collapse in e bloc essay

• 1.1

  Havel and charter 77
• 1.1

  Charter 77 in 1977 call for basic human rights . gov response harsh, Havel imprisoned
• 1.1

  protests again in 1989 spurred by gorb reforms. Havel arrested again
• 1.2

  Fall of b wall. GDR
• 1.1

  fall of Berlin brought new protests. Nov 17 1989 student demonstrator attacked by police. thousands protest against this (velvet rev).by December, comm party relinques power. Havel becomes president
• 1.2

  Honecker bans/regulates Soviet media (newspaper sputnik) 1988 after gorb reforms
• 1.2

  stasi massive. over 180000 informants
• 1.2

  gorb visits Oct 1989. 70000 protest three days later to protest SED monopoly of power
• 1.2

  After Leipzig protests, politburo force Honecker to resign. replaced by krenz
• 1.2

  spokesman false reports border opening on 9 Nov 1989. thousands just stormed through anyway
• 1.2

  krenz promises free elections by 1990
• 1.3

  Solidarity and jaruzelski
• 1.3

  solidarity leads released from prison 1982
• 1.3

  Jaruzelski invites solidarity leaders officially Feb 1989 for reform talks. talked of legalising trade unions, a new president, and free elections
• 1.3

  in June 1989 , solidarity won 160/161 of the freely contested seats
• 1.3

  jaruzelski trying to reform along perestroika, doesn't crush uprisings
• 1.3

  by aug 1989, comm party humiliated. first non comm president of new coalition govt, Mazowjecki
• 2.1

  Renounces Brezhnev doctrine. allows space for more people power. doesn't intervene violently. shows change from previous gerontocratic rulers
• 2.2

  Perestroika. allows for private enterprise. aided in pushing reforms in countries (especially Hungary and Poland who were already working towards more capitalist structures, had already allowed small businesses in Hungary)
• 2.3

  Glasnost. encouraged independence, set example in own country, helped push Bulgaria to realise how much change needed.
• 3.1

  Starvation and poverty. too much hard industry and military exports. too reliant on oil. not enough agriculture, state owned farm. to afford 1kg coffee, e ger has to work 10.5hrs. e ger has to work 10 yrs to ven afford car. bulgarian has to work 20 for car. leads to opposition
• 3.2

  leaders too old and unmoving. little change or reform leads to the failing economy. puts people under too much pressure, leads to uprising (Brezhnev doctrine)
• 3.3

  Leninism too susceptible to dictatorships. just replacing royal rulers with totalitarian leadership. act like royals anyway (Ceausescu and his palaces). when comm leaders don't listen to proletariat, leads to uprising (Xmas execution) (uprisings after Honecker seals border to Czech border and bans Soviet media '88)
• 1. opposition and reform ( ppl power)
• 2. Gorbachev <3
• 3. economic/political stagnation (innate falls of comm)