Summary
Summary History IGCSE Cambridge Core Content B Modern World History Topic 6: How Secure was USSR’s control over Eastern Europe
- Institution
- CIE
Short but detailed notes that really help you tackle the questions
[Show more]
1 review
By: lilyrmd • 4 year ago
Content preview
1Topic 6: How Secure was USSR’s control over Eastern Europe
1948-1989
6.1 Opposition to USSR control in Hungary in 1956 and how did USSR
react?
6.1.1 Background
● after WW2 the Communist quickly gained control of Eastern Europe
● the chaotic situation in many of the countries helped them
● Stalin used a “carrot and stick” approach to control eastern Europe
● after the war there was a political vacuum in many countries in Eastern Europe
○ Stalin helped Communist parties in each country to win power
○ through Cominform he made sure that these eastern European countries
followed the same policies as the USSR
○ they became 1 party states
○ Communist party was the only legal party
○ secret police arrested communists’ opponents
● there was also a need to restore law and order
○ provided a good excuse to station USSR troops in each countries
● COMINFORM was used by Stalin to gain control over states in Eastern Europe:
○ stands for Communist Information Bureau
○ Stalin set up Cominform in 1947 as an organisation to co-ordinate the various
Communist governments in Eastern Europe
○ Cominform ran meetings and sent out instructions to Communist governments
about was the USSR wanted
● the economies of eastern Europe were shattered:
○ to rebuild them the governments followed the economic policies of USSR
■ USSR took over all industry
■ workers and farmers were told what to produce
■ through COMECON Stalin made sure that the countries of Eastern Europe
traded with USSR
■ Stalin promised aid to countries that cooperated with USSR
1
, 2
● COMECON January 1949= was set up with the objective of coordinating the national
economies of the countries behind the Iron Curtain (proved more favourable to USSR than
to other members) set up a bank for communist countries. They wanted communist
countries to trade with communist countries instead of West
● Stalin’s public reason for wanting to control Eastern Europe was to defend USSR from
invasion from west
● however his subsequent policies showed that he also wanted to benefit from the wealth
and resources of Eastern Europe
● some were happy about USSR takeover of Eastern Europe since:
○ USSR had experienced industrial growth before WW2 and by following Soviet
methods they could do the same
○ USSR style Communism also offered them stable government and security
because they were backed by one of the world’s superpowers
● faced by shortages and poverty after the war, many people hoped for great things from
Communism
● but USSR control was very different:
○ right to democratic government lost
○ free speech lost (Hungary, Czech)
○ newspapers censored (Prague spring)
○ government critics put jail
○ travel to countries in the west was prohibited
○ factories in satellite countries produced goods demanded by USSR rather than those
that ordinary people wanted
○ shortage of basics such as coal milk meat (Poland Solidarity)
○ clothing was very expensive and consumer goods such as electric kettles and radios
were unavailable
○ wages were even less than those in USSR
○ Stalin forbade countries of Eastern Europe from applying for Marshall aid
● when Stalin died in 1953 was replaced by Khrushchev:
○ ended USSR’s long feuds with China and Yugoslavia
○ talked about peaceful co-existence with West
○ made plans to reduce expenditure on arms
○ attended the first post- war summit between USSR, USA, France and Britain in July
1955
2
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller RaphaelMizrahi. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £3.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
67474 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now