Lecture 21- The Fall of Communism Flashcards
(14 cards)
What is Perestroika?
Response to economic stagnation that loosened centralized control over many businesses and allowed for cooperative businesses.
It also loosened regulations on foreign trade and investment but did little to aid the economic slump, with many reforms backfiring.
What does Glasnost refer to?
A policy that lifted restrictions on information and debate, encouraged freedom of speech, and relaxed media censorship.
It started the process of reckoning with the Soviet past and encouraged greater political involvement.
What significant foreign policy shift did Gorbachev advocate?
He viewed the arms race as self-defeating and sought to establish an arms build-down with the US.
Gorbachev signaled the end of the Brezhnev Doctrine.
Who was Boris Yeltsin?
A reformer and critic of senior party members who was elected president of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in 1991.
He played a key role in the dissolution of the USSR.
What year did the USSR dissolve?
1991.
The dissolution followed a failed coup d’état earlier that year.
In which countries did communism end during the 1989 revolutions?
Poland, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania.
In 1990, many of these countries held their first free elections in decades.
What was the significance of the 1989 revolutions according to Vladmir Tismâneanu?
They represent the triumph of civic dignity and political morality over ideological monism, bureaucratic cynicism, and police dictatorship.
This highlights the importance of these revolutions in reshaping political landscapes.
What led to the formation of a non-communist government in Poland in 1989?
A wave of workers’ strikes in 1988 and negotiations with ‘Solidarity’, led by Lech Wałęsa, resulting in partially free elections.
Solidarity won a majority of seats.
What reforms were implemented in Hungary after 1988?
Trade union pluralism, freedom of association, assembly, press, a new electoral law, and a revision of the constitution.
These reforms were part of a broader liberalization effort.
What event occurred on November 9, 1989, in East Germany?
Official Gunter Schabowski stated that travel restrictions would be lifted, leading to crowds amassing at the Berlin Wall.
This event was pivotal in the fall of the Berlin Wall.
What consequences did the collapse of the Soviet empire have according to Paul Hockenos?
It reopened a Pandora’s Box of age-old antagonisms, ethnic racism, and historical rivalries.
The consequences of nationalism reverberated across Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the Soviet Union.
What forms did nationalism take after the fall of communism?
Anti-Soviet patriotism and ethnic racism, often accompanied by violence such as pogroms against Roma communities.
The Yugoslav wars exemplified this with genocide and ethnic cleansing.
What was the trend in racist attacks in Germany from 1991 to 1992?
Increased from 270 to 2504 attacks, resulting in three deaths.
Notable incidents included the Rostock riots and firebomb attacks.
What is a key takeaway from Paul Betts regarding the legacy of 1989?
1989 still awaits its democratic fulfillment and is a site of struggle between divergent political visions.
Its legacy is complex and not solely liberal and gentle.
