Soviet Leadership StalinKhrushchevBrezhnevGorbachev.
-
Upload
noel-johnston -
Category
Documents
-
view
220 -
download
0
Transcript of Soviet Leadership StalinKhrushchevBrezhnevGorbachev.
Soviet Leadership
Stalin Khrushchev Brezhnev Gorbachev
Life after Stalin• Khrushchev reforms USSR after Stalin dies (1953)
– Soviet people begin to enjoy some freedoms
• Reforms encourage resistance– Poland 1956 – workers strike for better conditions– Hungary 1956 – nationwide revolt against USSR– Czech 1968 – Prague Spring democratic reforms
• USSR uses force to maintain control
Problems in the USSR• Military Burden
– Arms Race is expensive to maintain– Détente: Relaxation of tensions in 1970s
• Both sides reduce number of nuclear weapons
• Economic Burden– USSR produces inferior goods; not enough for all– Low standard of living & poverty
American Jeans being sold in the black market
1 pair = 1 month’s worth of wages
“Eternally Youthful”
External Challenges to Cold War Superpowers
Internal Protest
Reform
U.S
.U
.S.S
.R.
Vietnam War
• Extremely unpopular war• U.S. not successful
• 58,000 Americans dead
• 1 million Vietnamese dead
Anti War Movement
• Students protest U.S. involvement in Vietnam
• Question U.S. Cold War strategies
Civil Rights Movement
• African Americans & students protest
End of the Vietnam War
• War Powers Act, 1973• Limited power of president to send troops to
war w/o congress approval
• Church Committee• Bans CIA abuses (Assassination & spying)
Civil Rights Act, 1964• Bans discrimination
Voting Right Act, 1965• Federal Supervision of elections
Soviet Afghan War
• Czechoslovakian Revolt• Defies soviet control
• Soviet Chinese Split• Economic Reform (capitalism)
• No political reform (communist govt.)
• Gorbachev
• Pulled Soviets from Afghanistan
• Gave satellite countries independence
• Glasnost (openness)
• Lifted restrictions on freedom of speech/expression
• Perestroika (restructuring)
• Allowed for a democratic govt.
• Multi-candidate elections
• No public protest
• Why?
Prote
st
USSR Crumbles 1989• Eastern Europe Breaks Free
– Poland – Solidarity Movement holds free elections– Hungary – allows new political parties– Czech – elected a president
• Berlin Wall Falls – Berlin Wall supposed to keep people IN– East Germany begins to let people OUT– Thousands help dismantle the Berlin Wall
• Germany will unify
`
End of the Cold War• Cold War officially ends in 1991
– USSR controlled nations become independent– USSR becomes Russia once again
• United States only remaining superpower