Core topic 6: How secure was the USSR’s control over eastern Europe, 1949-89?
How did the Soviet Union control eastern Europe?
- Cominform
- Eastern Europe would be buffer against future attack on USSR
- Wanted resources from eastern Europe to rebuild USSR post-WW2, used Comecon
Cominform Comecon
Communist Information Bureau Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
Created by Stalin in 1947 to coordinate Created in 1949 to coordinated industries and
various governments in eastern Europe trade of eastern European countries
Ran meetings and sent instructions to Favoured USSR more than anyone else-
communist governments about what USSR provided it with market to sell goods, cheap
wanted them to do supply of raw goods
Set up bank for socialist countries in 1964
Members of Comecon would trade with one
another rather than with the West
Impact on ordinary people
- Communists originally brought hope, but:
o Freedom: countries lost lots of freedoms, censorships were introduced,
critics of government imprisoned, people were forbidden to travel to the
West, protests were crushed
o Wealth: between 1945 and 55, economies did recover, but soon wages fell,
and people were short of coal to heat houses, and process of clothing/shoes
was very high
o Consumer goods: people could not get consumer goods like radios, kettles,
TVs, which were common in the West. Economies of eastern Europe helped
USSR- made cables, machinery
Stalin to Khrushchev: a new era?
- Stalin died in 1953- people hoped for more relaxed rule
- After power struggles, Khrushchev emerged:
o Different from Stalin- peaceful co-existence with West
o Improving lives of ordinary citizens
o Closed Cominform, released political prisoners
o In 1956 speech, denounced Stalin
- New approach encouraged critics of communist rule
- In 1956, Poland, demonstrations broke out, demanding reforms and reinstating of
war-time Polish leader, Gomulka
- Violent clashes between protesters and police
- Gomulka was accepted after Khrushchev compromised- he was not the loyal ally he
wanted
- Moved Soviet tanks and troops to border to show he would only compromise so far
Case study 1- Hungary, 1956
, 1949-56 Hungary led by hardliner communist Ràkosi
Hungary hated his restrictions- lost freedom of speech, lived in fear of secret police,
resented presence of Soviet officials in Hungary
Hungarians had to pay for Soviet forces to be in Hungary
What happened?
- Opposition: in June 1956 group within Hungarian Communist Party opposed Ràkosi-
he appealed to Khrushchev to arrest 400 opponents. Moscow did not support-
Ràkosi was ordered to be retired
- Protest: new leader, Ernö Gerö, was more acceptable, but on 23rd October, during a
student demonstration, giant statue of Stalin in Budapest was toppled
- Reform: USSR allowed new government to be formed under Imre Nagy- in October
Soviet troops in Hungary began to withdraw, local councils were created to replace
Soviet power, Hungarian soldiers defected from army to rebels, with weapons
- Plans: Nagy’s government made plans: hold free elections, create impartial courts,
restore farmland to private ownership, total Soviet withdrawal from Hungary, leave
Warsaw pact, declare neutrality in Cold War. Hope that Eisenhower would back
Hungary with military force
How did the USSR respond?
- Khrushchev allowed some reforms, didn’t let Hungary leave the Warsaw Pact
- In November 1956, thousands of Soviet troops moved into Budapest- 2 weeks of
fighting, 3000 Hungarian deaths, 1000 Soviet deaths
- 200 000 Hungarians fled across border to Austria to escape communists
- Western powers protested to USSR, sent no help- preoccupied with Suez crisis
Outcomes
Khrushchev installed Kádár as leader, who took many moths to crush the resistance
35 000 anti-Communist activists arrested, 300 executed
Kadar introduced some reforms, but kept Hungary in Warsaw Pact
Case study 2: Czechoslovakia and the Prague Spring
Brezhnev had replaced Khrushchev
What happened?
- New leader: in 1967 old Stalinist leader replaced by Dubček- promised socialism with
a human face: less censorship, more freedom of speech, reduction in secret police
o Dubcek was committed communist, but thought it did not have to be so
restrictive
o Learned lessons from Hungarian Uprising, told Brezhnev he didn’t want to
leave Warsaw Pact
- New ideas: censorship eased, opponents were able to criticise communist rule,
expose corruption and ask awkward questions- known as Prague Spring because of
all new ideas
