Download HUB DATE 1989

Patrick Perez
Raffi Margossian
Jessica Cortez
AP Euro
Period 3
Spring Break
HUB DATE 1989
The Age of Revolutions in
Eastern Europe &
The Downfall of Communism
THEME
• Many Eastern European countries experienced a
collapse of communism during this year
because of popular resentment towards it.
Soviet Union
• Mikhail Gorbachev (b. 1931) was elected
president of Soviet Union in 1989.
• He introduced two new policies: Glasnost
(social reform) and Perestroika
(economic reform)
• Both policies encountered opposition
from his citizens, and he badly underestimated
the unrest that they could generate from their
discontent.
Soviet Union (cont.)
• His behavior towards Eastern Europe in 1989
showed that the Soviet Union could no
longer afford to support communist
governments .
• He decided to not intervene to uphold the
Soviet Union’s authority in the Communist
countries.
• During 1989 and 1990, the Baltic Republic’s
parliaments tried to decrease Soviet Control and
Lithuania declared independence.
Poland
• In 1981, General Wojciech Jaruzelski (b.
1923) became head of the Polish Communist
Party and imposed martial law.
• They had Solidarity leaders arrested. (Solidarity is
their independent union.)
• Later on, the government relaxed martial law and
released the Solidarity prisoners.
• In 1988, new strikes arose but the communist
government couldn’t impose control.
Poland (cont.)
• After consultations between the government and
Solidarity, Lech Walesa (b. 1944) served as the
mediator and the union became legalized.
• Jaruzelski promised free elections to a parliament
with increased powers.
• In the 1989 elections, the communists lost against
the Solidarity candidates.
• Jarzuelski couldn’t find a communist who could
forge a majority coalition in parliament, so he
turned to Solidarity and appointed a noncommunist
prime minister.
Hungary
• The Hungarian government opened its borders
with Austria, which permitted travel between the
two countries.
• This led thousands of East Germans to travel
through Hungary and Austria to West Germany.
• Janos Kadar (1912-1989) was stripped of his
position as the president of the Hungarian
Communist Party.
• The name of the Hungarian Communist Party was
changed to the Socialist Party and allowed other
political parties to engage in politics.
• They also promised free elections.
Czechoslovakia
• “The Velvet Revolution”
• After the Berlin Wall fell, Vaclav Havel (b. 1936)
led the revolutionary party
• December 1989 – Soviet Union, and members of
the Warsaw Pact recognized a .mistake in the 1968
invasion of Czechoslovakia
• The Civic Forum, Havel’s revolutionaries, forced
Gustav Husak (b. 1913) to resign.
• December 28, 1989 – Alexander Dubcek (19211992) became chairman of Parliament and Havel
became President.
The Velvet Revolution – Key People
• Vaclav Havel – Leader
of the revolutionary
party, the Civic Forum
Gustav Husak – President of
Czechoslovakia until 1989,
when Havel’s group forced his
resignation
Germany
• Autumn 1989 – Eastern Germany faced peaceful
demonstrations. This began the movement for
unification
• Gorbachev refused to show military support
• The majority of the government resigned and
younger communists took over
• November 1989 the Berlin Wall fell and an
emotional celebration began
• Helmut Kohl, chancellor of West Germany began
the unification movement in late 1989
• By 1990, the United States, Soviet Union, France
and Great Britain recognized the reunification.
Fall of Berlin Wall 1989
Eastern & Western Germans take down the Berlin Wall
Romania
• Involved significant violence.
• Nicolae Ceausescu (1918-1989) had governed a
Communist regime in Romania since 1965.
• In mid-December, he fired on crowds that were
during their demonstrations.
• By December 22, 1989, the capital city of
Bucharest had been in full revolt.
• Nicolae and his wife attempted to leave the country,
but were captured and tried, and were executed on
December 25, 1989.
Post - 1989
• After Germany United, the Warsaw Pact
dissolved leaving Communism at the peak of
its destruction
• The Cold War officially ended in November
1990 when the Soviet Union, the United States
& other Western European Leaders signed the
Charter for a New Europe
• By late 1991, Russia, Ukraine & Belarus formed
the Commonwealth of Independent
States and the Soviet Union no longer existed.