation of NATO
  • between SU and 7 other Eastern Bloc during the cold war
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