The Collapse of Communism in Europe

1
The Collapse of Communism in Europe
2
Some points to note

• The Soviet Union from 1953 to 1985
• Problems faced by Mikhail Gorbachev
• Glasnost and Perestroika
• Reasons for Gorbachevs failure
• The end of the Soviet empire

3
The Soviet Union from 1953 to 1985

• Leadership after Joseph Stalin
• Nikita Khrushchev
• Leonid Brehznev
• Yuri Andropov
• Konstantin Chernenko
• Mikhail Gorbachev

4
Joseph Stalins Legacy

• Soviet Union was modernised
• Agriculture and industry in line with the western
  powers
• Great cost 20 million dead
• Few consumer goods

5
Nikita Khrushchev

• Relaxed the tight control of the government over
  the people
• Tried to introduce reforms to improve food
  production but failed
• Tried to give people more say in how agriculture
  and industry should be run

6
Nikita Khrushchev

• Efforts came to naught as his reforms were not
  supported by Communist Party members
• Sacked and replaced by Leonid Brehznev in 1964

7
Leonid Brehznev

• Hard-line communist who reversed Khrushchevs
  reforms
• His efforts also came to naught
• An interesting blame tactic

8
Brehznevs Blame Tactic

• lack of skilled labour, alcoholism, absenteeism,
  and lack of effort on the part of civil servants
  who man the vast organization which tries to plan
  the economy
• - What is Brehznev trying to say?

9
Yuri Andropov

• Head of the KGB
• Effectively ran the country while Brehznev was
  ill
• Became leader in 1982
• Died in 1984 after falling ill

10
Konstantin Chernenko

• Succeeded Yuri Andropov in 1984
• Died in 1985 after falling ill

11
(No Transcript)
12
Gorbachev's Russia
13
The Situation for Gorbachev

• Became the leader of a state that had seen little
  effective government in almost a decade
• Russia was seriously

14
The Situation for Gorbachev

• The Problems facing Gorby
• The Soviet system of government
• The lack of consumer goods
• The burden of Eastern Europe
• Black Market
• Failure of Khrushchevs agricultural reforms
• Mismanaged finances

15
The Situation for Gorbachev

• The Soviet system of government
• Belief in equality and fairness
• Loss of faith by the people
• Corruption in the government
• Double standards

16
The Situation for Gorbachev

• The lack of consumer goods
• Comparison with the West
• Lack of western-style consumer goods
• Demand for western-style consumer goods
• Cost of consumer goods

17
(No Transcript)
18
(No Transcript)
19
(No Transcript)
20
(No Transcript)
21
The Situation for Gorbachev

• The burden of Eastern Europe
• Head of the Warsaw Pact
• Duty towards the Eastern European Communist
  nations
• Drained USSRs finances
• Lost confidence of the Russian people

22
The Situation for Gorbachev

• Black Market
• High price of consumer goods
• In 1985, the black markets value was estimated
  to be at 7 billion roubles
• This meant that the Soviet government was losing
  7 billion roubles in revenue

23
(No Transcript)
24
(No Transcript)
25
(No Transcript)
26
The Situation for Gorbachev

• Failure of Khrushchevs agricultural reforms
• Khrushchev introduced new systems to grow more
  grain
• However, transport infrastructure was not up to
  mark and many crops rotted before they could
  arrive in cities
• Russia had to import grain to feed its people

27
The Situation for Gorbachev

• Mismanaged finances
• Not wealthy enough to play superpower
• Spent too much money competing with the USA
• Arms race, space race
• Support to Cuba, Eastern Europe
• Afghanistan War
• Goods were not up to mark for export

28
(No Transcript)
29
(No Transcript)
30
(No Transcript)
31
(No Transcript)
32
Gorbachevs Slogans

• Perestroika
• Changing the economy of the Soviet Union
• Glasnost
• Having more openness in the Soviet economy

33
Gorbachevs Slogans

• Perestroika
• End command economy and replace it with demand
  economy
• End state monopolies and introduce competition
• 1987 measures introduced to allow market forces
  to become part of the states economic policies

34
Gorbachevs Slogans

• Perestroika
• End state monopolies and subsidized prices
• Reduction on arms spending
• Disarmament treaty in 1987 with the USA
• In 1988, EE communist governments were
  responsible for their own policies
• Cut Red Army help to the EE countries

35
Gorbachevs Slogans

• Glasnost
• More openness to allow people to have faith in
  the government
• End corruption
• Inform Soviets about decisions made by the
  government
• Free elections held in 1990 for the first time

36
Gorbachevs Slogans

• Glasnost
• Dissidents (people who criticize the government)
  were not persecuted
• The KGBs powers were restricted and eventually
  abolished
• The Lubyanka prison was closed
• Western ideas and music were allowed
• 1st McDonalds opened in Russia
• Restrictions lifted on the Russian Orthodox Church

37
Lubyanka Prison
38
(No Transcript)
39
(No Transcript)
40
(No Transcript)
41
(No Transcript)
42
(No Transcript)