Eastern Europe and the Cold War: How Secure Was the Soviet Control of Europe?
I.- Estern Europe and the Cold War 1948-1989
How secure was Soviet control of Europe 1948-1968?
* How did Stalin control Eastern Europe? * After the war political vacuum in many countries of Eastern Europe. Stalin helped the communist parties in them to win power Cominform “communist information bureau” organization to co-ordinate the communist government in Eastern Europe. Made meetings and sent out instructions to communist government about what the USSR wanted them to do. * Need to restore law and order. This provided an excuse to station Soviet troops in each country. * Economies in Eastern Europe where devastated USSR took over all industry and told farmers and workers what to produce. Comecon: “council for mutual economic assistance” Coordinates the industries and trade of the Eastern Europe countries. Favoured the USSR as it provided a market and guaranteed a cheap supply of raw materials. It set up a bank for socialist countries.
* What did people in east Europe think of the USSR control? * Brought hope. * USSR had achieve great industrial growth before the WW2 people thought they could do the same. * Soviet- style communist also offered stable government and security because they were backed by one of the world´s superpowers. * However, reality was different of what people hoped for lost the right to criticize the government, newspapers where censored, one-party permitted, people where forbidden to travel to countries in western Europe… * Between 1945 and 1955 economy did recover, but factories did not produce what people wanted. They produced what soviet wanted. * Wages fell. * Were forbidden to apply for marshal aid (economic help from the USA) * Shortages of raw products (milk, clothes, coal, meat) * Little chance to protest lived oppressed.
* The rise of Khrushchev * Stalin was a hero to millions of people in the USSR: defeated Hitler, given the USSR and empire
How secure was Soviet control of Europe 1948-1968?
* How did Stalin control Eastern Europe? * After the war political vacuum in many countries of Eastern Europe. Stalin helped the communist parties in them to win power Cominform “communist information bureau” organization to co-ordinate the communist government in Eastern Europe. Made meetings and sent out instructions to communist government about what the USSR wanted them to do. * Need to restore law and order. This provided an excuse to station Soviet troops in each country. * Economies in Eastern Europe where devastated USSR took over all industry and told farmers and workers what to produce. Comecon: “council for mutual economic assistance” Coordinates the industries and trade of the Eastern Europe countries. Favoured the USSR as it provided a market and guaranteed a cheap supply of raw materials. It set up a bank for socialist countries.
* What did people in east Europe think of the USSR control? * Brought hope. * USSR had achieve great industrial growth before the WW2 people thought they could do the same. * Soviet- style communist also offered stable government and security because they were backed by one of the world´s superpowers. * However, reality was different of what people hoped for lost the right to criticize the government, newspapers where censored, one-party permitted, people where forbidden to travel to countries in western Europe… * Between 1945 and 1955 economy did recover, but factories did not produce what people wanted. They produced what soviet wanted. * Wages fell. * Were forbidden to apply for marshal aid (economic help from the USA) * Shortages of raw products (milk, clothes, coal, meat) * Little chance to protest lived oppressed.
* The rise of Khrushchev * Stalin was a hero to millions of people in the USSR: defeated Hitler, given the USSR and empire