Stagnation and Decline of Communism in Eastern Europe, 1964-1991

Stagnation and Decline of Communism in Eastern Europe, 1964-1991

Leonid Brezhnev,r. 1964-1982

• Geriatocracy• Stagnation• Economic decline• Collectivized Agriculture:

– Frequent reform attempts• Lack of consumer goods:

– Toilet paper– denim jeans– Good shoes

Soviet private lives• Work: over-employment, make-work

projects• Home: apartment shuffling• Queuing everywhere• Low quality of goods• Grey/black market• Party privileges: stores, trips, prestige• The Soviet Mind

The Prague Spring, 1968• Aleksandr Dubcek• Action Program• “Socialism with a human

face”• Ludvik Vaculik, “Two

Thousand Words”• August: 200,000 Warsaw

Pact Troops (and 2000 tanks) invaded

• Brezhnev Doctrine• Vaclav Havel

Poland and Solidarity

• 1976: Workers strikes• KOR: Committee for Defense of

Workers• Oct. 1978: Pope John Paul II• Gdansk• Lenin Shipyards

Charter 77• August 1975: Helsinki

Accords• Plastic People of the

Universe• Vaclav Havel• "loose, informal, and open

association of people . . . united by the will to strive individually and collectively for respect for human and civil rights in our country and throughout the world."

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, 1979-1989

• Brezhnev stumbled into invading.

• Democratic Republic of Afghanistan– Babrak Karmal

• Mujahideen: “freedom-fighters”

• Soviet losses: – 14,453 Killed (total)– 35,478 Wounded

• Afghan minimum losses: 700,000

Poland and Solidarity• Aug. 1980: Gdansk Agreement: Party

granted right to strike and independent unions

• Sept. 1980: Solidarity: Union of Trade Unions

• By early 1981: 10 million Solidarity members• Lech Walesa

• December 1981: Martial Law imposed• General W. Jaruzelski

Lech Walesa

Mikhail Gorbachev, r. 1985-1991

• A reformer in sheep’s clothing

• Reform Communism (still idealism)

• Attempted moderate reform

• Perestroika (restructuring)

• Glasnost (openness)

Late Soviet Economy• Agriculture: in 1979, 28% of agriculture came from

private plots (1% of land).• 1989 GDP:

– USSR: $9211 per capita– USA: 21,082 per capita

• Soviet economy about half as productive with 10% more people.

• Military budget increased every year.• Does NOT prove communism does not work.• Does prove strength of world capitalism.• USSR felt compelled to trade with West.

Chernobyl Nuclear Accident, April 1986

• Poor design• Staff did wrong test• 56 died immediately• 4000 died from

radiation exposure• Party’s control of

information exposed as very dangerous.

Gorbachev takes bolder action• January 1987 CC plenum• Perestroika:

– Economic: • cooperatives

– Political reform• Multi-candidate elections

• Glasnost:– Rehabilitated more victims– Allowed many documents

published.• Foreign policy:

– Nuclear disarmament– Let East Europe go

1988• Feb: Polish government raised food prices• May: Workers struck• October: Solidarity and Polish government

began Round Table talks• December: at UN Gorbachev promised to

withdraw troops from Eastern Europe.

1989: Year of Revolutions• Feb: Hungarians renounced party’s leading

role• April: Solidarity legalized; June wins election• June: Tiananmen square massacre• August: GDR refugees left via Hungary.• Oct: Gorbachev visited GDR; encouraged

reform.• Nov: Berlin wall opened; Czechoslovak govt

resigned: “Velvet Revolution”• December: Romanians overthrew Ceaucescu

1990• March: Lithuania declared independence

from USSR• July: Ukraine declared sovereignty• July: CPSU declared end to power

monopoly.• Oct: German unification; Gorbachev won

Nobel Peace Prize.• Dec: Lech Walesa elected president of

Poland.

1991• June: Croatia and Slovenia declared independence

from Yugoslavia; leads to war.• July: Soviet Republics negotiate new union treaty• Ukraine’s Supreme Soviet declared independence• Warsaw Pact dissolved.• August: Hard-line communists attempt coup:

– rise of Boris Yeltsin– Fall of Gorbachev

• December 8: presidents of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus signed Belavezha Accords– declared the Soviet Union dissolved– established the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

in its place

• December: Ukraine votes from independence

CAUSES of the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe and Soviet Union:

1. Negative comparisons with West2. Communism was not working3. Pressure of Western containment policy and

Soviet military spending4. Persistence of nationalism5. Chernobyl nuclear disaster (April 1986)6. Soviet intervention in Afghan war (1979-1989)7. Chinese reform efforts8. Mikhail Gorbachev (idealist, planned reform

before power, unwilling to use violence)

The New Europe