Title: Chapter 9: End of Cold War
1Chapter 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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3Background
- 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
4Background
- 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
5Background
- 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
6Weaknesses 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
7Weaknesses of Communist Govt
8Weaknesses of Communist Govt
9Weaknesses 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
10Weaknesses 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
11Weaknesses 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
12Weaknesses 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
13Weaknesses 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?
14Weaknesses 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?
15Weaknesses of Communist Govt
16Weaknesses 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.
17Gorbachevs Reforms
- Perestroika
- Restructuring of the economy
- Glasnost
- Openness for the political system
- Perestroika
- Aim To restructure the economy political
institutions in the USSR
18Gorbachevs 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)
19Gorbachevs 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
20Gorbachevs 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
21Gorbachevs 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.
22Gorbachevs 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)
23Gorbachevs 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
24Gorbachevs 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
25Gorbachevs 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.
26How 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.
27How 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
28Impact 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
29Impact 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
30Impact 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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32Impact 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
33Impact 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
34Impact of Glasnost Perestroika on Eastern Bloc
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35Impact 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.
36Impact 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
37Impact of Glasnost Perestroika on Eastern Bloc
38Impact 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
39Impact of Glasnost Perestroika on Eastern Bloc
40The 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
41The 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
42The 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
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related
43The End of the Soviet Empire
44The 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
45The 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
46The 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
47The 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
48The End of the Soviet Empire
- Boris Yeltsin became president of the new Russia