Gorbachev And The End Of The Cold War - Fall Of Berlin Wall

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1. How can Gorbachev's attitude's towards Eastern Europe be summarised?

Back 1

*In Dec 1988 he announced that ideology should play a smaller role in Soviet foreign policy. In practice this meant that the USSR would no longer favour trade with communist states over those which were not communist but capitalist.

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2. How can Gorbachev's attitude's towards Eastern Europe be summarised?

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*Gorbachev was keen for the Eastern European states to enjoy perestroika and glasnost. * Gorbachev withdrew troops from Eastern European bases in order to save money

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3. What did Gorbachev allow?

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What was referred to as the Sinatra Doctrine - he allowed countries to go their own way and that he would intervene in the politics of the Warsaw Pact counties. In the past the USSR had always told other countries what to do, usually by telephone- now telephone was silent.

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4. What did Gorbachev never intend to do?

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To weaken the control of Eastern Europe.

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5. What was his desire?

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To strengthen communist reform but once reform had started we was unable to contain it.

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6. What happened in Germany & Poland?

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Germany - East Germans leave from West via Hungary. Communist party of East Germany declares free elections. Berlin wall falls in October 1990 elections.

Poland- Communist government defeated in free elections held in September 1989.

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7. What happened in Czech Republic & Hungary?

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Czech Republic- Popular protests lead to the overthrow of Communist rule in the 'Velvet' revolution of November 1989.

Hungary- The communist government promises a new democratic constitution in summer 1989 and the first free elections in October 1989.

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8. What happened as demonstrations took place?

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People began to demand more freedom, the leader of the USSR did not intervene.

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9. When did the Berlin Wall fall?

Back 9

12th November 1989

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10. Why was the fall of the Berlin Wall an excellent case study of the effects of reform in Eastern Europe?

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East Germany was slow to embrace the ideas of perestroika and glasnost. The East German government even banned Russia publications during the 1980's because they were seen as too liberal. However, the communist government was unable to contain its citizen's desire for freedom once the neighbouring states had abandoned communism. They wanted changes in government like in Hungary and Poland

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11. What happened as soon as democratic elections were announced in Hungary?

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There was a mass movement of East German citizens through Hungary to West Germany. The East German government was therefore forced to announce much greater freedom of travel for East German citizens.

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12. What did Gorbachev do in October 1989?

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Had visited East Germany and openly said that he would not intervene with any political developments there.

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13. What happened as a part of the decision on 9th November 1989?

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The East German government announced that East Germans would be allowed to cross the border with West Berlin. On hearing this news, thousands of East Berliners flooded the check points in the wall, demanding entry to West Berlin.

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14. What did many begin to do?

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Chip away at and dismantle part of the wall and 10 new border crossings were created by East German government in the next few days.

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15. What did many people reunite with?

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With friends and relatives who they had been separated from since the wall had been built over 30 years ago. The opening of the Berlin Wall was the first step towards the reunification of Germany.

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16. As the Eastern Bloc disintegrated, what became obvious?

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The Warsaw Pact could not survive. The pact was an alliance which united the communist states of Eastern Europe against the capitalist states in the West.

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17. What did Poland, Hungary then East Germany do?

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Rejected communism, the pact no longer served any purpose. Military co-operation ceased in early 1990 and the pact was formally dissolved in July 1991.

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18. What happened in 1990?

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The summit between Gorbachev and Bush covered the START talks and within a year agreements had been made.

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19. What had the USA and USSR agree?

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To reduce their nuclear weapons and thus the threat of war reduced. There was no need for an East-West alliance. As the Soviet Union collapsed the countries became independent and there was no need for Warsaw Pact.

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20. What was Gorbachev?

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The darling of the west.

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21. How did the British Prime Minister describe him?

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'A man I can do business with'. He was widely respected for his willingness to reform and the fact that his policies had led to the breakup of the Eastern Bloc

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22. How was Gorbachev treated in Russia?

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With suspicion and cynicism. Leading members of the communist party believed that perestroika and glasnost had weakened communism not revived it.

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23. What happened on 19th August 1991?

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A group of senior communist government officials organised a coup which removed Gorbachev from power. Initially the coup was successful. Gorbachev who was away from the capital was prevented from returning to Moscow.

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24. What did the new government declare?

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A state of emergency which overturned the freedoms gained during perestroika and glasnost. The new governments goal was to restore the power of the SU and secure the future of communist government.

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25. How long did the new government last? Who was Boris Yeltsin?

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It lasted 3 days. Boris Yeltsin, the future president of Russia played a crucial role in defeated the coup. Yeltsin described the new government as 'illegal' and called on the people of Moscow to resist the new regime.

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26. What happened on 21st August?

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Gorbachev returned to Moscow and resumed his position as leader of Russia. Immediately following his return Gorbachev announced that it was still his intention to save Soviet communism. However the coup had damaged Gorbachev's authority while it had made Yeltsin a popular hero.

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27. What was Gorbachev's final attempt to save Soviet Union?

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The introduction of a new constitution which was designed to give the Soviet republics, such as Latvia and the Urakine much greater independence.

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28. What did the leaders of these countries want?

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Full independence and for this reason the new constitution was never accepted. As a result Gorbachev officially announced the dissolution of the SU and his resignation as president on 25th December 1991. The Cold War ended.

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29. When was the end of the cold war announced?

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American President George Bush had declared that the Cold War was over at the Malta Conference. However communism was still undefeated and the coup of August 1991 raised the prospect of another standoff between East and West.

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30. What finally ended the ideological battle between capitalist west and communist east?

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The fall of the Soviet Union on December 1991. The dissolution of the Soviet Union also ended the superpower conflict because once the USSR was dissolved America became the worlds only superpower.