Communism in Crisis:1976 – 1991

IB Paper OneDocument Analysis

Topics to be covered, China:

• Power struggle after Mao’s death and the defeat of the Gang of Four

• China under Deng Xiaoping and 4 Modernizations

• Political changes/ Tiananmen Square

Topics to be covered: USSR

• Domestic and foreign problems of Brezhnev era

• Economic and political stagnation• Afghanistan• Gorbachev’s aims, perestroika and

glasnost• Consequences of 1980s policies for

Eastern Europe (Poland and Czechoslovakia)

Things to remember…

• OPVL…always…• We have access to documents from

USSR, which has allowed some objective secondary research in recent years

• Accounts from China outside the official view are hard to come by, and largely anecdotal

• Question inherent assumptions in prompts and sources (IB really likes this)

China

• 1976: Mao dies• Hua Guofeng is designated successor• Gang of Four (led by Jiang Qing)

jockey for power• Struggle ensues between Right and

Left• Hua Guofeng is neutral – “Two Whatevers”

Gang of Four

• Led by Jiang Qing• Radical Leftists, drivers of Cultural

Revolution• Power in media, urban militia,

universities• Eliminate revisionism and Four Olds• Allied with Mao’s nephew – Mao Yuanxin• Cut short mourning period for Zhou Enlai– Qingming Festival turns into a protest, riot,

crackdown

Gang of Four Bid for Power

• Gang of Four see Hua as weak and malleable

• Losing base of support, plan a coup• Includes assassinations of Hua and

other party officials• General Chen and Su report plans to

Hua• Gang of Four arrested and denounced

End of Gang of Four

• Years in prison before trial• Celebrations and denounced as enemies

of the people• Show trial• Death sentences and long prison

sentences• Blamed for excesses of Cultural

Revolution• “10 Lost Years”

Pragmatists

• Led by Deng Xiaoping• Support in moderates, rightists,

military• Deng rehabilitated after 3rd purge• Four Modernizations• Soon moved away from Hua’s “2

whatevers”

10 Year Plan (way better than 5)

• Driven by incentives and catching up• Military:– Modernize technology

• Science and Technology:– Reform education, send students overseas

• Industry:– Heavy industry, SOE’s, limited autonomy

• Agriculture:– Mechanize, Household Responsibility

System

Adding foreign capital

• Open Door Policy– Nixon visits in 1972– Diverisfy– Need managerial and technical training

• Special Economic Zones– Special zones for foreign investment to

limit exposure to west– Lenient economic policies

Results?

• Huge economic growth (11%)• Specialists training abroad had to

adjust to outdated systems at home• Consumer choice grew• Pollution and deforestation• Party members still privileged• Resentment growing…

Political Reforms

• Criticism of Gang of Four led to greater criticism

• Democracy Wall becomes a forum for public dissent

• Pro-democracy advocates growing• “5th Modernization”–Wei Jingsheng (show trial, 15 years)

More Political Reforms

• Deng travels, seeking new markets and allies

• Foreign journalists (like Jan Wong) allowed to report from within China

• Intellectuals allowed some criticism• 1986: students encouraged to

participate in government– Demonstrate for better conditions and

freedoms

Lead-up to Tiananmen Square

• Hu Yaobang dies (General Secretary) in April

• Mourning turns into criticism and calls for social change

• Students lead demonstrations in Tiananmen Square

• Includes pro-democracy movement and “Goddess of Democracy” statue

Tiananmen Square, June 1989

• Zhao Ziyang (new Gen. Sec) tries to work with protesters

• Students intensify protest, hunger strikes• Global attention due to Gorbachev’s visit– Foreign press in town

• Deng orders military to seize control• 100s killed, riots suppressed– “Tank Man”

Reaction?

• World supported protestors• Very little official response to

repression• Leaders rounded up and arrested• “Most Favored Nation” status

renewed in US• Zhang purged• Economic liberalization NOT political

USSR: Brezhnev Era

• Economic Stagnation• Years of poor harvests lead to morale

and productivity declines• Consumer goods limited and poor

quality• Thriving ‘black market’ • 25% GNP spent on military (missile

gap)

Dissent in USSR

• Samizdat– Self-published illegal pamphlets

distributed in USSR

• Tamizdat– Smuggled illegal pamphlets published

abroad

• Minorities and non-Russians– Using Helsinki Accords 1975 to advocate

for equal treatment

Political Stagnation

• Gerontocracy: rule by elderly• Very conservative• No new ideas or leaders• “stability” meant stagnation

Foreign Policy Challenges

• Brezhnev Doctrine – limited sovereignty

• Keep communist regimes in place, protect from internal and external threats

• Détente: SALT • Arms limitation• Role in Angolan revolution, Somalia,

Mozambique

Afghanistan 1979 - 1989

• Rebel forces, Mujahideen, oppose PDPA• Mujahideen assassinate PDPA leaders,

Soviet advisors…civil war brewing• Invasion to support PDPA, invoking

Brezhnev Doctrine• 10 year intervention, 10,000s lives lost• “USSR’s Vietnam”• CIA supported Mujahadeen

Andropov and Chernenko

• Brezhnev dies 1982• Continuation of much the same

policies• Supported suppression of Polish

Solidarity movement• Poor relations with USA• Gorbachev takes power in 1985

Gorbachev, 1985-1989

• 54 = young and vital!• Reformer• Sought to repair an ailing system• “the worst time for a regime to

reform is when it is in crisis”

Gorbachev’s Reforms

• Decreased alcohol consumption (lost tax revenue)

• Perestroika: Economy– Decentralize planning, end price controls

• Glasnost: Politics– Open to criticism, dissidents rehabilitated

• Demokratiztsiya

Gorbachev’s Foreign Policy

• Satellites expensive!– Renounce Brezhnev Doctrine

• Withdraw from Afghanistan– Too costly, no clear objective

• Meet with Reagan– Ease strain of confrontation

• INF and START treaties– Reduce stockpiles and cost of

maintaining arsenal

Consequences in Eastern Europe

• Satellites facing same problems• Dissent, economic instability,

shortage of consumer goods• Local party officials (apparatchiks)

concerned with Gorbachev’s reforms • Fear losing control• Nationalist movements gain

momentum

Poland - Solidarity

• Origins 1970 strike in Gdansk shipyard• Lech Walesa and others strike for

better conditions• “consumer socialism”• Rent controls, food prices controlled• Riot in 1976 to protest food prices• Leads to dissent movement and

underground newspaper “Robotnik”

Poland cont…

• Pope John Paul II visits 1980, encourages dissent on religious grounds

• National debt rising, food prices again• 21 demands, including legalize unions,

pay and working conditions, religion• Allowed to exist for 469 days• Leader imprisoned, martial law

Poland Cont…

• Created atmosphere of pluralism• Moral revolution• Peaceful focus, anti-political• 1981 October Program challenged

Communist Party• Martial Law imposed, Walesa

imprisoned

Poland Cont…

• Jaruzelski (Polish leader) imposes control• Allows media and religious freedom as

long as distanced from Solidarity• Weakness of economy difficult to address– “Fondest dream is of a roll of toilet paper”

• Solidarity legalized and invited to government meetings in Feb 1989

• Sweep elections

East Germany – Berlin Wall

• GDR loyal hardliners, Stasi feared• “Ostpolitik” built a bridge between

east and west• Open borders in Hungary and

Czechoslovakia lead to alarming exodus to west

• Dissent and protests abound• Travel laws relaxed, wall opens Nov

9, 1989

Czechoslovakia – Velvet Revolution

• Resisted de-Stalinization• Economic decline in 1950s lead to

reforms• Dubcek as leader: “Socialism with a

human face”– Open debate, relax censorship and

travel rules, greater autonomy for Slovakia

• Reforms concern hardliners

Czechoslovakia

• Students get involved, start non-communist parties

• Leader Vaclav Havel, writer and dissident

• Genuine democracy seems attainable• Neighboring regimes get concerned

by reforms• Hardliners appeal to Moscow

Prague Spring 1968

• Warsaw Pact forces invade in August• First exercise of “Brezhnev Doctrine”• Likened to Nazi invasion in 1939• Disillusioning to students and leaders• Confusion as to who was ‘helping’

who• Dubcek forced to capitulate at

gunpoint in Moscow

“Normalization”

• Gustav Husak hardliner• Purge party of reformers, censorship

restored, etc• Roll-back of reforms• State provided basic standard of living,

better than most Soviet bloc states• Charter 77 issued as opposition,

gained global publicity

Czechoslovakia 1981-1989

• Perestroika and Glasnost exciting ideas in Prague

• Even more exciting: rejection of Brezhnev Doctrine

• Dissidents cautious…• Economic decline leads to greater

dissent• Opportunities for young limited

Velvet Revolution 1989

• Opposition coming from environmental groups, political groups, rock and roll, etc

• Religious freedom demands growing (like Poland)

• May: borders open, June: Solidarity wins, Nov. 9: Berlin Wall down

• Nov 17 commemoration turns into anti-government riot

Velvet Revolution cont…

• Riot dealt with violently, leading to more protest and outrage

• Civic Forum created by Havel to articulate demands

• Communist party can’t hold on – no new ideas

• Police and military can’t be relied on to crackdown

• President resigns, Dubcek and Havel appear triumphant

• Havel new president by the end of 1989

Issues for post-Soviet control

• Lack of democratic traditions– United by opposition, now what do we want?

• Remnants of old regime– Old party admins needed to create structure

• Economic disasters– Harsh realities of global markets and

capitalism

• Socio-cultural – Economic crisis, fear and nationalism