Why did the cold war come to an end?
- Created by: shannonlouisa
- Created on: 22-03-16 10:51
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- Why did the Cold War come to an end?
- people power.
- POLAND.
- Solidarity, high support due to failure of government to solve economic difficulties.
- Government contributed to collapse of government by legalising solidarity in 1988.
- endorsement of the Catholic Church, reinforced by popes visit in 1983 and 1987.
- ROMANIA.
- Laszlo Tokes, priest from Northern Romania.
- Broken the law by allowing poetry to be recited in public places.
- Hungarian television and radio stations meant that rumours of this and people protest spread quickly.
- Massacre of 71 people. When Ceausescu arrived at a rally in Bucharest, the crowds booed.
- army unwilling to take action. Securitate remained loyal to army.
- Laszlo Tokes, priest from Northern Romania.
- Czechoslovakia
- The Velvet Revolution
- term used to describe the collapse in 1989. Communist regime brought down by widespread demonstrations that involved little violence.
- The Velvet Revolution
- By 1989 every pro-soviet communist government in eastern Europe had disintegrated.
- By the 1980's the regimes of Eastern Europe had become so enriched that they had lost touch with their own population.
- photographs of large crowds psychically dismantling the Berlin wall with hammers in Nov 1989.
- photographs of large crowds psychically dismantling the Berlin wall with hammers in Nov 1989.
- protests gave encouragement to the people of Eastern Europe to demand for change
- POLAND.
- Triumphalism- Reagan policy
- Saw communism as an "evil empire" in 1983- strong believer in free market capitalism.
- Reagan's militarised counter-revolution
- Increasing nuclear arms and development of SDI (star wars).
- attempt to put economic strain of USSR.
- Soviet leadership didn't engage in Reagan's arms race.
- SDI- Strategic Defence Initiative 1983. Development of anti-ballistic missiles in space.
- SDI viewed by many as unrealistic.
- alarmed the soviet leadership, showed that USA was hostile.
- SDI viewed by many as unrealistic.
- New methods including stealth bomber and trident submarines
- Revived anti-nuclear protestors.
- Reagan increased defense spending by 53% in october 1981.
- attempt to put economic strain of USSR.
- Defence spending increased by 13% in 1982 and 8% in following two years
- aim; supremacy against the USSR to the extent of nuclear.
- Fundamentally and ethically opposed to MAD as he believed it kept the cold war going.
- Us spending on the military = 1960's = 9% 1970's = 5 % but detente 1980's = 7%
- Increasing nuclear arms and development of SDI (star wars).
- Thatcher
- Supporter of Reagan, able to present Reagan's perspective in Europe.
- Her decision to deploy US missiles in Britain was crucial to the success of Reagan's policy.
- Her strong personality gave her considerable influence in face-to-face meetings.
- Established good relations with Gorbachev in 1984.
- "Man I could do business with"
- BUT!! Essentially a strong support player to Reagan.
- "Man I could do business with"
- Launched a strong verbal attack on Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.
- Opposed to all forms of communism. A strong supporter of free market economics.
- Pope John Paul II
- Challenging communism received encouragement from the pope in June 1979.
- message called "don't be afraid" inspired those resisting communism.
- Visited Poland in 1979, 1983 and 1987.
- Each visit reinforced support for solidarity and helped it gain concession from the government.
- Solidarity= illegal independent trade union in 1980-81.
- Each visit reinforced support for solidarity and helped it gain concession from the government.
- Catholic church was only strong in Poland and Baltic states. IMPACT LIMITED IN OTHER COUNTRIES PF EASTERN EUROPE.
- Economy
- In some respects the cold war was essentially an economic competition between the east and west
- It became clear in the 1980's that the soviet economy no longer had economic power to compete.
- Economic performance
- Growth of 6% in 1960's, 2% in 1970's and even less in 1980's.
- Even at its peak, soviet economy had significant weakness.
- Although the soviet union could produce large quantities of products- quality was very low.
- Soviet economy unable to produce sophisticated consumer goods or hig h tech goods
- 1n 1985 ussr produced 8800 computers compared to USA 6 million
- For the first time since 1945, it was failing to produce large quantities of raw materials
- GNP FACTS.. 1970's = 37.1% 1980=37% 1989=30.8%
- Reasons for soviet stagnation.
- The soviet union was subsidising the estern bloc. Subsidy amounted to $80 billion in 1970's- created huge economic strain
- Soviet union's limited avilability of high-tech goods such as computers and modems as it feared they might help opposition groups organise against gov.
- By mid 1980's, 25% of GNP spent on military
- Less money to invest in projects designed to stimulate economic growth.
- Gerontocracy- rule by elderly fro 1980-85. Brezhnev, andropov and chernenko.
- A costly empire
- In 1981 and 1986, the ussr provided Cuba and Vietnam with $4 billion and $6 billion in aid and oil supplies.
- Warsaw pact countries also received a yearly subsidy of $3 billion due to cheap oil sent from ussr.
- Oil accounted for 15.6% of soviet exports in 1970 but in 1984 this had risen to 54%.
- In 1981 and 1986, the ussr provided Cuba and Vietnam with $4 billion and $6 billion in aid and oil supplies.
- Despite key structural difficulties with their economy, soviet leaders continued with cold war policies until 1985.
- In some respects the cold war was essentially an economic competition between the east and west
- Gorbachev
- End to soviet aggression and expansion
- Soviet forces in Eastern Europe reduced by 500,000.
- Withdraws from Afghanistan in 1989.
- Ended support in Ethiopia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nicaragua and Angola.
- Gorbachev doesn't suppress protests in Eastern Europe.
- Co-operation rather than confrontation.
- Arms reduction- starts in 1991. CUT 30% OF ARMS.
- INF treaty- reduction of ss20 and cruise missile
- Reduction of weapons as it was a strain on soviet economy.
- Reduction of weapons by USSR= 1750 in contrast to USA reducing 850.
- Weakened hard-line communist regimes.
- Removal of Brezhnev Doctrine 1985, replaced with Sinatra Doctrine.
- 'Find your own path to socialism' 1988.
- End to soviet aggression and expansion
- The moral bankruptcy of Marxism-Leninism
- Key structural factor, underpins how society runs and functions.
- Marxist-Leninism argued that the comunist party alone represented the working class.
- Argued that a 'dictatorshiop of the proletariat' was necessary to protect the working class and build a society that was superior to the societies of capitalist west.
- Nature of soviet society.
- soviet bloc faced; long working hours, low-grade housing, poorly stocked shops, shortages of basic foodstuff and consumer goods.
- deficiencies within society led to: low productivity in work and an extensive black market.
- growing social problems- alcohol consumption quadrupled, increase in mental illness and suicide.
- Economically poorer and politically repressive in comparison to capitalist west
- Many soviet jews (refuseniks) were denied the right to emigrate to Israel or USA
- Soviet jews pressed for the freedom to leave the ussr, campaign got high publicity
- As a result, the number of jews allowed to emigrate increased from 14,000 in 1975 to 51,000 in 1979.
- Jewish emigraton fell after invasion of afghanistan
- As a result, the number of jews allowed to emigrate increased from 14,000 in 1975 to 51,000 in 1979.
- Soviet jews pressed for the freedom to leave the ussr, campaign got high publicity
- use of military
- soviet bloc was an "empire by ****" maintained by force rather than content
- In 1982, reagan argued that satellite regimes had 30 years to hold free elections and establish legitimacy.
- red army interventions in 1953, 1956 and 1968 to keep eastern bloc in line.
- rapid collapse of eastern bloc in 1988, in absence of red army protection
- The nature of the communist party
- Political freedom was extremely limited, during Brezhnev era political opponents were imprisioned in psychiatric units
- 1970's average soviet worker earned 165 roubles----- ommunist party would earn up to 900 roubles
- Communist party tended to be corrupt- no social mobility- took bribes and appointed friends and family
- Corrupt communist elite emrged in ussr, under brezhnev's leadership (1964-82).
- CPSU (communist party of the soviet union) who enjoyed status
- Nomenklatura (soviet elite) were bureaucrats appointed by CPSU to administer all aspects of soviet states.
- Depending on rank had access to privilegdes- country residences, offical cars, private supplies of western goods, luxury vacation resorts and priavte medical centres.
- Nomenklatura (soviet elite) were bureaucrats appointed by CPSU to administer all aspects of soviet states.
- CPSU (communist party of the soviet union) who enjoyed status
- Criticism of soviet rule
- Helsinki watch committee and charter 77- soviet rule based on oppression rather than consent.
- Glasnost- gorbachev allows criticism
- Helsinki accords 1975, ussr guaranteed freedom of speech, pprotest and movement- howver coudnt obtain human rights
- Reagan doctrine
- Decisive measures to try and halt the growth of soviet influence in the third world.
- Policy of sending assistance to anti-communist insurgents as well as anti- communist governments.
- $687 millio in aid was provided to the mujahidin in afghanistan (grenada, el salvador and nicaragua).
- people power.
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