Soviet Decline: Brezhnev & Gorbachev · Gorby’s Reforms: Perestroika Gorbachev’s attempt to...
Transcript of Soviet Decline: Brezhnev & Gorbachev · Gorby’s Reforms: Perestroika Gorbachev’s attempt to...
Soviet Decline:Brezhnev & Gorbachev
Brezhnev● 1964 - Khrushchev outed by party
leadership● Brezhnev becomes party premier● Emerges as leader of Soviets
Invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968)● Czechs move towards more liberal
communism● Allowed for more open
discussion/intellectual rights within society/party
● Warsaw Pact allies invaded Czechoslovakia to oust leader Alexander Dubcek
● Replaced leader with more soviet friendly leader
● Brezhnev Doctrine created○ The right of the Soviet Union to intervene
in Communist countries domestic policy
DétenteDetente - cooling off or easing of tensions
Look at timeline page 256 - 257
Important Detente moments:
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
SALT
Helsinki Accords
Was it actually Detente?● Brezhnev spent heavily on military
○ Became largest armed force in the world○ Due to military spending economic
stagnation hit USSR● Did not follow human rights principles set
out in the Helsinki accords● Sponsored war effort in Vietnam and
Nicaragua● Gave funds and weapons to middle
eastern countries against Israel
Invasion of Afghanistan● Civil war taking place in Communist
Afghanistan● Soviets invaded to try and establish a
puppet gov’t○ Invaded with 80,000 men○ Good location - close to Asia and Middle
East○ Ending Detente
● Middle Eastern countries were worried and asked for a withdraw
● Religious factions worried about heavy soviet influence
● 1980 America boycotted Moscow olympic games
● 10 Year war that largely drained resources○ Weakened Soviet strength
The Collapse of the Soviet Union
Gorbachev’s Policies
Separation of Eastern Europe
Collapse of Soviet Union
Gorbachev’s Policies
Gorbachev’s Policies● Takes leadership in 1985
○ Not immediately after Brezhnev● USSR is still economically stagnate
○ Military is weakened due to continued conflict in Afghanistan
● He would be the last Soviet President
Reforms:
PerestroikaGlasnostDemokratizatsiya (Democratization)
GorbachevReagan
Gorby’s Reforms: Glasnost (Started 1986)● Gorbachev’s attempt at political reform● Glasnost - ‘Openness’ - People were free
to discuss and criticize gov’t● Workers permitted to criticize party● Dissidents released from prison
Demokratizatsiya(Democratization)● Introduced multiple candidates in
elections(not multiple parties)● Attempt to change the ‘old guard’ of party● Started to allow more defined factions
within the party
Gorby’s Reforms: Perestroika● Gorbachev’s attempt to improve the Soviet
economy● Perestroika - was the re-structuring of
centralized economic ministries by moving towards decentralization
○ Appeased worker discontent by increasing freedom and raising wages
○ 1990 - started to open markets (liberalized economy)
○ Advocated private property● These reforms were largely unsuccessful
in improving the economy
Separation of Eastern Europe
Poland● 1980 - Poland challenged Soviets with the
‘Solidarity movement’○ Angered by lack of food and consumer
goods○ People organized rallies○ Communist leader shuts down Solidarity
movement by implementing martial law■ Arrests those involved
● 1989 - Solidarity re-emerges○ Polish still unhappy about economic
situation○ Open elections are allowed
■ Communists lose to Solidarity○ 1st non-communist prime minister since
1945■ Gorbachev approves
Hungary (1989)● Following Poland’s lead seeks
independence● Opened borders with Austria
○ Breaking the Iron Curtain○ East Germans escaped through Hungary
● Honour leader of Hungarian uprising of 1958 (Imre Nagy)
● Promise free elections○ Communist party now called Socialist party
Germany (1989)● Mass demonstrations in East Berlin● Soviets refused to send force to put it
down● November - Berlin Wall ordered open by
East Berlin● Feb 1990 - Germany was reunified
Soviet Response to Revolutions● Gorbachev recounced the Brezhnev
doctrine● Eastern European nations can now mold
their own foreign policy● The global response to the violent put
down of ‘Tiananmen Square’ made Gorbachev worried about violently putting down the uprisings
○ Tiananmen Square Massacre - China violently put down democratic protests in Beijing
● Couldn’t economically support communists countries
The Collapse of the Soviet Union● Moved away from the single party system and
allowed competition
3 main factions existed● Those who wanted to keep it the
same(conservatives)○ Gorbachev appointed many of these people
into important positions within the party and gov’t
● Those who wanted extensive change○ Yeltsin
● Those who want to regional separation○ Primarily Baltic states
August 1991 Coup● Conservative forces staged a coup on Russian
Parliament○ Gorbachev put on house arrest
● Yeltsin denounces the coup, wants continued progress towards democracy
● Coup collapsed in two days○ Citizens were elated
● Gorbachev was humiliated by being overthrown by his own
○ Yeltsin takes on dominant political role○ Communist party popularity fell with the coup
● This would mark the end of the Soviet Union● Soviet Union would split up into 15 republics● Yeltsin would lead Russia as its first president
(1991-99)