Soviet Decline:Brezhnev & Gorbachev

Brezhnev● 1964 - Khrushchev outed by party

leadership● Brezhnev becomes party premier● Emerges as leader of Soviets

Invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968)● Czechs move towards more liberal

communism● Allowed for more open

discussion/intellectual rights within society/party

● Warsaw Pact allies invaded Czechoslovakia to oust leader Alexander Dubcek

● Replaced leader with more soviet friendly leader

● Brezhnev Doctrine created○ The right of the Soviet Union to intervene

in Communist countries domestic policy

DétenteDetente - cooling off or easing of tensions

Look at timeline page 256 - 257

Important Detente moments:

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

SALT

Helsinki Accords

Was it actually Detente?● Brezhnev spent heavily on military

○ Became largest armed force in the world○ Due to military spending economic

stagnation hit USSR● Did not follow human rights principles set

out in the Helsinki accords● Sponsored war effort in Vietnam and

Nicaragua● Gave funds and weapons to middle

eastern countries against Israel

Invasion of Afghanistan● Civil war taking place in Communist

Afghanistan● Soviets invaded to try and establish a

puppet gov’t○ Invaded with 80,000 men○ Good location - close to Asia and Middle

East○ Ending Detente

● Middle Eastern countries were worried and asked for a withdraw

● Religious factions worried about heavy soviet influence

● 1980 America boycotted Moscow olympic games

● 10 Year war that largely drained resources○ Weakened Soviet strength

The Collapse of the Soviet Union

Gorbachev’s Policies

Separation of Eastern Europe

Collapse of Soviet Union

Gorbachev’s Policies

Gorbachev’s Policies● Takes leadership in 1985

○ Not immediately after Brezhnev● USSR is still economically stagnate

○ Military is weakened due to continued conflict in Afghanistan

● He would be the last Soviet President

Reforms:

PerestroikaGlasnostDemokratizatsiya (Democratization)

GorbachevReagan

Gorby’s Reforms: Glasnost (Started 1986)● Gorbachev’s attempt at political reform● Glasnost - ‘Openness’ - People were free

to discuss and criticize gov’t● Workers permitted to criticize party● Dissidents released from prison

Demokratizatsiya(Democratization)● Introduced multiple candidates in

elections(not multiple parties)● Attempt to change the ‘old guard’ of party● Started to allow more defined factions

within the party

Gorby’s Reforms: Perestroika● Gorbachev’s attempt to improve the Soviet

economy● Perestroika - was the re-structuring of

centralized economic ministries by moving towards decentralization

○ Appeased worker discontent by increasing freedom and raising wages

○ 1990 - started to open markets (liberalized economy)

○ Advocated private property● These reforms were largely unsuccessful

in improving the economy

Separation of Eastern Europe

Poland● 1980 - Poland challenged Soviets with the

‘Solidarity movement’○ Angered by lack of food and consumer

goods○ People organized rallies○ Communist leader shuts down Solidarity

movement by implementing martial law■ Arrests those involved

● 1989 - Solidarity re-emerges○ Polish still unhappy about economic

situation○ Open elections are allowed

■ Communists lose to Solidarity○ 1st non-communist prime minister since

1945■ Gorbachev approves

Hungary (1989)● Following Poland’s lead seeks

independence● Opened borders with Austria

○ Breaking the Iron Curtain○ East Germans escaped through Hungary

● Honour leader of Hungarian uprising of 1958 (Imre Nagy)

● Promise free elections○ Communist party now called Socialist party

Germany (1989)● Mass demonstrations in East Berlin● Soviets refused to send force to put it

down● November - Berlin Wall ordered open by

East Berlin● Feb 1990 - Germany was reunified

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK1MwhEDjHg

Soviet Response to Revolutions● Gorbachev recounced the Brezhnev

doctrine● Eastern European nations can now mold

their own foreign policy● The global response to the violent put

down of ‘Tiananmen Square’ made Gorbachev worried about violently putting down the uprisings

○ Tiananmen Square Massacre - China violently put down democratic protests in Beijing

● Couldn’t economically support communists countries

The Collapse of the Soviet Union● Moved away from the single party system and

allowed competition

3 main factions existed● Those who wanted to keep it the

same(conservatives)○ Gorbachev appointed many of these people

into important positions within the party and gov’t

● Those who wanted extensive change○ Yeltsin

● Those who want to regional separation○ Primarily Baltic states

August 1991 Coup● Conservative forces staged a coup on Russian

Parliament○ Gorbachev put on house arrest

● Yeltsin denounces the coup, wants continued progress towards democracy

● Coup collapsed in two days○ Citizens were elated

● Gorbachev was humiliated by being overthrown by his own

○ Yeltsin takes on dominant political role○ Communist party popularity fell with the coup

● This would mark the end of the Soviet Union● Soviet Union would split up into 15 republics● Yeltsin would lead Russia as its first president

(1991-99)