The cold war 3

In the final decades of the 20th, the Eastern
bloc collapsed.
THE END OF THE COLD WAR

The end
of the
cold war
Reform in
the Soviet
Union
The
collapse of
the Eastern
Bloc The
dissolution
of the
USSR

The collapse
of
Communism
The Russian
Federation
The survival
of
Communism
China

REFORM IN THE SOVIET UNION
After 1975, important
developments occured
in the Eastern Bloc.
Repressive policies in
Eastern Europe
USSR economic
stagnation
Perestroika

Repressive policies in Eastern Europe
There was increasing
popular discontent in Eastern
Europe.
This was caused by the
Soviet Union´s repressive
policies, which prevented
democratic reform.

USSR economic stagnation
Causes:
The Soviet´s high military expenditure.
Consequences:
This reduced investment in other areas and led to
a fall in agricultural and industrial productivity.
There were shortages of food and consumer
goods.

The Perestroika
 In 1985, Gorbachev was
named Secretary General of
the Soviet Communist Party
and leader of the USSR.
 He implemented a series of
political and economic
reforms known as
perestroika.
 The goal of the perestroika
was to end Soviet economic
stagnation.

Political Reform Economic Reform

PERESTROIKA: POLITICAL REFORM
 The USSR evolved from a single-party system to one in
which other political parties were permitted.
 The State also adopted a policy known as glasnost, which
aimed to make government more open and transparent.
 As a part of glasnost,
limitations on freedom of
speech were also relaxed.

PERESTROIKA: ECONOMIC REFORM
 In order to increase agricultural productivity, PRIVATE
OWNERSHIP OF LAND was allowed.
 SPENDING CUTS were also introduced in an attempt to reduce
state expenditure.
 However, these measures failed to improve the economic situation.

In 1987, United States President Reagan
and Gorbachev had commited to withdraw
Soviet troops from Eastern Europe.
THE COLLAPSE OF THE
EASTERN BLOC
As a result, popular
protest movements
emerged in these
countries.
They wanted to
remove the
Communist regimes
from power.

In 1989, the Eastern European Communist
regimes were in a very weak position.
The most important revolutions occured in:
POLAND
In 1989 elections were
won by Solidarity. This
led to the formation of a
non-Communist
government.
THE COLLAPSE OF THE
EASTERN BLOC

In 1989, the Eastern European Communist
regimes were in a very weak position.
The most important revolutions occured in:
BERLIN
In 1989 the people of
Berlin pulled down the
Berlin Wall.
In 1990, the GDR
(East Germany)
 was dissolved and
 Germany was reunified.
THE COLLAPSE OF THE
EASTERN BLOC
The fall of the Berlin Wall.
1989, 11th November.

 Independent movements had
emerged in the Soviet republics
after the introduction of perestroika.
 In 1991, a number of these
republics gained independence.
 Gorbachev resigned and the
Soviet Union was dissolved.
 As a result, the Cold War
ended.
THE DISSOLUTION OF THE USSR

THE CIS
The USSR was
replaced by the
Commonwealth
of Independent
States (CIS),
which included
the Russian
Federation and a
majority of the
old Soviet
republics.

THE COMMONWEALTH OF
INDEPENDENT STATES (CIS)

 In 1990, the
Socialist republics
that made up
Yugoslavia
demanded their
independence.
 The largest republic
was Serbia, which
wanted to maintain
the unity of
Yugoslavia and
opposed to the
independent
movements.
THE DISSOLUTION OF
YUGOSLAVIA

 The independence
movements were based
in religious differences
among the different
republics of Yugoslavia.
THE DISSOLUTION OF
YUGOSLAVIA

 As a consequence of political and religious conflicts there
was a Civil war (1991-1995).
 As a result, Yugoslavia was divided into various states:
Slovenia, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and
Serbia and Montenegro.
 In 2006, Montenegro
became independent.
 In 2008, the region of
Kosovo declared its
independencde from Serbia.
THE DISSOLUTION OF
YUGOSLAVIA
However, Serbia and Russia, and
some European countries didn´t
recognise Kosovo as an
independent state.

 The Russian Federation was created in 1991.
 First president: Boris Yeltsin
 Capital: Moscow
 State: Federal State made up of republics and regions.
 Political system: a democracy
THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

 As president, Yeltsin abandoned the system of centrlised
economic planning and introduced capitalism through a
series of measures:
• Agricultural land and state-owned industries were
privatised.
• Industries that used outdated technology were
closed down.
• Public subsidies for housing, healthcare, electricity
and other services were ended.
• Multinational companies were allowed to establish
themselves and operate in Russia.

 Negative consequences of the introdution of capitalism
 The closure of state-owned companies produced high
unemployment, and this led to an economic crisis.
 In 2000, Putin became president and the economy began to
recover.

Consequences of the introdution of capitalism
Russian society became more like other Western
societies with peculiar features:
Social inequalities
A small minority have
become very rich
because they bought
state companies at very
low prices when they
were privatised.
Most Russians are
poorer due to the end
of state subsidies.
High unemployment
This has produced high
levels of emigration to
Western Europe.

 The Cold War ended in 1991 and the Communist regimes
of the USSR and Eastern Bloc ceased to exist.
 However:
THE SURVIVAL OF COMMUNISM
Still
Communist
States
China
Vietnam
Laos
North
Korea
Cuba

Still Communist States
Citizens do
not enjoy
many
freedoms
They have gradually introduced capitalist
economic reforms to estimulate grouth
and development..
Communist
states now
allow private
property.
Foreign
countries can
operate in
these
countries
The exception
is North Korea:
centrally
planned
economy.

 Mao Zedong´s successors have maintained the Communist
Party in power in China.
A picture of the Communist Party on 24 january 2014

Xi Jinping is
the General
Secretary of the
Communist Party of
China and the
Presiden of the
People´s Republic
of China (P.R.C.)

 The Chinese regime has intensified its repression of protest
movements which demand democratic reform.
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989

 China has resisted political reform but it has introduced
capitalist economic reforms:
 Since 1980, foreign businesses have been allowed to operate in
certain areas of the country.
 These companies have been benefited from cheap Chinese
labour, while the arrival of foreign capital has enabled the Chinese
to invest in their own industrial develpment.

 As a consequence of these changes, China has experienced
dramatic economic growth.
 Its products have flooded the markets of Western countries
because they are much cheaper than European or American-
made goods.
 Today China is the second leading economic power.

The cold war 3

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The cold war 3