KQ6- How Secure Was Soviet Control Over Eastern Europe 1945-89?

Question 1

How did Stalin control Eastern Europe?

Answer 1

• Stalin helped Eastern European communist parties to win power and fill the political vacuum that was left after the war
• Eastern European countries became one-party states and Stalin used COMINFORM to ensure they followed the same policies as the USSR
• The secret police actively rooted out opposition to communist governments and the USSR
• Soviet troops were stationed in Eastern Europe- Stalin justified this by saying it was for restoring law and order
• Shattered Eastern Europe economies were rebuilt by following soviet economic policies- nationalised industries and central state planning. Stalin used COMECON to make sure they traded with the USSR and promised aid to countries that cooperated
• When soviet control was threatened the USSR was prepared to use military force to crush it

Question 2

What did ordinary people in Eastern Europe think of Soviet control?

Answer 2

• some hoped it would bring amazing industrial growth, like that which had been achieved by the USSR before the war
• Some were pleased that it provided stable government and security
• Many resented the loss of freedom of speech and democracy and restriction on travel to foreign countries
• some economic recovery 1945-1955 but people were generally unhappy with economy- factories produced what USSR wanted rather than what ordinary people wanted, wages fell behind other countries including the USSR: shortages of commodities like coal, milk and meat, scarcity of human goods were becoming common in the West
• People frustrated by lack of ability to protest

Question 3

In what ways did Nikita Krushchev differ from Stalin?

Answer 3

-Stalin died in 1953 Krushchev emerged as leader by 1955 seemed more relaxed

• Ended the feuds with China and Yugoslavia

-He talked of peaceful co-existence with the West

• made plans to decrease expenditure on arms
• 1955 attended first summit since 1945 between USA Britain and France and USSR

-Said he wanted to improve living standards for Soviet and Eastern Europe citizens

• released thousands of political prisoners
• Agreed to withdraw soviet troops from Austria
• signalled he would allow greater independence for Eastern Europe countries

Question 4

What was de- stalinisation?

Answer 4

• began with Krushchevs speech to the communist party congress in 1956 in which he denounced Stalins purges and described him as an evil tyrant
• release of more political prisoners
• closing down of COMINFORM
• Invitation of Yugoslavias leader Marshal Tito to Moscow
• Dismissal of Stalin’s former Foreign Minister Molotov

Question 5

What was the Warsaw pact?

Answer 5

• also known as the Warsaw treaty organisation set up by Krushchev in 1955
• used by USSR to continue their aim of creating a buffer against attack from the west
• a military alliance similar to NATO in which member states pledged to defend eachother if one was attacked
• included all communist countries of Eastern Europe except Yugoslavia but dominated by USSR

Question 6

How did Krushchev deal with opposition in Poland in 1956?

Answer 6

• 1956 polish demonstrators attacked the police, protesting because food prices had increased but not wages; 53 rioting workers were killed by the Polish army in Poznan
• because the polish government could not control the demonstrators Krushchev moved soviet troops to the border
• October 1956- appointment of new Polish leader Wladyslaw Gomulka a leader of the communist resistance during the war who did not see eye to eye with polish communists who had been ultra loyal to Stalin - popular move which helped to stabilise Poland
• Red army withdrew to the polish border and left polish army and government to sort things out

Question 7

How did opposition to Soviet control of Hungary begin?

Answer 7

Hungarians hated the restrictions by Mátyás rákosi’s hardline communist government lack of freedom of speech, secret police presence of Soviet troops Russian street signs, schools and shops the fact that Hungarians had to pay for Soviet forces to be in their country

• June 1956 a group within the Hungarian communist party opposed Rákosi who appealed to Moscow for help but was ordered by the Kremlin to retire for health reasons
• His replacement Ernö Gerö was no more acceptable. A huge student demonstration in Budapest in October 19 56 resulted in Stalin statue being pulled down.
• The USSR allowed the well respected communist Imre Nagy to form a government and began to withdraw Soviet troops and tanks
• Thousands of local councils were created to replace Soviet power
• Thousands of Hungarian troops defected from the army to join the rebels
• Nagy plan to hold free elections create impartial courts restore farmland to private ownership get the Soviet army entirely out of Hungary leave the Warsaw pact and declare Hungary a neutral country
• it was hoped that the new US president Dwight Eisenhower would support a new independent Hungary

Question 8

How did the USSR respond?

Answer 8

-I’ve seemed ready to accept some of the reforms, but would not allow Hungary to leave the Warsaw pact

• November 1956 thousands of Soviet troops and tanks moved into Budapest
• after two weeks of better fighting the Hungarian uprising was crushed

-About 3000 Hungarians and 7000 to 8000 Russians were dead 200,000 Hungarian fled into Austria to escape communist forces

-The Western powers protested to the USSR but took no action. They were too preoccupied with the Suez crisis

Question 9

What were the results of the Hungarian uprising?

Answer 9

-Imre Nagy and the other Hungarian leaders were arrested and executed

• Kruschev installed János Kádár as the new leader who crushed all further resistance
• About 35,000 anti communist activists were arrested and 300 were executed
• Some of the reforms that the Hungarians had been demanding were actually introduced with the result that Hungary was more free than before 1956
• but Kruschev would not allow Hungary to leave the Warsaw pact

Question 10

Why did people want to leave East Germany in the 1950s?

Answer 10

By the late 1950’s thousands of East Germans were leaving the country via West Berlin and never coming back. Why?

• after the crushing of the Hungarian uprising in 1956 many people decided that the only way to escape communism was to leave
• political reasons they hated the restrictions on freedom and lack of democracy that came with communism
• Economic reason standards of living were falling further and further behind those of the west the western Powers had deliberately made West Berlin a showcase for the advantages of capitalism with shops, freedoms wealth and variety by pumping in massive investment. East berliners could not fail to notice these things.
• it was tempting to leave because it was easy to do so East Germans were still able to travel freely in West Berlin

Question 11

How did Kruschev respond?

Answer 11

• he was worried because many of those who were leaving were highly skilled workers or well qualified managers
• He did not want communism undermined by the sight of thousands of Germans leaving for a better life under capitalism
• Sunday 13th of October 1961 E. German soldiers erected a barbed wire barrier along the whole border of East and West Berlin thus ending free movement between east and west
• This was then replaced by a concrete wall with all crossing point sealed except for one checkpoint Charlie
• Border guards were given order to shoot people trying to cross the wall hundreds of were killed over the next three decades
• Initially the wall caused much confusion and chaos families were divided and Berliners were unable to go to work

Question 12

How did the West react to the Berlin Wall?

Answer 12

In October 1960 1US troops in diplomats regularly went into East Berlin via checkpoint Charlie to see how the Soviets would react

• 27th of October 1961 Soviet tanks pulled up to checkpoint Charlie and refused to allow further access to the east US and Soviet tanks faced each other all day in a tent stand-off though eventually pulled back

-The we did not like the wall but tolerated it Kennedy “it’s not a very nice solution but wall is hell of a lot better than a wall”

Question 13

What was the significance of the Berlin Wall?

Answer 13

-For the communists- a protective shell around East Berlin
-For the west-a prison wall
-For the world- a symbol of the division of Germany, Europe and communist east/capitalist West

Question 14

How did opposition to Soviet control of Czechoslovakia begin?

Answer 14

• 1968 Alexander Dubcek became the new leader of the Czech Communist party- a committed communist but he thought communism could be less restrictive than it was
• He had learnt a lesson lessons of the Hungarian uprising and assured Brezhnev that Czechoslovakia had no plans to pull out of the Warsaw pact or COMECON

-Censorship was relaxed, allowing intellectuals to launch attack on the communist leader leadership accusing them of being corrupt and useless

• New ideas seem to be appearing everywhere this period became known as the Prague spring
• by the summer of 1968 even more radical ideas were emerging there was talk of allowing another political party the social Democrat party to operate as arrival to the communists

Question 15

Why was the USSR worried about Czechoslovakia?

Answer 15

• The USSR was worried about losing control of Czechoslovakia one of the most important countries in the Warsaw Pact with a strong industry an important strategic position
• The USSR was very worried that new ideas in Czechoslovakia might spread to other eastern European countries
• Brezhnev came under pressure to stop reform in check Slovakia from the east German leader Walter Ulbricht and the Polish leader Wladyslaw Gomulka

Question 16

How did the USSR respond to reform in Czechoslovakia?

Answer 16

• he tried slowing down reform by arguing with Dubcek
• Soviet Polish and east German troops performed high profile training exercises on the Czech border
• Economic sanctions were considered example cancelling wheat exports from the USSR but this idea was rejected in case Czechoslovakia turned to the West for help
• July 1968 the USSR and check Slovakia how does Summit conference Dubcek agreed not to allow a new social democratic party but stuck to his other reforms
• August 1968 a conference of the other Warsaw pack countries issued a vague declaration calling on Czechoslovakia to maintain political stability
• 20th of August 1968 suddenly and unexpectedly Brezhnev sent Soviet tanks into Czechoslovakia

Question 17

What was the result of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia?

Answer 17

-There was little resistance to Soviet forces and Dubcek was removed from power

-Ideas that might have reformed communism were silenced

• Dubcek was not executed but was gradually downgraded first to ambassador to Turkey and then he was expelled from the communist party
• After 1968 the mood of optimism and check Slovakia changed to one of despair
• A formally pro-Soviet country now became resentful of the USSR
• The affair gave rise Brezhnev doctrine in which Brezhnev spelt out the essentials of a communist country a one party state a member of the Warsaw pact