Gorbachev & the Collapse of Soviet Control over Eastern Europe (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Zoe Wade
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Who was Mikhail Gorbachev?
|
Why was There a Need for 'New Thinking'?
By 1985, the USSR had serious economic and social issues
When Gorbachev became leader, the USSR was close to economic collapse
He believed that reform would:
Save the Communist economy
Increase the happiness of the citizens in the USSR and its satellite states
Perestroika - 'Restructuring'
To reform the economy, Gorbachev began the process of perestroika
Perestroika is the Russian word for 'restructuring'
The policies involved in perestroika were:
The reduction of military spending
The Red Army to became smaller
The ending of the arms race with the USA
The introduction of more capitalist elements in the economy
Gorbachev allowed the establishment of small, privately-owned businesses
The USSR removed the restrictions on foreign trade, allowing businesses to trade more freely with other countries
A reduction in the government control of businesses
Glasnost - 'Openness'
The second aspect of Gorbachev's reforms was glasnost
Glasnost is the Russian term for 'openness'
The policies involved in glasnost were:
Less restrictions on censorship and freedom of speech
The citizens of the USSR could discuss and criticise the government
There was less Soviet control of the media
The USSR took responsibility for past repression
For example, the Soviet government admitted that the Hungarian Uprising and the Prague Spring were peaceful attempts at reform
The USSR would allow opposition to their government
In 1988, there were discussions about allowing elections
A commitment to tackle corruption within the Soviet government
This approach helped to improve relations with the West
Between 1985 and 1989, Gorbachev attended a series of summits with Reagan, the president of the USA
In 1988, Gorbachev spoke at the UN
Gorbachev's speech confirmed the USSR’'s commitment to reforms
Gorbachev and Reagan formed a strong diplomatic relationship
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Students often struggle to remember the definitions of glasnost and perestroika. To help you remember what these two terms mean, break down each word:
Perestroika contains 'str' - this can remind you of the word 'structure'
Glasnost contains 'Glas' - this can remind you of the word 'glass'. You can see through glass, referring to the transparency of the USSR under glasnost.
The End of Communism in Eastern Europe
Satellite state | When did Communism end? | Events leading to the end of Communism |
|---|---|---|
Hungary | May 1989 | The repressive Kadar retired on 22nd May 1988. Hungary opened its border to Austria. Free elections officially ended Communist rule in Hungary in October |
Poland | June 1989 | Widespread strikes began in 1988. The government legalised Solidarity and agreed to free elections. Solidarity gained 99 out of the 100 seats on the Polish Senate |
East Germany | November 1989 | East Germans demonstrated in huge numbers in October 1989 against the GDR government. A mistake in implementing a new travel policy between East and West Berlin caused thousands of East Berliners to cross to West Berlin on 9th November. This caused the fall of the Berlin Wall |
Czechoslovakia | December 1989 | The ‘Velvet Revolution’ showed the government violently suppressing student protests. By 20th November, there were 500,000 protestors in Prague. On 10th December, President Husák resigned |
Romania | December 1989 | After Husák's resignation, Ceausescu was the last repressive communist leader in Eastern Europe. On 21st December 1989, protests began. The government had lost the support of the army by 22nd December. On Christmas Day 1989, Ceaușescu and his family were executed |
Bulgaria | December 1989 | After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Petar Mladenov became the leader of Bulgaria. Mladenov repealed the freedom of speech and assembly. On 17th November, the Communist government was facing mass protests. Mladenov resigned live on national television on 11th December 1989 |
Yugoslavia | 1991-1992 | The Yugoslavian leader Tito died in 1980. By the late 1980s, Yugoslavia experienced an increased pressure to reform. In 1990, Slovenia voted to break away from Yugoslavia. Between June 1991 and April 1992, Yugoslavia split into seven separate states |
The End of the USSR
Reform in Eastern Europe affected the Warsaw Pact
The USSR no longer had influence over Eastern Europe. By early 1990, the USSR had to stop its military cooperation with Eastern Europe
The USSR ended the Warsaw Pact in July 1991
The collapse of the Eastern Bloc placed Gorbachev in a dangerous position in the USSR
Devout Communists blamed Gorbachev for weakening the USSR
The USSR lost control of the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania throughout 1990
In August 1991, a group of Communist Party members called the 'Gang of Eight' attempted a coup against Gorbachev
The coup demanded complete control of the USSR and the declaration of a state of emergency in the country
Gorbachev refused and the 'Gang of Eight' kept him under house arrest
The coup against Gorbachev failed because:
The coup lacked popular support
Prominent Communists like Boris Yeltsin spoke out against the coup
Gorbachev was able to continue to govern the USSR
The Communist Party no longer respected Gorbachev
The coup ruined Gorbachev's reputation across the USSR
12 states of the USSR joined together to create the Commonwealth of Independent States
As a result, Gorbachev could no longer rule the USSR
On 25th December 1991, Gorbachev resigned as General Secretary of the USSR
IMAGE
A map showing the dates when communist governments collapsed in Eastern Europe
Actions of the USA
The USA contributed to the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe
US President Reagan took a strong stance against the USSR
The Reagan Doctrine gave support to anti-Communist groups attempting to overthrow Communist governments
On 8th March 1983, Reagan made a speech calling the USSR an ‘evil empire’
He developed an idea called the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). The USA was forcing the USSR to collapse its economy by over-spending on its defence budget
After seeing Gorbachev’s attempts at reform, Reagan pursued friendly relations with the USSR
Summits from 1985 to 1989 improved relations between the USA and the USSR
In December 1987, the superpowers agreed to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) treaty. The treaty agreed to abolish all land missiles with a range of between 500km and 5,500km
Events in the USSR
By the 1980s, the USSR’s economy was failing
The USSR could no longer economically support the satellite states
The USSR had invaded Afghanistan in 1979
It was a costly and unsuccessful war
The Red Army could not fight against the guerrilla warfare tactics of the Mujahideen
Gorbachev signed a treaty to end the war in 1988
Political control began to weaken
Gorbachev’s reforms encouraged countries to speak out against their Communist governments
Ukraine and Lithuania demanded independence from the USSR
The USSR contained politicians who wanted to focus on strengthening Russia rather than Eastern Europe
Boris Yeltsin was the president of the Soviet Republic of Russia in May 1990
By 1990, Yeltsin became the most influential political leader in Russia
Worked Example
‘Soviet control over Eastern Europe collapsed because of problems in the USSR.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer
10 marks
Partial answer:
Some people may argue that the problems within the USSR caused the end of Soviet control in Eastern Europe (1). This is because the USSR had severe economic issues (1). Gorbachev knew that the war in Afghanistan had cost a lot of money and harmed Russia’s economy. This encouraged him to pursue perestroika, the restructuring of the USSR’s economy (1). Gorbachev needed to repair the damage that a Communist economy, the arms race and Afghanistan had done to Russia. This meant that Russia could no longer support the regimes in Eastern Europe. For example, it could not afford to keep the Red Army stationed across Europe (1).
Examiner Tips and Tricks
A strong response for this Paper One question needs to examine both sides of the argument. The next paragraph would explain another perspective on the question, for example, the role of an individual satellite state or the actions of the USA. Continue to use a clear PEE structure as shown above.
You would then need to write a conclusion explaining if problems within the USSR were the main reason why Soviet control over Eastern Europe collapsed. Remember to use phrases like ‘fully’ or ‘partially’ to proportion the blame for the Cold War.
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