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The Fall of Communism and the Struggle for Democracy The Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and China
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Brezhnev: dies in 1982 ▫Politburo ▫Establishment: 2 that followed Brezhnev died shortly after gaining power
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Mikhail Gorbachev: age 54 ▫People were supportive ▫Youngest leader since Stalin ▫Open to new ideas
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Gorbachev’s new policies 1.Glasnost: literally means openness Allowed soviet citizens to speak more freely and express ideas for political and economic change Churches reopened dissidents freed from prison books of banished authors were allow to be published reporters were allowed to criticize public officials
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2.Perestroika: economic restructuring Problem: farmers and factory managers were told what to produce and how much to pay workers Solution: local managers have more authority, allow small businesses to open wh/ = more efficient & productive economy
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3.Democratization: voters could choose from a list of candidates wh/ = reformers being voted into office 4.Foreign Policy: works w/ the US & President Reagan to limit the costly arms race
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Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) Video footage of speeches by President Kennedy (1961) President Reagan (1987)
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Gorbachev’s Power Challenged ▫Lithuania Declared independence Soviet invasion & blockade to stop rebellion ▫Boris Yeltsin Critical of Gorbachev’s slow economic reforms Critical of Gorbachev’s invasion of Lithuania Became the 1 st democratically elected president of the new Russian Federation in 1991
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August Coup: hardliners tried one last time to stop all reforms but the Russian citizens won ▫Considered a revolution ▫By December 1991 all 15 Soviet satellites had declared independence
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Yeltsin’s faces problems ▫Shock therapy ▫Chechnya ▫Vladimir Putin came to power as Yeltsin resigns due to health and stress issues
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Putin Faces Problems ▫50,000 homeless children in Moscow alone ▫Increase in domestic violence ▫Increase in unemployment ▫Continued rebellion: i.e. Republic of Georgia in 2008
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Eastern Europe ▫Gorbachev promised not to meddle in reform movements ▫Would not intervene militarily ▫Poland and Hungary among the 1 st to est. reform movements
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Poland ▫1980: Solidarity ▫Lech Walesa ▫1985: Union outlawed ▫1988: workers walked off jobs ▫1989 General Jaruzelski legalized union & allows free elections ▫1990: Walesa elected President of Poland 1 st free elections since communist took power
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▫1995: Walesa voted out of office Aleksander Kwaniewski voted in ▫1999: became member of NATO ▫2001: supported the US war on terrorism ▫2002: came to D.C. @ request of Geo. W. Bush for official state visit
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Germany ▫1989: Hungary allows East Germans to go through their country & into Austria wh/ = entrance into W. Germany ▫Reaction: E. Germany closes its borders ▫People protested: gov’t leadership changed Erich Honecker to Egon Krenz Krenz decided to allow free travel between countries feeling that he could still maintain order: opens Berlin Wall
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▫He could not maintain order ▫1989: E. German communist Party did not exist Reunification ▫October 3, 1990 ▫Helmut Kohl ▫What is the name of the current leader (s) of Germany? President of Germany Horst Kohler & Chancellor is Angela Merkel.
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Czechoslovakia ▫11-25-1989: Communist gov’t out & democratic gov’t in ▫Unable to agree on economic policy so the country split into: 01-01-1993 The Czech Republic & Slovakia
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Romania ▫1989 Nicolae Ceausescu ▫Executed 12-25- 1989 ▫Communist gov’t out; democratic gov’t in ▫Very slow transition
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Yugoslavia ▫formed after WWI ▫Ethnic conflict: 8 different groups ▫New countries form Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia- Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro War between Bosnian Serbs & Bosnia Muslims “Ethnic Cleansing” ▫Kosovo: UN & NATO intervened independent
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China 1949: Mao Good ideas but did not favor modernization Wanted families to live in communes wh/ = lack of incentive to work wh/ = economic disaster Mao tried several programs to enforce his ideology & keep China isolated Programs were not successful
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▫1 st Five Year Plan (1953-1957) Modeled after Stalin & USSR Attempted rapid industrialization Problem: no modernization Industry grew 15% a yr Agriculture output very slow/limited
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▫Great Leap Forward (1958-1961) China suffers economic disaster wh/ = industrial decline & food shortage Mao losing influence ▫Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) Mao regains popularity by backing radicals Purges & conflicts among leadership = economic, social & political chaos
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Cultural Revolution from 1966-1969 Red Guards are to destroy Four Olds: ideology, thoughts, habits, and customs those who disagreed were humiliated, imprisoned, or killed
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China needs new direction ▫Zhou Enlai (2 nd in command) Concerned that China was isolated Foreign countries had not visited China since 1949 Started reaching out US table tennis team to China (1971) Nixon visits China (1972) 1976: both Mao & Enlai die 1979: US & China est. diplomatic relations
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Who will be the next ruler of China? ▫power struggle between his widow & 2 nd in command Deng Xiaoping
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Deng introduced Four Modernizations 1. Agriculture: land leased to famers who contracted w/ gov’t to produce a certain amount of food for the gov’t & any extra could be sold for profit wh/ = increase in production
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2. Industry: more consumer goods, more small business, encouraged foreign capital
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3. Science 4. Technology & Defense
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Deng’s plan was overall successful because: 1.shift from agriculture to industry 2.more people moved to cities. 3.led to coastal development 4. economy on track to be largest in world 5.daily life has improved 6.people want a 5 th Modernization; political freedom
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Political Freedom denied ▫martial law ▫led to protests by students ▫6-3-1989: Tiananmen Square
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Issues currently facing China 1.Human Rights 2.Environment 3.Religious Reform 4.Population 1,338,299,512 (2010)
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Buddhism50% Taoism30% Atheism14% Christianity4% Islam1.5% Other0.5% Religion Divisions in China
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Hu Jintao w/ President George W. Bush Hu Jintao w/ President Barack Obama
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Xi Jinping
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