Chapter 9: End of Cold War

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Chapter 9 End of Cold War

• Focuses
• What were the weaknesses of the Communist System
  and the Economy in the USSR?
• How did Gorbachev try to get the system to work
  again?
• What were Perestroika and Glasnost, how did they
  affect USSR?
• How did they affect Eastern Europe?
• Why did the Soviet Union Collapse?

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Background

• Leaders of the Soviet Union
• Joseph Stalin, 1945-1953 (post-war)
• Economic transformation in the USSRs industry
  and agriculture
• Suffering for the people
• Nikita Khrushchev 1953-1964
• A reformist of Stalinism (destalinisation)
• Introduced reforms to improve food production
• Gave people more say in running industry
  agriculture
• Proposed to end the Cold War

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Background

• Background The Soviet Union 1953-85
• Leaders of the Soviet Union
• Leonid Brezhnev 1964-82
• An age of stagnation
• Wanted to reverse Khrushchev reforms
• Foreign policy under Brezhnev
• Began a policy of détente with the USA
• lessening of tensions co-existence
• Achievements of Détente Relationship improved
• Started talks known as SALT that agreed to limit
  certain types of nuclear weapons
• Signed the Helsinki Accords

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Background

• Limitations of Détente
• Maintained competition
• Continuation of the arms race and the space race
• Continuation of the Cold War in the form of proxy
  wars
• Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968
• - Gave rise to the Brezhnev Doctrine
• US involvement in the Vietnam War, 1960s-1973
• Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, 1979

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Weaknesses of Communist Govt

• USSR did not have an effective government for 10
  years
• 1976 1982 Brezhnev was ill
• 1982 1983 Yuri Andropov who was also ill
• 1984 1985 Konstantin Chernenko, also ill

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Weaknesses of Communist Govt
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Weaknesses of Communist Govt
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Weaknesses of Communist Govt

• Ineffective Government
• Politburo controlled by the Communist Party
• Dominated by the old guards / hardliners
• Refused to introduce changes
• Corruption among party and governmental officials
• Officials chosen based on favouritism, friendship
  and length in Communist Party

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Weaknesses of Communist Govt

• Inefficient economy
• Low levels of economic growth in the late 1970s
  and early 1980s
• Low productivity of Soviet industry
• Paid workers regardless of work quality
• Gave workers lifetime employment
• Problem of alcohol
• Little incentive for local factories to make
  improvement

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Weaknesses of Communist Govt

• Investment focused on heavy industry military
  and defence industry
• USSR was head of Warsaw Pact led defence of the
  E. European countries and supported Communist
  allies
• Serious shortage of basic goods
• Rise of black markets govt couldnt collect tax
• Disorganised transportation and distribution
  system
• Factories were located far away
• Time wasted on getting the raw materials to
  factories
• crops sometimes rot and go to waste during bumper
  crops or large harvest because of inefficient
  transport system

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Weaknesses of Communist Govt

• Low agricultural production
• - insufficient workers to harvest crops
• - did not use technology to improve its farms
  and factories
• - fell in output
• Little contact with the world economy
• - unable to sell goods abroad

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Weaknesses of Communist Govt

• External Pressure
• Ronald Reagans Star Wars Programme
• Aimed to create a defensive shield of laser-beam
  firing satellites
• USSRs economy too weak to keep up with Reagans
  new arms race, which cost US4 trillion
• USSR worried about the new measures, pushed to
  improve relations with USA
• Significance?

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Weaknesses of Communist Govt

• Pressure within the Eastern Europe Bloc
• Eastern bloc not united
• Rising displeasure and resentment against USSRs
  Politburo
• Financial support to Warsaw pact allies, caused
  strain in USSR
• USSR spent US3 billion annually on its satellite
  states
• Not including cost incurred from proxy wars. Eg
  War in Afghanistan
• Food for thought Was the Comm Govt a total
  failure?

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Weaknesses of Communist Govt
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Weaknesses of Communist Govt

• What are your conclusions about the Communist
  Govt in USSR?
• Political
• Ineffective govt that is backwards and not
  receptive towards any improvement as it was
  controlled by old guards who did not want to
  endanger their own position of power
• Economic
• Unable to provide for a comfortable standard of
  living for its people. Very inefficient system-
  unable to prosper. Any changes to the economic
  system was blocked by the old guards.

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Gorbachevs Reforms

• Perestroika
• Restructuring of the economy
• Glasnost
• Openness for the political system
• Perestroika
• Aim To restructure the economy political
  institutions in the USSR

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Gorbachevs Reforms

• Changes in foreign policy
• Cut defence budget
• Withdrew Soviet troops from Afghanistan
• Aimed to end Soviet competition in the arms race
• Stopped supporting communist governments in E.
  Europe let Eastern European countries go their
  own way (The Sinatra Doctrine 1985)

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Gorbachevs Reforms

• Social Programme
• continued with anti-alcohol programme started by
  Andropov
• Increased price of Vodka
• Raise legal drinking age from 18-21
• Reduced hours of alcohol sales
• Result Unpopular campaign Failed

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Gorbachevs Reforms

• Central Planning Ended
• Introduced the Law on State Enterprises
• Allowed market forces to decide type and prices
  of goods produced and workers wages
• Gave businesses more independence from govt or
  state ministries
• Encouraged workers to form small, privately owned
  cooperatives
• Allowed foreign companies to invest in joint
  ventures
• Permitted business to export goods set prices
  to earn foreign currency

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Gorbachevs Reforms

• Increased amount of land available for private
  farming
• Introduced some democracy within the Communist
  Party
• Ended appointment of members of local Soviet by
  the Communist Party
• Allowed for election of members instead
• Result Met with resistance from the old guards
• They felt that these changes were not acceptable
  as they were not consistent with Stalins style
  of communism.

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Gorbachevs Reforms

• Market Economy introduced
• Economic change Allowed groups of farmers to
  lease land for a fixed price- sold surplus on the
  open market (capitalism)
• Political changes
• Aim To introduce political institutions to
  bypass existing ones that were resisting
  perestroika
• Replaced old parliament (Supreme Soviet) with the
  Congress of Peoples Deputies (CPD)

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Gorbachevs Reforms

• Formed new Supreme Soviet (an organisation that
  make laws in USSR)
• Results
• Elected Gorbachev as President of the USSR
  could operate independently of the Communist
  Party
• Rise of open political debate and discussion
• Gave people a choice of candidates to vote for

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Gorbachevs Reforms

• Glasnost (openness)
• Reasons
• To restore faith in the government
• To end corruption
• To reform the Communist Party in order to carry
  out Perestroika reforms
• Reforms (pg 241)
• Relaxed censorship
• Allowed for the press and the TV to criticise the
  govt
• Permitted for open discussion reduced
  suppression of information
• Allowed for publication of previously-banned
  books and publications

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Gorbachevs Reforms

• Glasnost (openness)
• Reforms
• Set up independent media agencies outside control
  of Communist Party
• Gave religious freedom
• Allowed for spread of western idea, music and
  businesses
• Encouraged workers to voice opinions, criticise
  corrupt/incompetent bosses suggest improvements
• Gorbachev hoped that these reforms would make
  CPSU more open to new ideas, more democratic and
  uncorrupted.

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How Gorbachevs refoms affected USSR

• The Result of Perestroika
• Economic growth did not improve
• 1988-1989 Pre-Perestroika level
• 1990 1991 Fall of national income
• 1991 Serious crisis
• Severe shortages of basic consumer goods
• Revival of black markets
• Rationing of goods
• Govt printed money to pay workers increased
  wages
• Increase in number of people living in poverty
• Rise of strikes against the govt.

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How Gorbachevs refoms affected USSR

• The Result of Glasnost
• Rise of criticism against the govt
• Gorbachev his failure to improve the economy
• Military defeat in Afghanistan
• Discoveries of corruption among leaders
• Loss in confidence in the Communist Party
• Weakened appeal of communism
• Re-examination of Soviet History discredited
  the Communist regime
• Eg Stalins atrocities

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Impact of Glasnost Perestroika on Eastern Bloc

• Gorbachevs actions
• Encouraged E. European govts to adopt reforms
• Allowed Communist hardliners to be replaced by
  more reformist leaders
• Refused to use the Red Army to support the
  Communist govt in E. Europe
• Result
• Growing expression of discontent
• Rising expectation of significant changes within
  the country
• Weakening of Communism Led to fall of communism
  in E. Europe

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Impact of Glasnost Perestroika on Eastern Bloc

• Poland
• The trade union, Solidarity, had won support from
  Polish Workers
• Outlawed in 1981
• Remained influential
• The Polish Communist govt started talks with
  Solidarity leaders
• Allowed for free elections in June 1989
• Solidarity won most of the seats formed a
  solidarity coalition govt
• Was first non-communist govt in E. Europe
• Renamed as the Republic of Poland with Lech
  Walesa (Leader of Solidarity) as President

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Impact of Glasnost Perestroika on Eastern Bloc

• Hungary
• Changes started in early 1980s
• Eg. Allowed for independent candidates to stand
  against Communist Party candidates
• Talks took place between the Communist govt
  opposition groups
• The barbed wires separating Hungary Austria
  were removed in May 1989 opened first chink in
  the Iron Curtain
• Free elections held in March 1990 The Communist
  Party was defeated and the state was renamed the
  Hungarian Republic
• Started reforms
• Introduced market economy, set up many political
  parties

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Impact of Glasnost Perestroika on Eastern Bloc

• East Germany
• Background
• Divided into West Germany (GFR) and East Germany
  (GDR)
• Built Berlin Wall in August 1961
• Leader Eric Honecker resistant to change
• Rise of protest
• May 1989 Removal of barbed wires between
  Hungary Austria
• East Germans escaped to the West via Austria
• Honecker tried to get Hungary to close its
  borders.
• It accelerated the exodus of Germans to Hungary

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Impact of Glasnost Perestroika on Eastern Bloc

• East Germany
• Oct 1989 Gorbachev visited East Germany
• Told Honecker that USSR would not provide
  military help to put down the demonstrations
• Wanted political changes to take place in E
  Germany
• Honecker resigned
• 9 Nov 1989 The Berlin Wall was opened
• 1990 The Berlin Wall was demolished

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Impact of Glasnost Perestroika on Eastern Bloc
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vwnYXbJ_bcLc
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Impact of Glasnost Perestroika on Eastern Bloc

• East Germany
• Significance of the fall
• 3 million East Berliners crossed to W Berlin
• Berlin Wall was a symbol of the Iron Curtain
• Symbol of the collapse of Communism Inspired
  other E European countries to end Comm rule
• Eg Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Romania and
  Yugoslavia
• Re-unification of Germany became possible in Oct
  1990.

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Impact of Glasnost Perestroika on Eastern Bloc

• Czechoslovakia
• Gorbachev encouraged the Czech leaders to reform
  Communism Resisted
• Nov 1989 a huge anti-govt demonstration in
  Prague was put down harshly triggered off
  larger demonstration
• The comm govt overwhelmed Resigned
• Democratic elections held A non-communist govt
  formed

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Impact of Glasnost Perestroika on Eastern Bloc
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Impact of Glasnost Perestroika on Eastern Bloc

• Romania
• Rule of Nicolae Ceausescu since 1965
• (one of the most ruthless rule in Europe)
• Ceausescu refused to implement reforms
• An anti-govt demonstration started in Dec 1989
  harshly put down
• Rise of bloody battles between the secret police,
  the army and the demonstrators
• Ceausescu fled Bucharest later captured then
  sentenced to death
• May 1990 Elections held new govt dominated by
  former communists, was formed

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Impact of Glasnost Perestroika on Eastern Bloc
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The End of the Soviet Empire

• The speed of reform
• Inherited problems from Stalins era
• Had a govt machinery that could not cope with so
  many changes so quickly
• The size of the USSRs problem
• Inherited problems from Stalins era
• Had to deal with corruption and inefficiency
• Lack of support from the West
• Welcomed the reforms
• Refused to give huge loans needed to finance them

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The End of the Soviet Empire

• Opposition from Communist hardliners
• Felt the reforms went against Communist
  principles
• Believed the security of the USSR was endangered
  through reducing armaments
• Felt the USSR was threatened when it withdrew
  from Eastern European countries and let them
  decide their own future
• Opposition from the Soviet people
• Caused people to see problem with the Communist
  govt
• Led to demand for more extensive reforms at a
  quicker pace

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The End of the Soviet Empire

• 6. The multi-ethnic nature of the Soviet Union
• USSR was made up of different people and
  nationalities could no longer be held together
  by the central govt and the Red Army
• 1989 Red Army was in disarray
• Heavy losses in Afghanistan
• Soviet govt struggled to pay wages of the
  soldiers

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vpIyP7Ji-TWkfeature
related
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The End of the Soviet Empire
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The End of the Soviet Empire

• The collapse of USSR
• Background
• USSR was a union of 15 Republics
• Russia was the largest most powerful
• 270 different nationalities speaking different
  languages
• Impact of Perestroika Glasnost Re-emergence of
  nationalism in Soviet Union
• The Baltic states demanded for separation from
  the USSR

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The End of the Soviet Empire

• The collapse of USSR
• March 1990 Lithuania declared independence
  Occupied by the Soviet army
• Rise of similar demands for independence in other
  Republics
• The stability unity of the USSR threatened
• Used force (eg. Baltic States)
• Gave concessions
• By 1991 The USSR was on the verge of breaking up

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The End of the Soviet Empire

• The Trigger The August Coup
• By 1990 Gorbachev had lost support within
  Central govt
• Blamed by hardliners for the breakup of USSR
• Criticised by pro-democratic group by Boris
  Yeltsin
• 18 Aug 1991 The hardliners launched a coup to
  seize power
• Put Gorbachev under house arrest ruled the USSR
  by emergency decree
• Yeltsin gathered supporters to condemn coup get
  pp to resist the coup leaders
• The coup leaders asked the military to stop the
  demonstrations refused to open fire
• 21 Aug 1991 coup collapsed

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The End of the Soviet Empire

• Aftermath
• Gorbachevs reputation was destroyed resigned
  on 25 Dec 1991
• Fall in support of communism
• The collapse of the USSR sped up
• The Commonwealth of Independent States was formed
  in Jan 1992
• Boris Yeltsin became president of the new Russia

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The End of the Soviet Empire

• Boris Yeltsin became president of the new Russia