The Crisis of Communism

1
The Crisis of Communism and the End of the Cold
War
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1. Challenges to Communism and Problems Posed
by Communism
1.1. The death of Stalin 5 March 1953
Leaders of the CPSU at Stalins funeral
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1. Challenges to Communism and Problemscont.
1.2. East Berlin the June Days of 1953
Walter Ulbricht, general secretary of the SED
4
1. Challenges to Communism and Problemscont.
1.3. The birth of the Warsaw Pact
14 May 1955
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1. Challenges to Communism and Problemscont.
1.4. The launching of de-Stalinisation
Nikita Khrushchev and the Secret Speech to
the 20th CPSU Party Congress February 1956

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1. Challenges to Communismcont.
1.5. The Polish October 1956
Wladislaw Gomulka, general secretary of the
Polish Workers Party
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1. Challenges to Communismcont.
1.6. Hungary 1956
Hungarian Revolution 1956 people are burning
photos of the hated Matyas Rakosi
Imre Nagy
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1. Challenges to Communism and Problemscont.
1.7. The launching of Sputnik I
4 October 1957
Yuri Gagarin - the worlds first cosmonaut 12
April 1961
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1. Challenges to Communism and Problemscont.
1.8. The Berlin Crisis 1958 - 1961
Building the Berlin Wall 13 August 1961
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1. Challenges to Communism and Problemscont.
1.9. The fall of Khrushchev October 1964
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1. Challenges to Communism and Problemscont.
1.10. The Prague Spring January - August 1968
Socialism with a human face Alexander Dubcek
Communist hardliner Leonid Brezhnev
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1. Challenges to Communism and Problemscont.
1.11. Willy Brandt and Ostpolitik 1966 - 1974
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Europe in 1970
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1. Challenges to Communism and Problemscont.
1.12. Poland and Solidarity 1980 - 1981
Lech Walesa
General Wojciech Jaruzelski
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2. Reasons for the Collapse of the USSR
2.1. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
December 1979 2.2. Economic malaise and the
sterility of the Brezhnev years
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2. Reasons for the Collapse of the USSRcont.
2.3. The Andropov years 1982 - 1984
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2. Reasons for the Collapse of the USSRcont.
2.4. Ronald Reagans Star Wars programme
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2. Reasons for the Collapse of the USSRcont.
2.5. The cult of no personality
Konstantin Chernenko 1984 - 1985
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2. Reasons for the Collapse of the USSRcont.
2.6. The rise of Mikhail S. Gorbachev
1985 - 1991
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2. Reasons for the Collapse of the USSRcont.
2.7. The nuclear disaster at Chernobyl
April 1986
The Chernobyl nuclear power station and
surroundings
The area around Chernobyl
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2.8. Growing Dissent in East Germany

• Environmentalist movement makes little headway
• Peace movement is aided by the Church which
  allows it sanctuary on its premises
• Peace Prayers in Leipzig every Monday
• A few hundred gather in April 1989. These
  numbers grow each week thereafter with 75,000 on
  9 October 1989 and 300,000 on 23 October 1989
• Direct action begins to be taken by dissidents
  in West German embassies in Eastern Europe

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2. Reasons for the Collapse of the USSRcont.
2.9. The fateful year 1989 and the
fall of the Berlin Wall
Erich Honecker
Celebrating on the Wall 9 November
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2. Reasons for the Collapse of the USSRcont.
2.10. The end of the Cold War, the
end of the Soviet Union 1990 - 1991
Mikhail Gorbachev
Boris Yeltsin
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3. Effects of the Collapse of the USSR on
USA and Europe

• Primacy of USA as the worlds only superpower
• Unfettered capitalism
• The reunification of Germany 3 October 1990
• Huge boost for democracy and nationalism
• Meltdown of Russian economy - export of
• nuclear technology

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3. Effects of the Collapse of the USSRcont.

• Environmental problems
• Breakdown of social order organised crime

Has the end of the Cold War made the world a
safer place?