History IGCSE CIE

Why was it surprising that the Allies and USSR were allies?

• Clash in ideologies (Communism/Democracy)

• Stalin believed that appeasement was useless, his own suspicions drove them apart

• Britain and the US helped enemies of the USSR in the past (eg. Russian Civil War)

• 1920s communists persecuted in the US during the 'red scare'; - Britain blamed a general strike on communist agents

• West upset with the USSR for signing the Nazi soviet pact

• USSR wanted allies to launch a second military front against Germany; bitter that this did not happen until 1944.

How had the role of the US changed after WWII?

• 1930s: US followed a policy of isolationism (keeping out of Europe and world affairs)

• Britain and France no longer large enough, rich enough, or strong enough to be world leaders anymore

• 1940s: Roosevelt turned away from isolationism, effectively opposing communism (believed the US responsible for world collaboration)

• No more appeasement; from now on communist actions would be met with an American response.

What were the ideologies of the US?

• Capitalist - business and property privately owned.

• Democracy - government chosen in free elections

• World's wealthiest country (but extremes of wealth and poverty)

• Freedom from government control > equality

• Alarmed by communist theory which included the spread of revolution

• Believed that their policies were doing the right thing rather than serving own interests

• Other countries should follow its way

What were the ideologies of the USSR?

• Communist - business and property state owned

• One party system elections featured only in those who belonged to the communist party

• Economic superpower but general standard of living was lower than the US (but employment and extreme poverty rare)

• Individual rights < good of society as a whole

• Role of the communist state was to spread the revolution worldwide

• Believed the US was selfishly building its economic empire and political influence Other countries should follow its way

What was the Yalta Conference?

• February 1945

• Clear Germany losing war

• Discussion of what would happen after Germany's defeat

• Attended by Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill

• Met at Yalta

What were the Territorial agreements of the Yalta Conference?

• Germany to be divided into Four Zones of Influence: American, British, French and Soviet (Capital: Berlin, inside the Soviet zone.)

• Countries liberated from Germany to be allowed free elections choose their own governments (although USSR had a different view of 'democracy')

• Countries liberated from Germany have emergency government; included all anti Nazi groups

• Eastern Europe should be 'a soviet sphere of influence'

What were the agreements of the Yalta Conference regarding people?

• Germans living in Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia would be sent back to Germany

• War criminal responsible for the concentration camps and genocide to be punished; Nazi Party to be banned

What were the other agreements at the Yalta Conference?

• All would join the newly created United Nations Organisation formed to keep the peace after war

• USSR agreed to enter war against Japan after Germany surrendered (in return for the land)

• All parties would receive reparations from Germany

What had Stalin wanted that caused disagreement at Yalta?

• Stalin wanted to move the border of the USSR further west into Poland (similar to what it received in the Nazi-Soviet Pact)

• Stalin concerned over security of Russia: Soviet Pact and ensure Poland had a government friendly towards Russia

What had Churchill and Roosevelt believed to cause disagreement at Yalta?

• Did not support this but there was a little they could: USSRs troops already controlled Poland and Eastern Germany

• Churchill and Roosevelt difficult decision: what would happen in Poland would set pattern for the rest of Eastern Europe -Struck a deal with Stalin: accept his proposal if he agreed not to interfere in Greece where the British were attempting to stop the communists from taking over

What was the Potsdam Conference?

• July-August 1945

• Attended by Truman, Stalin, Churchill and Atlee

What happened between Yalta and Potsdam?

• USSR liberated much of Eastern Europe but did not withdraw its troops

• A Communist government set up in Poland against its wishes;

• Roosevelt (died) replaced by vice president, Harry Truman: more anti-Comminst than Roosevelt

• Churchill (lost elections) replaced by Clement Attlee midway though - did not have the same authority as Churchill;

Why had Potsdam had more tension?

• Conference dominated by Truman/ Stalin rivalry (distrust)

• US successfully tested atomic bomb - did not inform Stalin until Potsdam undermining trust between the two (although, probably not a surprise thanks to spies)

• With Germany defeated, the Allies were no longer united by a common enemy

What were the agreements of the Potsdam Conference?

• Germany would be divided as agreed at Yalta (Division of Berlin into four zones as well)

• Reparations (see above)

• Poland's eastern border would be moved west to the rivers Oder and Neisse (reduction of the size of Germany)

• The Nazi Party was banned and its leaders would be tried as war criminals

• Germans living in Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia would be sent back to Germany

What were the disagreements at Potsdam?

• Dominated by rivalry/suspicion between Truman and Stalin

• Truman had atom bomb and attempted to assert his authority, Stalin would not allow himself to be bullied

• Stalin wanted to cripple Germany; Truman did not want to repeat Versailles - wanted Germany rebuilt

• Stalin wanted to impose heavy reparations on Germany - aprx. 20m Russians dead and USSR devastated; Truman did not want to repeat Versailles

• Compromise: Allies would take reparations from the zones they controlled

• Truman was unhappy about Soviet 'sphere of influence' and adopted a 'get tough' attitude towards Stalin.

What was the Iron Curtain?

• Term Churchill used to describe the political boundary dividing Europe east and west from the end of WWII in 1945

• Eastern Europe now under increasing control of Soviet sphere of influence

What was Cominform?

• Communist Information Bureau

• Created to coordinate work of communist parties in Eastern Europe

• Leaders regularly brought to Moscow to be instructed by Stalin

• Allowed Stalin to keep a close eye on them

• Independent leaders replaced by ones loyal to Stalin

How did Stalin tighten his grip in East Germany?

• Given control of the eastern zone after WWII

• Run by Red Army until creation of German Democratic Republic

How did Stalin tighten his grip in Poland?

• Communists joined coalition government

• 1947: Became leaders after they forced non-communist leader into exile

How did Stalin tighten his grip in Czechoslovakia?

• 1945: Left-wing coalition won elections

• 1946: Communists became largest single party, but still a coalition

• 1948: Position threatened, banned other parties; made Czechoslovakia communist, one party state.

How did Stalin tighten his grip in Hungary?

• 1947: Communists became largest single party

• 1947 Elections: Imprisoned opposition and attacked Church leaders

How did Stalin tighten his grip in Romania?

• 1945: Communist elected Prime Minister in left-wing coalition. - 1947: Communists abolish the monarchy

How did Stalin tighten his grip in Yugoslavia?

• 1945: Marshal Tito (led war-time resistance against Nazis) elected president

• Wanted to apply communism in his own way

• 1948: Expelled from Cominform

How did Stalin tighten his grip in Bulgaria?

• 1945: Left-wing coalition won elections -Communist members executed leaders of other parties

How did Stalin tighten his grip in Albania?

• Post war: Communist gained power

• Nationalist resistance movements opposed Axis forces; little opposition during war (communists)

• End of War: Strong communist movements had backing of Yugoslavia and USSR

How did Stalin tighten his grip in France and Italy?

• Both France and Italy had strong Communist parties

• Belonged to Cominform.

How did the West react to the spread of Communism in eastern Europe?

• Alarmed: Stalin's take-over of eastern Europe.

• Accepted: Soviet security needed friendly governments in eastern Europe.

• Agreed: eastern Europe to be a Soviet 'sphere of influence'

• Did not expect: Complete communist domination; Felt it possible to have governments that were democratic and friendly to USSR

• Stalin: saw policy in eastern Europe as making himself secure, - Truman: only saw the spread of communism.

What was the period of the Cold War?

• 1946: Wartime alliance replaced with mutual suspicion and accusations

• US/USSR publicly spoke of the threat of war and began increasing their stock of weapons

• US/USSR took every opportunity to criticise the policies or the plans of the other

• Atmosphere of tensions and blame

• 'Cold war' was to last for the next 40 years

• No fighting (thus 'cold' war) but US/USSR threatened military confrontation and sent troops and/ or advisers to help other states or groups

What happened in Greece Post WWII?

• 1944: Germans retreat; 2 groups want power (Monarchist/Communist)

• Both involved in resistance against the Nazis

• Communist: Greece = Soviet Republic

• Monarchist = Return of King

• 1945: Churchill sends British troops to 'restore order' and 'supervise free elections'

• British supported monarchists and king was returned to power.

• USSR protested to UN; UN takes no action

• Communist attempt to take it by force; resutling in a Civil War

• Britain retreats: can not afford war but US paid for some troops to stay

What was the Truman Doctrine?

• Change in American attitude to world politics

• USA prepared to send money, equipment and advice to any country which was threatened by a communist take-over.

• Truman accepted eastern Europe now communist

• Aim: to stop communism from spreading any further

• Policy known as containment

What was the Marshall Plan?

• European Recovery Program

• Truman: Communism succeeded when people faced poverty and hardship

• General George Marshall sent to assess economic condition

• Europe owed $11.5 billion to US; still extreme shortage of all goods; Most countries are still rationing bread.

• Winter 1947: Coal shortages n Britain; all electricity turned off for a period each day

• Churchill: 'a rubble heap, a breeding ground of hate'

• Marshall estimated that it would take about $17 billion to rebuild Europe

What happened in Congress regarding the Marshall Plan?

• December 1947: Truman put his plan to congress

• Congress refused to grant money

• Americans concerned about Trumans involvement in foreign affairs

What happened in Czechoslovakia?

• Ruled by coalition government (included communists)

• Tried to pursue policies of independent of Moscow

• March 1948: Anti soviet leaders purged, one pro American minister dead (suspected murder)

What were the consequences of Czechoslovakia?

• Congress accepted Marshall Plan and made $17 billion available over a period of 4 years

What was the positive perception of the Marshall Plan?

• Extremely generous (unlikely accomplish on their own for a long time)

• US offering free money

What was the negative perception of the Marshall Plan?

• Served self interest

• Stop the spread of communism

• Show that their system of government was better

• Open new markets for American goods (needed European trade to be healthy and wanted to avoid another worldwide slump like the Depression)

• More allies

What did Stalin think of the Marshall Plan?

• Suspicious: refused to have anything to do with it

• Forbade any of the Soviet-controlled Eastern European countries from applying for aid

• Believed Marshall Plan anti-communist; would weaken control in eastern Europe

• US trying to show their system more successful

• Dominate Europe by making it dependant on US dollars

• Soviets: plan was the first step in creating a military alliance that would wage war on the USSR

What was Comecon?

• Council for mutual Economic Assistance

• Communist alternative/ response to Marshall Plan

• Eastern Europe provides raw materials to USSR and the USSR manufactured goods to them

• Aims:

1. encourage economic development in Eastern Europe

2. prevent trade with the West

What did the Allies do in their 'Zones of influence'?

• Britain, US and France merge zones into one (Trizonia)

• Created a new common currency (the Deutschmark) to boost the economy (as the old currency was basically worthless)

• Set up a German assembly and constitution.

What did Stalin think of the Allies changes to their 'Zones of influence'?

• Temporary zones of influence looking less permanent

• Strong, united prosperous Germany worried Stalin

• Feared new ideas and currency would spread to Soviet Zone and undermine his efforts to weaken Germany

• Believed the west creating a permanently divided Germany; allowed US troops to remain

How did Stalin respond to the Allies changes to their 'Zones of influence'?

• June 1948: Stalin blocked supply routes (roads, railways, canals) connecting western areas to Berlin

• USA ram roadblocks or railway blocks; could be seen as an act of war

• Stalin expected Truman to announce withdrawal; give Soviets control over Berlin; propaganda victory

• Wanted to make city dependant on USSR and force city to join them

How did the Allies respond to the Berlin Blockade?

• Berlin Airlift: Truman ordered that aircraft should fly supplies into Berlin

• 11 month operation; Stalin lifted the Blockade in May 1949

• 24 hour operation

• If US challenge blockade; act of war but do nothing, Berliners starve and they lose city

• Test of the containment policy

• "Operation vittles"

• Still shortages

• 1949: Stalin eventually reopened communications

What were the consequences of the Berlin Blockade?

• Powerful Symbol: Berlin symbol of Cold War and flashpoint

• PR victory for West: Demonstrated commitment to containment

• 1949: Germany divided: Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the eastern zone became the German democratic republic (EG)

• Pro-western, anti-commubist government elected in West Germany; exactly what Stalin didn't want

• Germany divided for the next 41 years; Berlin became a symbols of the Cold War tensions

• Pattern for confrontation: proxy wars and suspicion

What was NATO?

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization

• Formed 1949

• Members promised to maintain their ability to resist attacks and to help each other if attacked

What was the Warsaw Pact?

• Response to NATO engulfing West Germany

• Promised to defend each other if attack and not to interfere in internal affairs

• Formed 1955

How did the Soviet Union seize control in Eastern Europe (Political Vacuum and Cominform)?

• Political vacuum after WWII; USSR assisted communist parties win power

• Cominform used to ensure eastern Europe followed same policies as USSR

• Became one-party states; other parties declared illegal

• Secret police used to silence opponents

How did the Soviet Union seize control in Eastern Europe (Law and Order)?

• Imprisonment of non communists who criticise the government

• Censorship of newspapers

• Law and order needed to be restored after WWII; provided excuse to station Soviet troops in Eastern Europe

How did the Soviet Union seize control in Eastern Europe (Economies and Comecon)?

• 1964: Comecon set up banks in socialist countries; provided the USSR with a market to sell its goods to

• Guaranteed cheap supply of raw materials (eg. Poland forced to sell coal to USSR at 1/10 market price)

• Lack of consumer goods; geared towards the USSR's needs

• Economies were shattered and need to be rebuilt

• Followed policies of the USSR; took over industry and factories/ workers told what to produce

• Comecon used to ensure that eastern Europe traded with the USSR; aid promised to those that cooperated

How did the Soviet Union seize control in Eastern Europe (Defence and Resources)?

• Publicly, Stalin wanted control of Eastern Europe to defend the USSR from another attack from the West

• Later policies suggest that he also wanted to benefit from the wealth and resources gained by this takeover

Why had the Soviets takeover brought hope to some?

• USSR achieved amazing industrial growth before WWII; perhaps same could be achieved in Eastern Europe

• USSR emerged from WWII as world superpower; could offer stability and security

• Faced with food shortages and poverty, some hoped for great things under the communists

How did Soviet control impact peoples freedom and protests?

• Countries with free speech and democratic governments lost right to criticise the government

• Censorship of newspapers

• Non communists put in prison for criticising government

• Forbidden to travel to countries in western Europe

• Protests (eg. East Germany 1953) crushed by security forces.

How did Soviet control impact peoples wealth?

• 1945-1955: eastern European economies did recover but wages in eastern Europe below wages in other countries

• Short of coal to heat their houses

• Clothing and shoes were very expensive.

• Eastern Europe forbidden to apply for Marshall aid

How did Soviet control impact consumer goods?

• No consumer goods (radios, electric kettles or televisions)

• Economies geared towards Soviet Union

• Factories produced machinery or electric cables, not what ordinary people wanted

• Eastern Europe experience shortages long after west

What did Khrushchev change? What didn't he change?

• Ended USSR's long feuds with China and Yugoslavia

• Talked of peaceful co-existence with the West

• Made plans to reduce expenditure on arms

• Attended the first post war summit between the USSR, USA, France and Britain in July 1955

• Said he wanted to improve the living standards of ordinary citizens

• Didn't change the Warsaw Pact

What was 'De-Stalinsation'?

• Khrushchev's denouncing of Stalin's legacy

How did Khrushchev implement it?

• Closed Cominform

• Released thousands of political prisoners

• Pulled troops from Austria

• Invited Marshall Tito to Moscow

• Dismissed Stalin's former Foreign Minister Molotov

• Signalled to Eastern Europe that they would have greater independence

• Wanted to return to more traditional communist agenda of Bolshevis under Lenin

• 'Secret Speech' at Congress of Communist Party- attacked Stalin as a tyrant and enemy of the people; criticised purges, persecution and the fear that existed

What had the Hungarians thought of Hungary between 1949-1956?

• Led by a hard-line Communist Matyas Rakosi

• Hungarians hated restrictions put on them by Rakosi

• Lost freedom of speech

• Fear of secret police

• Resented presence of Soviet troops and officials in Hungary

• Had Russian street signs, schools and shops

• Had to pay for Soviet forces to be in Hungary

What happened during June 1956?

• Group in Communist Party in Hungary opposed Rakosi

• Rakosi appealed to Moscow for help; wanted to arrest 400 leading opponents

• Moscow didn't back him; ordered Rakosi to retire due to 'health reasons'

• New leader Erno Gero, was no more acceptable

What happened in Hungary, October 1956?

• 23 October: huge student demonstration: giant statue of Stalin in Budapest was pulled down

• 24 October: USSR allowed new government to be formed under well respected Imre Nagy

• Soviet troops and tanks stationed in Hungary

• Hungarians created 1000s of local councils to replace Soviet power

• 1000s of Hungarian soldiers from army defected to rebel cause with weapons

What did Nagy's government plan to do?

• Hold free elections

• Create impartial courts

• Restore farmland to private ownership

• Wanted total withdrawal of Soviet army from Hungary

• Planned to leave Warsaw Pact and declare Hungary neutral in Cold War

• Optimism that Eisenhower would support independent; Hungary with armed troops if necessary

What did Khrushchev think of these actions?

• At first, Khrushchev seemed ready to accept some reforms

• Could not accept Hungary leaving the Warsaw Pact

What happened November 1956?

• Thousands of Soviet troops and tanks moved into Budapest Hungarians did not give in

• Two weeks of fighting

• About 3,000 Hungarians

• 7,000-8,000 Russians were killed

• 200,000 Hungarians fled into Austria to escape the Communist forces

What were the outcomes of Hungary 1956?

• Khrushchev put Janos Kadar in place as leader

• Took several months to crush all resistance

• 35,000 anti-Communist activists arrested; 300 were executed

• Introduced some reforms demanded by Hungarian people; but did not waver on the membership of the Warsaw Pact

What happened during the 1960s in Czechoslovakia?

• 1967: Old Stalinist leader replaced by Alexander Dubček

• Committed communist, but believed communism did not have to be as restrictive

• Learned lessons of Hungarian uprising

• Reassured Brezhnev that Czechoslovakia had no plans to pull out of the Warsaw pact or Comecon

What did Alexander Dubček propose?

• Proposed policy of 'socialism with a human face'

• Less censorship, more freedom of speech, reduction inactivities of secret police

• Censorship eased, opponents able to criticise failings of communist rules

• Period known as The Prague Spring due to new ideas appearing everywhere

• Radical ideas emerge by summer; talk of allowing another political party (the Social Democratic Party) to be set up

What did the Soviets think of what was happening in Czechoslovakia?

• Soviet Union suspicious of changes taking place in Czechoslovakia as well as other communist leaders in eastern Europe

• Worried new ideas might spread

• Brezhnev came under pressure from East German and Polish leaders to clamp down on reform in Czechoslovakia

What did the USSR do in the Summer of 1968?

• USSR tried various tactics to slow Dubček down

• Intimidate Czechs → Soviet, Polish and East German troops performed public training exercises right on the Czech border

• Thought about imposing economic sanctions → eg. cancelling wheat exports to Czechoslovakia

• Didn't because thought that Czechs would ask for help from the West

How did the USSR respond in July 1968?

• July → USSR held summit conference with Czechs

• Dubček agreed not to allow a new Social Democratic Party but insisted on keeping most reforms.

• Tension eases

What did the USSR do during August 1968?

• 20 August 1968 → Soviet tanks moved into Czechoslovakia

• Little violent resistance

• Dubček removed from power

• Experiment in socialism with a human face had not failed, simply proved unacceptable to other communist countries

What were the outcomes of Czechoslovakia and the Prague Spring 1968?

• Dubček not executed

• Gradually downgraded

• Sent to be ambassador to Turkey; expelled from Communist Party

• Photographs showing him as leader 'censored'

• Clear that reforming ideas regarded as threat to communist rule by all communist leaders

• Leaders feared that their own people would demand the same freedom that Dubcek had allowed in Czechoslovakia

What was the Brezhnev Doctrine?

• Essentials of communism defined as a one party system

• To remain a member of the Warsaw Pact

What was the impact of Hungary on eastern Germans?

• Only way of escaping was to leave

• Some wanted to leave for political reasons; many wanted to leave for economic reasons

• Living conditions in West Berlin looked much better to people in East Berlin

• 1950s: East Berliners were able to travel into West Berlin and West Germany freely; Tempting to leave East Germany (harsh Communist regime, hardline leader, Walter Ulbricht) Late 1950s: Thousands leaving; Defectors often highly skilled workers or well qualified managers

• Communist government could not afford to lose these people; undermined communism

What was the 'solution'?

• 1961: USA had new president (Kennedy)

• Khrushchev thought he could bully Kennedy and chose to pick a fight over Berlin

• Insisted that Kennedy withdraw US troops from city; Kennedy refused

• 2am, 13 August 1961: East German soldiers erected barbed wire barrier along border; replaced by concrete wall

• All crossing points sealed, except Checkpoint Charlie

• Chaos ensued; border guards kept a lookout for anyone crossing the wall - had order to shoot defectors

• Hundreds killed over the next three decades

What were the outcomes of the Berlin Wall?

• October 1961: US diplomats and troops crossed regularly into East Berlin to find out how the Soviet would react

• 27 October: Soviet tanks pulled up to Checkpoint Charlie and refused to allow any further access to the East

• After 18 hours, the tanks slowly pulled back

• Everyone relieved - Khrushchev ordered Ulbricht to avoid any actions that would increase tension

• Wall stayed, symbol of division

• Communists presented the wall as a protective shell around East Berlin

• West presented it as a prison wall

What happened in Poland Between 1970-1981?

Late 1970: Polish economy hit crisis (1979 worst year) July 1980: Government announced increased price of meat August 1980: Workers at Gdansk shipyard, led by Lech Walesa, put forward 21 demands to Governments (incl. free trade unions and right to strike)

• Started free trade union called Solidarity

• August 30 1980: Government agreed to all 21 of Solidarity's demand

• September 1980: Solidarity's membership grew to 3.5 million

• October 1980 Solidarity membership 7 million; officially recognised by Government

• January 1981 Membership of Solidarity reached peak at 9.4 million; more than a third of all workers in Poland

Why had Solidarity been successful?

• Union strongest in industries most important to Government ; Shipbuilding and heavy industry

• General strike in these industries would have devastated Poland's economy

• Union popular, almost half of all workers belonged. Lech Walesa kind of a folk hero

• Solidarity had support of Catholic church; strong in Poland

How had Solidarity been in its early stages?

• Early stages: Union not seen by its members as an alternative to the communist party

• More than 1 million members (30 percent) of the Communist Party joined Solidarity

• Lech Walesa careful in negotiations with the government; avoid provoking a dispute that might bring the Soviet Union in

What did the Government do in response to Solidarity in its early stages?

• Government praying for time; hoped Solidarity break into rival factions

• Drew up plans for Martial rule (rule by the army)

• Solidarity gained support in the West that neither Hungarian or Czech rising had

• Walesa well known in Western media; people in west brought Solidarity badges to show support

• Scale of movement ensured that Soviet Union treated Polish crisis cautiously

What happened in February 1981 in Poland?

• February 1981: situation changed; civilian prime minister "resigned" and leader of army (general Jaruzeleski) took over

• People expected Soviet Union to "send in the tanks"

• Solidarity congress produced an "open letter"; campaigning not only for their own rights but for the rights of workers throughout the communist bloc

• Proclaimed that the Poles were fighting "For Your Freedom and For Ours"

How did Jaruzelski respond and how did Brezhnev follow that up?

• Jaruzelski and Walesa negotiated to form a government of national understanding

• December 1981: after nine months of tense relationships, the government broke down; communist government acts.

• Brezhnev ordered Red Army to carry out "training manoeuvres" on Polish border.

• Jaruzelski introduced martial law.

• Put Walesa and almost 10,000 other Solidarity leaders in prison

• He suspended solidarity.

Why would the USSR want to crush Solidarity?

• Solidarity was acting as a political party

• Secret tapes of Solidarity meeting setting up a new provisional government without Communist Party

• Had many different factions; some more hardline than others

• Strikes continued long after leadership order them to stop

• Soviet Union had seen enough; situation in Poland gone too far

What state was Poland in during 1981?

• Poland sinking into chaos; Almost all poles felt impact of food shortages

• April 1981: Rationing introduced

• Wages increased by less than inflation

• Unemployment rising

• Solidarity tumbling into chaos

What was the significance of Solidarity?

• Highlighted failure of Communism to provide good living standards

• Undermined Communism's claim to be a system which benefited ordinary people

• Highlighted inefficiency and corruption

• Showed that there were organisations capable of resisting Communist governments

• Showed that Communist governments could be threatened by 'people power'

• If Soviet policy were to change Communist control would not survive; if military force not used, communist control seemed shaky

What problems did the USSR face?

• Weak economy: spending too much on arms race; stuck in an expensive and fruitless war in Afghanistan

• Believed communism should improve life for people; offended that Soviet-made goods were poor; living standards higher in the west

• Work standards slipping: people no longer worked hard out of loyalty or fear; lack of incentive; sloppy

• Corruption hurt production: alcoholism a problem - lowering production and average life expectancy of soviet men.

• No new ideas on how to run economy since Stalin: leaders followed same policies and ignored warning signs of trouble

• No loyalty to the government: citizens had lost faith in leaders as the west got richer

• Corruption problem: Many party members lived in luxury while people lived in poverty

What reforms occurred in the USSR under Gorbachev?

• Glasnost (openness): encouraging honest, open debate on government policy and problems facing the USSR; allowed more details about the past to be known by the public; people who criticised the government should not be persecuted.

• Perestroika (restructuring): allowed people to buy/sell for profit, private ownership; reduced state control over imports/exports; trade with non-Eastern bloc countries and foreign investment.

• Defence: cut spending on the military; withdrew forces from Afghanistan.

How did the US (Reagan) react?

• Adopted "get tough" policy against USSR

• Knew USSR couldn't match the US in the arms race and Gorbachev cut back here too

What were the consequences of these reforms?

• Promoted trust and cooperation not confrontation

• Improved relations with the US meant the USSR felt less threatened and felt less of a need to control Eastern Europe.

• Gorbachev's changes were difficult for hardline Communists to accept

• Economic reforms did not work as expected as people wanted too much too quickly

• Corruption made change difficult.

What policies were introduced to the USSR under Gorbachev?

• Main focus USSR: didn't want to be distracted by maintaining control over Eastern Europe; now responsible for its own fate

• Told then to reform; communism not doomed; believed it could provide better healthcare, education and transport; renew communism so it could match capitalism

• Believed USSR was out of date in its thinking; people should be allowed to say who ruled them

• Gorbachev's reforms gave people hope; demanded the same in their countries

• Gorbachev stated would no longer force to support Communist governments in the East

What did the Nazis want to (re)build?

1. A Strong Germany

• Strong leadership (Kaiser)

• Strong army → able to restore Germany's military pride

2. A racially pure Germany

• Aryan supremacy

• Wanted to remove Jews and other non-Aryans from any position of leadership

3. A People's Community (Volk)

• Nazis wanted people to give their hearts and minds to Hitler

• Contribution to Germany's more important than their own fulfilment

What did the Nazis do in Northeim to initially gain control?

1. Police arrested opposition councillors

• Stationed SA officers all around room; refused to let opposition speak

2. Searched all houses in Northeim

• 'Looking for illegal guns and ammunition'

• Ransacked homes and arrested 22 people

• 7 taken to local concentration camps

What did the Nazis implement into Northeim?

1. Ordered Gleichschaltung (coordination) of all organisations

• 4 Sports clubs combined into 1 Nazi-run sports club

• Singing groups and choirs combined as Nazi-led 'Mixed choral singing club of 1933'

2. Boycotts of Jewish Businesses

• Newspaper campaign told Northeimers not to shop at Jewish-run businesses

• SA men stationed outside to turn people away

How did the Nazis affect unemployment and propagandise in Northeim?

1. Ended Unemployment

• June 1933: 500 registered unemployed; within 3 months there were none

• Put to work repairing roads and clearing woods around town Socialists dismissed from jobs which were given to Nazis

• Unemployed socialists offered physically demanding work in local quarry

• Only if they agreed to give up politics

2. Produced Relentless Propaganda

• Ceremonial burning of the Weimar flag

• Book burning to destroy unacceptable books

• Torchlight parade → Joined by 3000 people

What 4 Tools of Control did the Nazis use in Germany?

• The Gestapo

• The SS

• Concentration Camps -Police and Courts

What was the Gestapo?

• Secret state police commanded by Reinhard Heydrich

• Could arrest citizens and send them to concentration camps without trial

• Believed to have a network of 'informers' listening in on people's conversations

• Germans believed that Gestapo was much more powerful than it actually was → ordinary Germans informed on each other because they thought gestapo would find out anyway

What was the SS?

• A paramilitary group directly loyal to Hitler

• It had 1 million staff by 1944 led by Heirich Himmler

• SS men were aryans→ highly trained and totally loyal to Hitler

• Under Himmler→ the SS had the main responsibility for crushing opposition and carrying out Nazi racial policies

What were the Three Subdivisions of the SS?

1. The SD

• integral security service -SD would investigate potential disloyalty within the armed forces or politically sensitive cases

2. The Death's Head units

• Responsible for the concentration camps and transportation and murder of the jews

3. The Waffen-SS

• Armoured regiments that fought alongside the regular army

• As its power grew the SS set up its own courts →Around 200,000 germans were sent to concentration camps by these courts

What were the Concentration Camps?

• Set up as soon as Hitler took power in 1933.

• Makeshift prisons in disused factories and warehouses.

• Jews, socialists, communists, trade unionists, churchmen and anyone else brave enough to criticise the Nazis ended up in these camps.

• Run by SS Death's Head units.

How did the Nazis control the Police and Courts?

• Top jobs in local police forces were given to high-ranking nazis reporting to Himmler

• The police added political "snooping" to their normal law-and-order role.

• Under strict instructions to ignore crimes committed by Nazi agents.

• Nazis appointed all the judges and sacked those they disapproved of.

Who was Joeseph Goebbels and what did he do?

• Minister for enlightenment and propaganda

• 12 years of Nazi rule: Goebbels constantly kept finger on the pulse of public opinion and decided what German public should and shouldn't hear

What were the Nuremberg Rallies?

• Huge rallies, marches, torch-lit processions and meetings

• Took place the summer of each year

• Bands, marches, flying displays and Hitler's brilliant speeches

• Rallies showed German people that the power of the state and convinced them that every other german fully supported the Nazis

• Organised to emphasise order.