2. Communism Crushed: The Revolutions of 1989 Kevin Troy Class of 2005

3. The Chess Board of the Cold War: NATO vs. the Warsaw Pact

4. The Beginning of the End Khrushchev: de- Stalinization => hard-line backlash Brezhnev: return to repression in Russia and the republics Failing economy+bloated and repressive state = unhappy people Brezhnev and Khrushchev

5. Gorby! Mikhail Gorbachev becomes leader of USSR in 1985 Perestroika (economic restructuring) Glasnost (political openness) Opens door for dissent

7. Poland: The Revolutions Begin Economic crisis under Communist government Solidarity- union/movement led by Lech Walesa 1/4 Poles were members 1980: Gdansk Agreement- gov’t agreed to worker demands, effectively revoked in 1981 (Solidarity outlawed)

8. …More Poland Illegality increased popularity Gorbachev weakened Communist gov’t 1989: Solidarity legal, wins election

9. The loss of Poland meant that the Communists lost the battle of perception--they were no longer in control. Little they did now could stop the revolutions from spreading.

10. Hungary Communist attempts at reform under Janos Kadar- -don’t go far enough Free elections agreed to for 1990 Communists were crushed Border with East Germany was opened=>currents of change in East Germany 1989 poster: an unflattering rearview of a Communist soldier. The caption ironically reads “Comrades.”

11. But the most visible symbol of the Cold War remained… The Berlin Wall encircling West Berlin-1980

12. The Fall of the Wall Massive protests + massive exodus => instability Wall opened: 1989 Symbol of Iron Curtain Reform government takes over the same year

13. Czechoslovakia “Velvet Revolution” Soviets ignorant of revolutionary conditions (East German refugees, Gorbachev reforms, etc.) 10 Days Led by Vaclav Havel 1989: Havel elected president

14. Czechoslovakia’s “Velvet Divorce” Party-line division between Slovaks and Czechs Divided government => gridlock Attempts at federal power sharing, but Czechs overwhelmed Slovaks 1992: “Velvet divorce”- Slovakia declares independence

15. Romania Nicolae Ceausescu: brutal leader for 21 years, used oppression and violence Food shortages + other revolutions=>violent uprising Only bloodshed of the 89 revolutions Ceausescu shot by revolutionaries New government installed Before: After:

16. The End of the Cold War 1989 revolutions death knell for Communism in Europe Disintegration of Soviet Union Uncertainty about new world order The Wall Before the Fall

17. NATO Today-Includes former Warsaw Pact Countries April 2008 Georgia/Ukraine-April 08 - Fate TBD - De-stablizing? Croatia/Macedonia/Albania - Fate TBD - Possible Greek Veto

18. Into the Future… Fall of Communism did not guarantee stability Varying degrees of success: –German reunification - October, 1990 –Poland => Westernizing and stable –Czechoslovakia split (Czech Republic and Slovakia) but stable –Hungary now NATO member –Romania torn by Ceausescu, still economic mess The Berlin Wall Today