1. Changes in Central and Eastern Europe
Chapter 19, Section 4
Changes in Central and Eastern Europe

4. Eastern Europe During Gorbachev
Lithuania, Poland, and Hungary are the first countries to in Eastern Europe to revolt against the Soviet Union
During the 1950s and 1960s, the Soviet Union dealt with uprisings in Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia by crushing uprisings with military force

5. Imre Nagy and Hungary
In 1956, in response to uprisings and protests, Hungarian leader, Imre Nagy, declared Hungary a free nation
Nagy withdrew Hungary from Warsaw Pact
Nikita Khrushchev sends in troops and crushes the uprising
Soviets arrest Nagy, secretly charged him with organizing the overthrow of the communist party in Hungary
Nagy is found guilty and hanged in June 1958
Khrushchev had Nagy executed, “as a lesson to all other leaders in socialist countries”

6. Alexander Dubcek and Czechoslovakia
Alexander Dubchek was made first secretary of the Communist party in Czechoslovakia
Allowing freedom of speech was the reform Dubchek made in reaction to rebellions in Czechoslovakia

7. Dubcek & his “Prague Spring”
Dubchek became leader of Czechoslovakia after communist leader resigned
He attempted to reform Czech through his policy known as the Prague Spring
Prague Spring Reforms-
Loosening restrictions on travel, speech, and media
Country will be split into two democratic republics: The Czech Republic & Slovakia

8. Brezhnev Doctrine & Czechoslovakia
By giving his countries, The Czech Republic & Slovakia, democratic (capitalist) reforms…Dubchek went against the Brezhnev Doctrine
Brezhnev Doctrine- When a socialist (communist) country turns to capitalism (or democracy), it becomes a problem and concern for all communist countries

9. Brezhnev orders the Warsaw Pact to attack Czechoslovakia in 1968
200,000 troops and 2,000 tanks enter the Czech Republic & Slovakia
72 Czechs and Slovakians were killed, 266 severely injured, 436 wounded

10. Lenoid Brezhnev
Alexander Dubchek

12. Czechoslovakia in 1968
In 1968,
Prague Spring began as a writers protest
Hard-line Communist leader resigned and was replaced by one more open to democratic reform
A new leader (Alexander Ducheck) instituted reforms allowing for greater freedom of speech and the press
Soviets reestablished control and restored hard-line communists to power

13. Lech Walesa and Poland
Lech Walesa was the union leader of the Polish worker union known as Solidarity
His union went on strike which forced the Polish communist government of Poland to recognize his union’s demands
Lech Walesa becomes a national hero and eventually president of democratic Poland

14. Lech Walesa

16. The Collapse of the Soviet Union
Chapter 19, Section 3
The Collapse of the Soviet Union

18. The Politburo It the most powerful law-making body in the Soviet Union
Was the ruling committee of the Communist Party
Politburo means “Political Bureau” or leading party
Started by Lenin in 1917

19. Mikhail Gorbachev
After Brezhnev died, people were wondering who was going to succeed him
Mikhail Gorbachev gains support bc of his “youth, energy, and political skills”
He pursues new ideas for running the Soviet Union

20. Leonid Brezhnev v. Mikhail Gorbachev
New USSR
Died 1982
Gen. Sec. 1985
Reformer
End of Old USSR

21. Gorbachev brings change
Prior communist leaders created a totalitarian state (they had total control over peoples public and private lives)
They rewarded silence and obedience to them and the country and punished those that spoke out
Gorbachev believed that social reforms could not occur without free flow of ideas
That’s where he came up with the idea of glasnost

22. Glasnost
Glasnost- openness. Encouraging the free flow of ideas & information. Basically Freedom of press and religion.
Examples-
books not banned any longer, reporters could criticize the government Churches are reopened, people can now choose own religion
Prisoners put in jail for political reasons now released
In response to glasnost, there was decreased censorship, the release of political dissidents, and criticism of the government by the media

23. Democratization Democratization-opening of political system Example-
people now choose from a list who to vote for
also a parliament was created
parliament= a group of people that represent the entire people of Russia, vote on laws, etc
The reforms that led to democratization of the Soviet Union was begun by Mikhail Gorbachev

24. Perestroika
Perestroika- economic restructuring. A change from communism to capitalism
Its purpose: To revive the Soviet economy
Example-
people could now open small, private businesses and keep money they make from it

25. Lithuania defies Gorbachev
Gorbachev’s reforms caused the USSR to loosen its hold on their satellite (communist) Eastern European countries
Some of these nations begin to declare independence
Lithuania was the first of these satellite nations
it boldly declared its independence
Gorbachev, feared that if he allows one satellite country to get away and declare independence from the Soviet Union, others would try too
He sends in troops to stop Lithuania

27. August Coup
The August Coup was the military action that accelerated the fall of the Soviet Union
Economic problems and the Lithuanian incident causes Gorbachev to lose popularity
Economic problems were caused by the Soviet Union supplying their communist nations with weapons and money during the Cold War, also funding the Afghanistan war cost a LOT of money

28. Hardliners detain Gorbachev at his vacation home on Black Sea
They ask for his resignation
Boris Yeltsin was a popular parliament member
Appeals to Soviet troops to not support hardliners
Military listens and leaves the hardliners coup

29. Significance of August Coup
The outcome of the August Coup is that the Communist Party is taken out of power over the Soviet Union
Gorbachev leaves office, Yeltsin comes in and becomes president
Soviet Union begins to break up
Countries under Soviet control quickly declare independence
Soviet Union goes back to being called Russia

31. Soviet Union Collapses
Why did it collapse in the 1980s and early 1990s?
Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms
August Coup
Reagan’s SDI program
Major reason: the struggling soviet command economy could not keep up with a Western free-market system