The fall of communism in Eastern Europe began with reforms initiated by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s. Gorbachev's policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) gave citizens in Eastern Bloc nations more freedom and led them to push for democratic reforms. Nations like Poland, Hungary, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia held free elections and peacefully overthrew their communist governments in 1989. Romania's transition was more violent, with dictator Nicolae Ceausescu being overthrown and executed that same year. By 1990, communism had collapsed across Eastern Europe.

1. The Fall of
Communism in
Eastern Europe

2. KOREAN WAR 1950 - 1953
A) Communist North Korea crossed the ________________ and invades
democratic South Korea.
B) North Korea is driven back by UN peacekeeping forces led by the U.S.
C) In 1953, UN forces and North Korea sign a cease-fire agreement
38th
Parallel

3. STALIN DIES IN 1953

4. Changes After the Death of
Stalin
A) ______________________ comes to power.Nikita Khrushchev
B) Begins ______________________ -
purging the country of Stalin’s memory
- Publically denounces Stalin for jailing
and killing loyal Soviet citizens
- monuments are destroyed. His body is
reburied outside the Kremlin Wall
De-Stalinization
Calls for “peaceful competition”
with capitalist states

5. The Cold War World!The Cold War World! Eastern
European
Nations began to
push for more
freedoms!
Eastern
European
Nations began to
push for more
freedoms!
Modification of Nation-
State Rivalry:
1. NATO and Warsaw Pact:
Alliance systems of
democratic West and
communist East.
Modification of Nation-
State Rivalry:
1. NATO and Warsaw Pact:
Alliance systems of
democratic West and
communist East.

6. I. Hungary – October 1956
• ____________ formed a new government which promised free elections and
demanded Soviet troops leave Hungary.
• Hungarian army joined with protesters to overthrow the Soviet-controlled gov’t.
Imre Nagy

7. 7
USSR Crushes
Rebellions
• Soviet _______ rolled into Hungary
and killed 30,000 Hungarians.
• Soviets replaced the Hungarian
government with Soviet leaders.
• Imre Nagy was ______________.
• US and UN did nothing to help.
tanks
executed

8. 8
USSR Crushes
Rebellion

9. II. Cold War Tension
A. 1960 – The ____________________
• Khrushchev cancels summit meeting with Kennedy
when a US air force plane is captured in the USSR
U-2 Incident
C. 1962 - __________________________________
“We’re eyeball to eyeball and I think the other fellow just
blinked.”
• President Kennedy warns the Soviets to remove
missiles from Cuba.
• After a tense week, the Soviets pulled missiles out.
B. 1961 - ____________________ erected to prevent the
flow of East Germans into West Berlin.
Cuban Missile Crisis
Berlin Wall

10. East German border guard Conrad Schumann jumping
over the Berlin Wall on August 15, 1961
East German border guard Conrad Schumann jumping
over the Berlin Wall on August 15, 1961

11. D. 1964 – Khrushchev voted out, _________________ in!Leonid Brezhnev
E. The United States, under President Johnson, increases its
presence in South Vietnam, accusing the Soviets of supporting the
communist North.

12. • In 1968, Prague Spring - Czech communist leader, Alexander Dubcek introduced
reforms into the country – Socialism with a human face
• Including freedom of speech and press; freedom to travel aboard.
• Promised a gradual movement toward democracy
• Soviets invaded, crushed the reforms and replaced Dubcek.
III. Prague Spring - Czechoslovakia – 1968

13. Prague Spring Revolt

14. President Nixon helps lessen Cold War tensions
- First President to visit Soviet Union and Communist China
- Nixon and Brezhnev have a series of meetings called the Strategic Arms
Limitation Talks (SALT)
Détente – Relaxation Cold War Policy
Détente, Tension and Economic Strain

15. 1. June 1979 – President Carter and Brezhnev
sign the SALT II agreement
2. The Soviets invaded _____________________ that year – the U.S.
refused to ratify SALT II and boycotted the 1980 Olympics in
Moscow.
Afghanistan
Due to the oil crisis of 1973, the U.S. and U.K. suffered a series of
recessions and low economic growth.
D. 1983 – President Ronald Reagan announces the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) to protect
against enemy missiles. The Program, called Star Wars, was never put into effect.

16. Economic Problems

17. Communist Economy
A. Command Economy – Means of production are controlled by the ___________________: Very
inefficient system, focus on heavy industry NOT ____________________________
B. Successful in producing weapons and space technology
C. Failure of collectivized agriculture led to shortages, poverty, and corruption
D. Soviet products were inferior, Workers more concerned about quantity (quotas) than quality.
Workers had little incentive to work hard. (No raises, promotions, rewards)
A. Command Economy – Means of production are controlled by the ___________________: Very
inefficient system, focus on heavy industry NOT ____________________________
B. Successful in producing weapons and space technology
C. Failure of collectivized agriculture led to shortages, poverty, and corruption
D. Soviet products were inferior, Workers more concerned about quantity (quotas) than quality.
Workers had little incentive to work hard. (No raises, promotions, rewards)
government
consumer goods
Led to economic stagnation: A lack of economic growth starting in
1970s.

18. The Gorbachev Years (1985-1991)
After the death of Brezhnev in 1982, followed by the deaths of the next two General
Secretaries, Mikhail Gorbachev would become the leader of the Soviet Union in 1985.
First goal – Strengthen Economy:

19. Gorbachev

20. •Began rapid technological modernization
•Tried to make Soviet Bureaucracy more efficient and responsive
•Created incentives to increase worker productivity
The Gorbachev Revolution

21. 1.________________
(Openness) –
Gorbachev gave
freedom of
expression and
information, freedom
of the press, right to
criticize the
government
Glasnost
Major Reforms

22. 2. _________________ (Restructuring) – Reforms to democratize Soviet political system by
allowing multi-candidate elections, secret ballots, and limited free market capitalism, more
supply and demand, consumer goods.
3. Arms Talks – agreed with United States to destroy all intermediate range Nuclear Missiles –
Major thaw in Cold War tension
4. Withdrew Soviet troops from ________________ after 9 years of war and occupation.
Perestroika
Afghanistan

23. Freedom of Eastern Europe: The Crumbling of the Soviet Bloc
What impact will Gorbachev’s reforms have on the Eastern
European nations? Why?
What impact will Gorbachev’s reforms have on the Eastern
European nations? Why?

24. Solidarity in Poland

25. 2. __________________ - 1989 allowed free elections – gov’t renounces communist partyHungary
1. Poland – Government allows more freedom and free elections: 1989 – Trade Union
________________ under Lech Walesa wins majority.Solidarity

26. 3. East Germany – 1989 – East German Communist Politburo resigns.
Travel restrictions are lifted and _________________________________.
Free Elections lead to unification of Germany in 1990
Berlin Wall comes down!

28. ”It is as if many
have again
ignored the fact
that an attack on
the freedom of
individuals
threatens the
freedom of all.”
- Vaclav Havel

29. 4. Czechoslovakia – Politburos resign and free elections lead to collapse of Communism.
_______________________________ - Peaceful democratic takeover led by Vaclav
Havel who becomes new president.
5. Bulgaria – Free Elections lead to Communist leader, Todor Zhivkov, to be ousted
Velvet Revolution

30. 6. Romania – Violent revolution over Totalitarian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu
Protests gained support of the army and secret police who sided with the people.
After a quick trial, Ceausescu was tried and executed on Christmas Day, 1989.
How did Gorbachev’s new reforms affect
the Eastern European nations?
How did Gorbachev’s new reforms affect
the Eastern European nations?

31. Changes with Eastern Bloc Nations:
The Power of the Powerless!