I. [all this on berlinppt]Soviet Union: Post Stalin Era
a. Stalin’s death created a power vacuum—Krushchev emerged as leader
i. Condemned Stalin’s “cult of personality”
ii. Acknowledged “crimes of the Stalin era”
iii. Removed in 1964
1. Failures in agriculture, foreign policy, econ. Mismanagement
b. Krushchev’s departure created a power vacuum—Breshnev emerged as leader
i. Brezhnex Doctrine—reasserted dominance of communist party; pledged to intervene to ensure survival of communist regimes in E. Europe
ii. Use of secret police—a “re-Stalinization” of sorts
c. Breshnev’s death in 1982 created a power vacuum—Andropov (d. 1984); Chernenko (d. 1985)
d. Mikhail Gorbachev emerged as dominant leader in 1985
i. POLITICAL:
1. Glasnost (openness) – called for relaxation of censorship in media & the arts
2. Ended unpopular war with Afghanistan (1988)
3. Eased restrictions on Jewish immigration
4. Allowed public discussion/debate about Chernobyl disaster (1986)
5. Would his liberalization of censorship provide an opportunity for renewed ethnic protest against Moscow in the Baltics, Ukraine, and elsewhere?
ii. ECONOMIC: Sought to modernize & liberalize economy—which was falling way behind the West
1. Perestroika – called for restructuring of the Soviet system
a. Production of consumer goods emphasized
b. Features of market economy introduced
c. Foreign investment encouraged
iii. SOCIAL: Gorbachev faced daunting problems
1. A debilitating arms race
2. Widening technological gap
“Liberalizing” the economy: How to focus on consumer goods while engaging in massive military spending?
II. The Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe
a. A pattern of revolt and repression took shape after 1953
i. East Berlin – workers rebelled against Soviet presence
ii. Rebellion in Hungary crushed (1956) by Soviet tanks
iii. The “Prague Spring” (1968) led by Dubcek suppressed
iv. Poland – Solidarity movement emerged (1980)
1. Lech Walesa led wave of strikes in 1980
2. Soviet Gen. Jaruzelski declared martial law in 1981
3. Solidarity officially recognized, but later outlawed in 1982 after it called for free elections and continued political agitation
b. Gorbachev’s policies set off a chain reaction
i. 1989 – Gorbachev signaled a rejection of the Breshnev Doctrine
ii. Poland & Hungary immediately challenged the regime
1. Poland – Strikes & demonstrations led to free elections in 1989
a. Communists were humiliated in the elections
b. Gorbachev refused to intervene
2. Hungary – 1989 they opened borders with Austria; Communist party changed name to socialist party
3. German Revolution – 1989
a. E. German Erich Honecker strongly opposed Gorbachev’s reforms
b. Thousands of E. Germans began to flee West to freedom
c. Gorbachev refused to support Honecker government
d. Honecker forced out of governmentàsucceeded by Egon Krenz who ordered destruction of Berlin Wall.
The Communist governments of Eastern Europe had been swept away in a dramatic and yet almost bloodless revolution!
1. What would follow the collapse of the Soviet Union?
a. Can a stable democracy and a market economy be established in the former Soviet republics?
b. Would ethnic hostilities, long buried under Soviet rule, reemerge? (YES!!)
2. Has the German question been solved?
a. Was unification in 1990 a success?
b. Has Europe incorporated the now larger Germany into its political, economic, and military structure created after WWII?
3. Are the Balkans, once again, the ‘sick man of Europe?’
a. Yes, look at the former Yugoslavia! What is the proper role of NATO and of the European Union?
4. Can Eastern European nations be integrated into the European Union? (Will ‘Old Europe’ snub their noses at this?)
III. Modern European History: Some final observations about the European past and the nature of history
a. The ‘isms’ of the 19th and early 20th Century are in transition
i. Marxism is in full retreat, but what is the future of socialist parties?
ii. Lines between liberalism and conservatism have been blurred by a century of political conflict
iii. Fascism and right-wing extremism have flourished in the wake of the Cold War.
iv. The epoch of WWII is over, but what has followed?
v. History helps us understand ourselves and to illuminate the future through understanding the past (Childers, 1989)