“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.”
Winston Churchill, March 5, 1946
Winston Churchill, March 5, 1946
The Collapse of Communism, 1989-1991
•Poland had a history of liberation movements
•Lech Walesa had formed the solidarity movement of trade unions in 1980
•1981 the gov’t cracked down with martial law under General Jaruzelski
•1989 elections were held in Poland the solidarity movement won 92% of the vote and 160/161 seats
•The solidarity leader, Tadeusz Mazowiecki became Prime Minister although Jaruzelski remained President
•Dec. 1990 Lech Walesa became President of Poland
•Hungary had been ruled by Janos Kadar since the 1956 Hungarian uprising
•After watching events in Poland they allowed free elections in March 1990
•The Democratic Forum won with Jozsef Natal as the Prime Minister
•Czechoslovakia protested during the “velvet revolution” Nov. 1989
•After a nationwide strike the Communist party resigned in favour of Vaclev Havel
•In 1992 the Czechs and Slovaks decided to separate into two independent countries
•Romania had been ruled by Nicolae Ceausescu since 1965
•He ordered protesters shot in Dec. 1989, after two days the army refused orders and executed Ceausescu and his wife
•Bulgaria had its first free elections in June, 1990
•Albania became democratic in 1992
•Yugoslavia disintegrated into civil war in 1991
•Lech Walesa had formed the solidarity movement of trade unions in 1980
•1981 the gov’t cracked down with martial law under General Jaruzelski
•1989 elections were held in Poland the solidarity movement won 92% of the vote and 160/161 seats
•The solidarity leader, Tadeusz Mazowiecki became Prime Minister although Jaruzelski remained President
•Dec. 1990 Lech Walesa became President of Poland
•Hungary had been ruled by Janos Kadar since the 1956 Hungarian uprising
•After watching events in Poland they allowed free elections in March 1990
•The Democratic Forum won with Jozsef Natal as the Prime Minister
•Czechoslovakia protested during the “velvet revolution” Nov. 1989
•After a nationwide strike the Communist party resigned in favour of Vaclev Havel
•In 1992 the Czechs and Slovaks decided to separate into two independent countries
•Romania had been ruled by Nicolae Ceausescu since 1965
•He ordered protesters shot in Dec. 1989, after two days the army refused orders and executed Ceausescu and his wife
•Bulgaria had its first free elections in June, 1990
•Albania became democratic in 1992
•Yugoslavia disintegrated into civil war in 1991
The Fall of the Soviet Union, 1991
•Gorbachev made a couple of major changes in 1990
•First was he introduced ‘rule of law’
•He felt that socialism could be achieved within a democratic state
•Second was the ‘500 day plan’ dealing with the deficit
•Finally, the Union Treaty giving the republics more autonomy
•First was he introduced ‘rule of law’
•He felt that socialism could be achieved within a democratic state
•Second was the ‘500 day plan’ dealing with the deficit
•Finally, the Union Treaty giving the republics more autonomy
The Breakup of the USSR, 1991
•An attempted coup d’etat takes place in Aug. 1991
•He is saved by Boris Yeltsin who became the effective leader of the country
•Gorbachev became a lame duck leader and Yeltsin made the final step to outlaw the Communist party in the Russian Republic
•Dec. 1, 1991 an independence vote is held in the Ukraine which voted in favour of independence
•This led to the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the end of the USSR
•He is saved by Boris Yeltsin who became the effective leader of the country
•Gorbachev became a lame duck leader and Yeltsin made the final step to outlaw the Communist party in the Russian Republic
•Dec. 1, 1991 an independence vote is held in the Ukraine which voted in favour of independence
•This led to the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the end of the USSR
Summary
Major changes into government such as rule of law, democratic state and 500 day plan were introduced by Gorbachev in 1990. 14 different republics included USSR were encouraged to want their own identity. The Union Treaty was what gave the republics more autonomy. Boris Yeltsin became the leader and he made the final steps to outlaw communist party in the Russian Republic. This then led to the formation of the CIS and end of USSR