Aim: Why did anticommunist revolutions sweep through Eastern Europe in 1989, and what were

the immediate consequences?

May 9, 2013

I. The End of the Cold War • Three step process:

– A series of mostly peaceful revolutions sweep across Eastern Europe in 1989, overturning existing communist regimes. Eastern Europe reenters mainstream European life for the first time since the 1930s.

– West Germany absorbs East Germany, reuniting the country

– Anticommunist revolution sweeps through the Soviet Union, the multiethnic empire breaks into Russia and fourteen other independent states.

II. Poland • By 1988, Poland is wracked by labor unrest,

strikes and inflation. Communist government is wildly unpopular.

• Solidarity pressures Poland’s communist leaders into negotiating. Solidarity is legalized in early 1989, and free elections are held in June.

• Solidarity wins many seats in the Polish parliament in the June elections, gain a majority by forming a coalition with two smaller parties.

• Communists seek the aide of the Red Army in holding on to power, but Gorbachev refuses. Communism falls, Lech Walesa becomes the first popularly elected president in 1990.

II. Poland • Economically, the Solidarity government

begins a policy of Shock Therapy: – Eliminates state planning and price controls,

moves quickly to free market practices and private property.

III. Hungary • In the summer of 1989, the Hungarian

communist party agrees to hold free elections in March 1990.

• To win popular support, the Hungarian communists open their border to the East Germans and tear down their barbed wire curtain with Austria. This allows tens of thousands of East Germans to travel across Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Austria and resettle in West Germany.

• Hungarian Communists lose in the 1990 elections anyway, but this policy has massive ramifications for East Germany.

IV. East Germany • In late 1989, huge numbers of East

Germans are fleeing the country, there are massive protests in the streets calling for a more democratic East Germany.

• In a desperate attempt to gain favor with the people, the East German government opens the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. The people of East Berlin gleefully demolish parts of the wall.

• By the end of the year, the communist government has been swept aside, reform government takes power and schedules free elections.

V. Czechoslovakia and Romania• Czechoslovakia: – “Velvet Revolution-” In November-December 1989, students

and intellectuals demonstrate in the streets. The Communists agree to a power-sharing arrangement, then resign completely. Vaclav Havel, a popular playwright, is elected president, and Dubcek returns to be speaker of the federal parliament.

• Romania:– Communist dictator Nicholae Ceausescu faces mass protests

against his government in December, 1989. Orders his security forces to slaughter thousands. People rise up, overthrow Ceausescu (he and his wife were later executed by a military court).

VI. Reunification of Germany• Occurs in October, 1990, with East and West Germany coming together under

West German laws and constitution:

– East Germans want to be reunited with friends and loved ones in the West, shop in well-stocked Western stores.

– West German chancellor Helmut Kohl offered 1:1 exchange of E. German marks for W. German marks. Great for E. Germans b/c their $ was worth so little.

– In July, 1990, Gorbachev signs an agreement with Kohl stating that the Soviet Union will accept German unification as long as Germany promises not develop nuclear, biological or chemical weapons AND makes enormous loans to the Soviets.

VII. The End of the Soviet Union • February 1990: Communist party loses local elections nationwide• March 1990: Lithuania declared independence (Gorby instituted an

economic embargo but no harsh crackdown – lost him the support of hardliners)

• March 1990: Gorby gets new constitution – broke Communist monopoly on power (again hardliners unhappy); party deputies elected him Pres. of USSR (angered the reformers who wanted a

universal suffrage election)

VII. The End of the Soviet Union• May 1990: Boris Yeltsin (supporter of democracy

and capitalism) elected leader of Russian Fed’s parliament and announces that Russia will declare ind. Gorby attempts to keep USSR together with promise of a looser confederation, but 6 of the 15 republics said no

• July 1991: Yeltsin elected president of Russian Fed.• August 1991: Coup attempt … hardliners kidnap

Gorby & fam., try to seize the Soviet government. Russian people rally around Yeltsin, coup is defeated, Gorbachev set free.

• Nov.-Dec. 1991: Yeltsin banned the Communist Party in Russia, withdraws from the Soviet Union, declared Russia independent. All the other Soviet republics leave too.

• Dec. 25, 1991: USSR dissolved … and Gorby’s job was gone

Cold War is OVER!