Attack on Vilnius
After the Lithuanian legislature declared independence on March 11, 1990, the USSR
responded with military action on January 11-13, 1991, killing 14 civilians and injuring over a hundred more.
What were the people in Attack on Vilnius trying to do? What did Gorbachev authorize?
The people were trying to keep Soviet troops from controlling the local TV tower and studio to
hinder the independence mov. Gorbachev authorized no more military violence after the event.
Baltic Way
Peaceful demonstration on August 23, 1989, across Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia where around two million people joined hands in a 600km human chain expressing their unity in the struggle for
independence from the USSR.
Cambodian-Vietnamese War
Conflict that technically lasted from 1978-1989 after Vietnam invaded its neighbor to topple the Khmer Rouge/Democratic Kampuchea under Pol Pot.
What did Vietnam establish after the Cambodian-Vietnamese War? When did Vietnam withdraw?
Vietnam then established a
friendly government called the People’s Republic of Kampuchea. International pressure from both China
and the US led to Vietnam’s withdrawal in 1989.
communism
form of socialist political thought and theory. Communism is a theoretical state of pure equality in a classless and moneyless
society that is achieved by total government control of all factors of production that is often sought via a dictatorship of the proletariat that ostensibly moves society towards this goal using socialism.
democratic socialism
form of socialist political thought and theory. Democratic socialism favors a transition to complete socialism or shared ownership of the means of production through democratic systems. democratically run, socially owned economy.
social democracy
form of socialist political thought and theory. social democracy consists of efforts to further equalize democratic systems with socialist policies and institutions such as providing government services to all. Don’t replace capitalism
Eastern bloc
Term for the socialist countries of Eastern Europe aligned with the USSR during the Cold
War.
Who was a part of the Eastern bloc?
The group was generally considered to include Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Poland, Hungary, and Romania.
Who was originally included in the Eastern bloc before they split with Stalin in 1948?
Yugoslavia was originally included before its split with Stalin in 1948.
Who was also with the Soviets in the Eastern Bloc? What was different about them?
Albania was also aligned with the Soviets, but more independent than the others and withdrew from a direct alliance in 1961.
What about the other countries in the Eastern Bloc?
Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Poland, Hungary, and Romania stayed true to Moscow for the most part, but Romania often bucked directives
and all other countries, save for Bulgaria, saw significant uprisings fueled by desires to move out of the Soviet orbit.
East German/Prague Refugee Crisis
Situation in the late summer to early fall of 1989 that saw thousands of East German citizens travel to Prague and pass inside the gates of the West German embassy to try and
obtain visas to the West.
What did negotiations lead to in the East German/Prague Refugee Crisis?
Eventually negotiations led to the refugees being allowed to travel to West Germany, but were made to give up their East German citizenship.
German reunification/Treaty on the Final Settlement with respect to Germany
Agreement that reunified Germany in October 1990
What is German reunification/Treaty on the Final Settlement with respect to Germany also known as?
Two Plus Four Agreement
What parties were involved in the German reunification/Treaty on the Final Settlement with respect to Germany? What did it end and finalize?
The parties involved were East and West Germany along with the WWII Allies (France, the UK, US, and USSR). It ended the post-war occupation of Germany and finalized the border changes between Germany, Poland, and the USSR bringing a final conclusion to the interim situations created by WWII.
glasnost
Soviet policy championed by Mikhail Gorbachev that focused on transparency and openness of government action. It included the wider dissemination of information and allowed for more political
discourse.
Helsinki Watch Committees
Organization founded in 1978, to push the USSR and Eastern Bloc countries to adhere to the Helsinki Accords.
What is the Helsinki Watch Committees also known as?
Human Rights Watch (as of 1988)
What did the Helsinki Watch Committees do?
It sent monitors into countries and shared info. about abuses to put pressure on governments to follow through on human rights commitments
Ho Chi Minh Trail
System of transportation routes through the dense jungle of Cambodia and Laos that
supplied North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces during the Vietnam War.
When did the Ho Chi Minh Trail begin and when did it get highly developed supply stations and support facilities?
It began use in 1959 and by
1974, it included highly-developed supply stations and support facilities