KQ6 Flashcards
(62 cards)
1
Q
How was Khrushchev different from Stalin
A
- he ended the USSR’s feuds with China and Yugoslavia
- he talked of peaceful coexistence with the west
- he made plans to reduce expenditure on arms
- in 1955 he attended the first summit since 1945 between the USA, Britain, France and the USSR
- he said he wanted to improve living standards for soviet and Eastern European citizens
- he released thousands of political prisoners
- he agreed to withdraw soviet troops from Austria
- generally, he seemed to signal that he would allow greater independence fro Eastern European countries
2
Q
What was de-stalinisation
A
- began with Khrushchev’s speech to the communist party congress in 1956, in which he denounced Stalin’s purges and describes him as an evil tyrant
3
Q
What actions did de-stalinisation take
A
- the release of more political prisoners
- the closing down of COMINFORM as part of his policy of reconciliation with Yugoslavia
- the invitation of Yugoslavia’s leader Marshal Tito to Moscow
- the dismissal of Stalin’s former foreign minister
4
Q
Yugoslavian leader
A
Marshal Tito
5
Q
What was COMINFORM
A
A way to ensure that Eastern European countries became one party states and would follow the same policies as the USSR
6
Q
What was COMECON
A
A way to make sure Eastern European countries traded with the USSR
7
Q
How did Stalin control Eastern Europe
A
- helped Eastern European communist parties win power and fill the political vacuum that was left after the war
- COMINFORM
- COMECON
- the secret police actively rooted out opposition to communist governemnts and the USSR
- soviet troops were stationed in Eastern Europe - Stalin justified this by saying it was for restoring law and order
- when soviet control was threatened the USSR was prepared to use military force to crush it
8
Q
Positive view of ordinary people in Eastern Europe on soviet control
A
- some hoped it would bring amazing industrial growth m like that which had been achieved by the USSR before the war
- some were pleased that it provided stable government and security
9
Q
Negative view of ordinary people in Eastern Europe on soviet control
A
- many resented the loss of freedom of speech and democracy and restrictions on travel to foreign countries
- unhappy with economy - factories produced what the USSR wanted rather than what ordinary people wanted, wages fell behind other countries, including the USSR, shortages of commodities like coal, milk and meat, scarcity of consumer goods that were becoming common in the west
- people were frustrated by the lack of ability to protest - demonstrations were crushed
10
Q
What was the Warsaw pact
A
- set up by Khrushchev in 1955
- used by the USSR to continue their aim of creating a buffer against attack from the west
- a military alliance similar to NATO, in which member states pledged to defend each other if one was attacked
- included all the communist countries of Eastern Europe, except Yugoslavia, but it was dominated by the USSR
11
Q
Polish uprising why and what happened
A
- 1956 - polish demonstrators attacked the police, protesting because food prices had increased but not wage, and 53 rioting workers were killed by the polish army in Poznan
12
Q
Soviet response to polish uprising
A
- polish government couldn’t control the demonstrators, Khrushchev moved soviet troops to the border
- October 1956 - Stalin accepted the appointment of a new polish leader Gomulka, a leader of the communist resistance during the war,who however see eye to eye with polish communists ho had even ultra-loyal to Stalin - a popular move which helped to stabilise Poland
- the red army withdrew to the polish border and they left the polish army and government to sort things out
13
Q
Why did Hungarian uprising happen
A
- Hungarians hated the restrictions imposed by Rakosi’s hard-line communist government - lack pf freedom of speech,secret police, presence of soviet troops, Russian street signs, schools and shops
14
Q
What was the hungarian uprising
A
- June 1956 a group within the Hungarian communist party opposed rakosi, who appealed to Moscow for help, but was ordered by the kremlin to retire for health reasons
- his replacement, Gerö, was not more acceptable - a huge student demonstration in Budapest in october 1956 resulted in Stalin’s statue being pulled down
- the USSR allowed the well respected communist Nagy to form a government and began to withdraw soviet troops and tanks
- thousands of local councils were created to replace soviet power
- thousands of Hungarian troops defected from the army to join the rebels
- Nagy planned to hold free elections, create impartial courts, restore farmland to private ownership, get the soviet army entirely out of Hungary, leave the Warsaw pact and declare Hungary a neutral country
- it was hoped that the new USA president Eisenhower, would support a new independent Hungary
15
Q
USSR response to Hungarian uprising
A
- Khrushchev seemed ready to accept some of the reforms, but would not allow Hungary to leave the Warsaw pact
- November 1956 thousands of soviet troops and tanks moved to Budapest
- after 2 weeks of bitter fighting, the Hungarian uprising was crushed
- about 3000 Hungarian and 7000-8000 Russians were dead, 200,000 Hungarians fled into Austria to escape communist forces
- the western powers protested to the USSR,but took no action they were too preoccupied with the suez crisis
16
Q
What were the results of the Hungarian uprising
A
- Nagy and the other Hungarian leaders were arrested and executed
- Khrushchev installed kadar as the new leader, who crushed all further resistance
- 35,000 anti communist activists were arrested and 300 were executed
- some of the reforms that the Hungarians had ben demanding were actually introduced with the results that Hungary was more free than before 1956
- but Khrushchev would not allow Hungary to leave the Warsaw pact
17
Q
Who was gomulka
A
New polish leader after the uprising
18
Q
Who was rakosi
A
Hardcore communist Hungarian leader before uprising
19
Q
Who was Nagy
A
- leader of Hungary during the uprising who introduced popular reforms
20
Q
Who was kadar
A
Hungarian leader that replaced Nagy
21
Q
Why did people want to leave east Germany in the 1950s
A
- after crushing the Hungarian uprising in 1956 any people decided tat the only way to escape communism was to leave
- politically, they hated the restrictions on freedom and lack of democracy that came with communism
- economically, standards of living were falling further and further behind those of the west
- the western powers had deliberately made West Berlin a showcase for the advantages of capitalism by pumping massive investment. East Berliners could not fail to notice these things
- it was tempting to leave, because it was easy to do - East Germans were still ale to travel freely into West Berlin
22
Q
How did Khrushchev feel East Germans leaving
A
- he was worried because many of those who were leaving were highly skilled workers or well-qualified managers
- he didn’t want communism undermined by the sight of thousands of Germans leaving for a better life under capitalism
23
Q
How did Khrushchev respond to East Germans leaving
A
- sunday 13 October 1961 East German soldiers erected a barbed wire barrier along the whole border of east and west Berlin, thus ending free movements between east and west
- this was then replaced by a concrete wall, with all crossing points sealed except for one - checkpoint Charlie
- border guards were given orders to shot people trying to cross the wall - hundreds were killed over the next 3 decades
- initially the wall caused much confusion and chaos - families were divided and Berliners were unable to go to work
24
Q
How did the west react to the Berlin Wall
A
- in October 1961 USA troops and diplomats regularly went into east Berlin via checkpoint Charlie to se how the Soviets would react
- 27 October 1961 soviet tanks pulled up to checkpoint and refused to allow further aces o the east - USA and soviet tanks faced each other al day in a tense stand-off though eventual pulled back
- the west did not like the wall, but tolerated it. Kennedy: ‘it’s not a very nice solution but a wall is a hell of a lot better than a war’
25
What was the significance of the Berlin Wall
- for the communists: a protective shell around east Berlin
- for the west: prison Wal
- for the world: a symbol of division of Germany, Europe and communist east/capitalist west
26
How did opposition of soviet control of Czechoslovakia begin
- 1968 - Alexander dubcek became the new leader of the Czech communist part - a committed communist, but he thought communism could be less restrictive than it was
- he had learnt lessons of the hungarian uprising, and assured Brezhnev that Czechoslovakia had no plans to pul out of the Warsaw pact or Comecon
- censorship was relaxed, allowing intellectuals to launch attacks o communist leadership, accusing them of being corrupt and useless
- new ideas seemed to be appearing everywhere - this peril became known as the Prague spring
- by the Sumer of 1968 even more radical ideas were emerging - there was talk of allowing another political party, the social democrats to operate as a rival to the communists
27
Why was the USSR worried about Czechoslovakia
- the USSR was worried about losing control of Czechoslovakia - one of the most important countries i the Warsaw pact, with a strong industry and important strategic position
- the USSR was very worried that new ideas in Czechoslovakia might spread to other Eastern European countries
- Brezhnev came under pressure to stop reform in Czechoslovakia from the East German leader Walter Ulbricht and the polish leader gomulka
28
Who is Walter Ubricht
East German leader
29
How did the USSR respond to reform in Czechoslovakia
- Brezhnev tried slowing down by arguing with dubcek
- soviet, polish and East German troops performed high profile training exercises o the Czech border
- economic sanctions were considered but this idea was rejected in case Czechoslovakia turned to the west for help
- July 1968 the USSR and Czechoslovakia held a summit conference - dubcek agreed to not all a new social Democratic Party but stuck to other reforms
- August 1968 a conference of the other Warsaw pact countries issued a vague declaration, calling on Czechoslovakia t maintai political stability
- 20august 1968, suddenly an unexpectedly, Brezhnev sent soviet tanks into Czechoslovakia
30
What was the result of the soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia
- there was little resistance to soviet forces, dubcek was removed from power
- ideas that might have reformed communism were silenced
- dubcek was not executed, but was gradually downgraded first to ambassador to turkey, and then he was expelled from the communist party
- after 1968, the mood of optimism in Czechoslovakia changed to one of despair
- a formerly pro-soviet country now became resentful of the USSR
- the affair gave rise to the Brezhnev doctrine in which Brezhnev spelt out the essentials of a communist country- a one-party state; a member of the Warsaw pact
31
Why did the USA and USSR agree to limit their nuclear weapons programmes in the 90s, culminating in the SALT I Treaty in 1972
- environmentalists pointed out the damage nuclear testing did to the environment
- doubts were raised about the morality of nuclear weapons, encouraged by anti-nuclear movements in the west
- the nuclear arms race was costing too much money - both sides realised money old be better spent on improving the conditions of their people
32
Why were the superpowers able to discuss human rights and other issues more openly
- the end of the Vietnam war in 1975 improved relations between USA USSR and china
- the Helsinki conference 1975 - all countries agreed to accept the 1945 borders (including the division of Germany) and to respect human rights, e.g. freedom of speech and movement
- Brezhnev and Nixon had a good working relationship - Brezhnev went to Washington and Nixon went to Moscow for the SALT talks
- USA and soviet astronauts met up and shook his in space - very symbolic
33
Why what factors explain the rise of solidarity
- in the late 1970s the polish economy was in crisis and the government had little idea of what to do about it
- the patience of the workers was tried by communist propaganda, telling them how well Poland was performing
- strikes broke out when the government announced increases in the price of meat
- workers at the Gdansk shipyard, led by Lech Walesa, put forward 21 demands and started a free trade union, called solidarity, whose membership reached nearly 10 million in 1981
34
Why did the polish government initially agree to solidarity’s demands
- it knew that solidarity’s support was strong in some vital industries - shipbuilding and heavy industry - and membership was high among skilled workers. Strikes by these people might devastate the polish economy
- to begin with, solidarity wasn’t seen as a rival to the communist government - many people joined simply because they thought it would make things better
- Walesa worked closely behind the scenes with the communist leader Kania - both feared the USSR would send tanks if solidarity went too far
- solidarity was very popular and Walesa was a kind of folk hero
- solidarity had the support of the Catholic Church and the government did not wish to alienate the church, as nearly all poles were catholics and it was a force of stability
- the government was playing for time - they were hoping that solidarity would split into factions before martial law had to be introduced
- solidarity had gained support in the west - Walesa was regularly interviewed by the western media and the solidarity logo became iconic, which meant that the USSR had to treat the polish more cautiously than Hungary in 1956 or Czechoslovakia in 1968
35
Why did the polish government decide to clamp down on solidarity
- solidarity appeared to be acting as a political party and not just a trade union and the government feared that it might try to set itself up as a new provisional government
- solidarity was a challenge to the USSR’s plans for Eastern Europe - Brezhnev would not allow the polish communist party to be dictated to by a union
- to prevent the USSR from having to intervene to restore communist control in Poland
- Poland was sinking into chaos - food shortages, rationing. Industrial production and trade were declining;inflation and unemployment rising. Continuing strikes
- solidarity was splitting into factions - including an extremist factions that issued (contrary to walesa’s advice) a statement of ‘sympathy and support for all the downtrodden peoples of the soviet bloc’
36
How did the polish government clamp down on solidarity
- February 1981 the civilian prime minister ‘resigned’ and general Jaruzelski took over
- December 1981 Brezhnev ordered the red army to carry out ‘training manouvers’ on the polish border
- Jaruzelski introduced martial law
- Walesa and 10,000 other solidarity leaders were jailed
- 1982, solidarity was declared illegal
- 150,000 solidarity members were taken into custody for ‘preventive and cautionary talks’
37
What was the significance of the solidarity movement
- it showed that the polish people no longer trusted the communists - supporting solidarity was the best way to demonstrate this
- the communists could only stay in power by using force, or the threat of it
- thus communist control seemed very shaky if military force was not used
- USA suspicion of the USSR was increased - they imposed trade sanctions on Poland, resulting in economic chaos
38
How did solidarity achieve power in Poland
- from 1983 solidarity members were released from jail, but they continued to be harassed and sometimes murdered
- 1983 Jaruzelski started a campaign against the Catholic Church - priests were beaten up and murdered, including father Jerzy Popieluszko. This increased the government’s unpopularity
- economic problems intensified after USA trade sanctions - the currency was devalued and inflation hit 70%
- solidarity re-emerged from hiding and co-operated closely with the Catholic Church, openly broadcasting radio solidarity after 1986
- solidarity organised a boycott of polish elections in 1988
- Walesa was visited by officials from foreign governments who treated him as a kind of leader in waiting
- 1989 mikhail gorbachev made it clear that the USSR would not longer send in troops to prop up communist regimes in Eastern Europe
- 1989 free election were held and solidarity won nearly all the seats
- 1990 lech Walesa became the first president of Poland
39
Economic decline in USSR
- centrally planned economy was outdated and inefficient
- resulted in poor-quality goods, low productivity, and frequent shortages
40
Arms race
- USSR tried to keep up with massive USA defence spending
- under Reagan, the USA military budget skyrocketed - USSR couldn’t match it without damaging it economy
41
Saudi Arabia and oil crisis
- the USSR relied on oil and gas exports to earn foreign currency
- in 1985, Saudi Arabia increased oil production, collapsing global crisis
- soviet oil revenues plummeted
42
Invasion of Afghanistan
- cost the USSR billions
- soviet prestige was damaged (equivalent of USA Vietnam)
43
Alcoholism and worker demotivation
- widespread alcoholism
- Gorbachev launched a failed anti-alcohol campaign
- workers lacked motivation - everyone earned the same regardless of effort
44
Glasnost
- introduced freedom of speech, press, and public criticism of the government
- newspapers exposed corruption, past crimes (stalins purges)
- unleashed uncontrollable public anger and encouraged nationalist movements
45
Perestroika
- economic reforms aimed at making socialism more efficient
- legalised small private businesses and foreign investment
- added capitalist values into communist economy
46
Democratisation
- Gorbachev introduced multi-candidate elections
- first time soviet citizens had any real choice
- weakened the communist party monopoly power
- boris Yeltsin, a radical reformer, was elected president of the Russian republic in 1990 - challenged Gorbachev directly
47
Gorbachev foreign policy
- Sinatra doctrine
- withdrew from Afghanistan
- INF treaty
- START talks
- improved relations
48
Sinatra doctrine
- rejected the Brezhnev doctrine
- replaced it with Sinatra doctrine 1989
- named after frank Sinatra’s ‘my way’ - countries could go their own way
- meant the USSR would not stop reforms in Eastern Europe
49
INF treaty
- intermediate-range nuclear forces treaty
- removed all nuclear and conventional missiles with ranges of 500-5500 km
50
START talks
- strategic arms reduction talks
- began in 19822, but progress was slow until Gorbachev
- eventually led to START I (signed in 1991): major nuclear reductions
51
Improved relations
- Gorbachev met Reagan at 4 major summits
- Geneva 1985
- Reykjavik 1986
- Washington 1987
- Moscow 1988
- improved relations and ended the Cold War without violence
52
Reagan confrontation
- Reagan believed in rolling back communism, not just containing it
- Reagan doctrine: USA supported anti-communist forces worldwide
- increased military spending dramatically - pressured USSR’s weak economy
- SDI- strategic defence initiative 1983: proposed space-based missile shield, scared the Soviets - it threatened to make nuclear weapons obsolete
53
Reagan cooperation
- changed approach when Gorbachev showed willingness to negotiate
- emphasised dialogue and diplomacy
- signed INF treaty, a major step in disarmament
- by 1989, Reagan visited Moscow and called the USSR ‘no longer and evil empire’
54
How did Reagan’s actions help to weaken soviet control over Eastern Europe
- increased military spending and SDI: USSR unable to compete so had to resort to diplomacy and negotiation
- economic pressure on USSR to introduce reforms which would spread to Eastern Europe
- gave support to reform movements like solidarity
- formed a positive diplomatic relationship with Gorbachev
- signed INF treaty
- USSR didn’t feel so threatened so no need to keep Eastern Europe as a buffer zone
- challenged Gorbachev to ‘tear down this wall’
55
Why did collapse of communism in eastern bloc happen
- Gorbachev refused to use force to keep countries communist
- economic problems, public anger, and a desire for democracy all come to the surface
- glasnost and perestroika
56
Fall of communism in Poland
- solidarity legalised 1988
- free election 1989
- solidarity elected, lech Walesa president
57
Fall of communism in Hungary
- border with Austria opened 1989
- began multi party reform
- allowed East Germans to flee
58
Fall of communism in east Germany
- protests in leipzig
- refuges fled via Hungary
- Berlin Wall fell on 9 nov 1989
- reunification in october 1990
59
Fall of communism in Czechoslovakia
- velvet revolution November 1989
- peaceful protests
- communists stepped down
60
Rise of nationalism in 1990
- Lithuania declared independence march 1990
- others followed: Latvia, Estonia, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia etc
- Gorbachev tried to create a new union treaty giving more autonomy - but too late
61
August coup
- hardline communists attempted a coup while Gorbachev was on holiday in crimea
- put Gorbachev under house arrest and declared a state of emergency
- boris Yeltsin led resistance - famously stood on a tank outside the Russian parliament
- the coup collapsed after 3 days, plotters arrested
- communist party was banned in Russia
62
Dissolution of the USSR
- gorbachev’s authority was destroyed
- republics rapidly declared independence
- 25 December 1991: Gorbachev resigned
- 26 December 1991; the USSR officially dissolved
- 15 new independent states emerged
- Russia under Yeltsin became the dominant successor state
