Collapse of Communism: Poland and Czechoslovakia

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Poland

By the 1970s, Poland was hurting economically—money was not being spent on improving the economy, and there was an increase in food prices because of poor money management. People were losing hope until in 1978, the Archbishop of Krakow was made pope—Pope John Paul II. This led to Nationalist pride in Poland—even non-Catholics were thrilled to have one of their own to become one of the most powerful men in the world. Pope John Paul II criticized the Soviet government for violating Human Rights, and he encouraged the people of Poland to stand firm against Soviet rule.

John Paul II worked with a Polish resistance movement known as Solidarity. The leader of the Solidarity movement was a man named Lech Walesa. Solidarity called for a reduction in food prices, higher wages for workers, and the right for workers to organize and express their grievances. In 1989, members of the Solidarity movement met with Soviet leaders in Poland to discuss reforms. Solidarity was legalized as a legitimate political party. Elections were held in Poland, and the Solidarity candidates won. In 1989, there was a non-communist government in Poland.

Czechoslovakia

In 1975, playwright, Vaclav Havel, wrote a letter to the Czech Government denouncing it as totalitarian and trampling on human rights. In 1977, a charter was signed and publicized—it called for Human Rights in Czechoslovakia. By the 1980s, it was clear that the communist government in Czechoslovakia was out of step with the people, and in 1989, the people overthrew the communist government in Czechoslovakia. Soviet leaders peacefully handed power over to Vaclav Havel, and he became the president of Czechoslovakia.

Germany

East Germans took to the streets in the summer and fall of 1989 to call for reforms and demand to visit West Berlin and West Germany. The Soviet government realized they needed to win the people’s trust, so in East Berlin a border crossing was opened up on November 9, 1989. On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall came down

The United States and Great Britain

Ronald Reagan

The United States President Ronald Reagan issued a policy known as the Reagan Doctrine that called for preemptive strikes to stop Communism before it could attack a nation. The United States realized that the Soviet Union built up its military; therefore, the United States needed to do the same. The Reagan Doctrine was put to the test when Fidel Castro attempted to invade the mainland of South American via the island of Grenada. Reagan landed American troops to defend the people of Grenada and arrest the Cuban rebels.

Ronald Reagan had an ally in the fight against Communism. Her name was Margaret Thatcher—Prime Minister of Great Britain. She was invited to speak to the United States Congress in 1985, and she urged a strong and aggressive stand against Communism. The Soviet Union once had military dominance over the United States and Great Britain, but both nations began to restore their military superiority and were able to “out gun” the Soviets in an arms race.

Margaret Thatcher

The Collapse of the Soviet Union

Gorbachev

Surprisingly, one of the key players for the decline and fall of Communism was the Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev. He introduced a policy known as perestroikaand glasnost when he came to power in 1985. Gorbachev recognized that Russia had a great military but had fallen behind on everything else at the expense of that military. He believed the Russian people needed to be consulted in order to better the market, the economy, and the government. Under Perestroika, Gorbachev called for private property—let the people have private ownership of property—something unheard of in a Marxist, socialist society. In the policy of Glasnost, Gorbachev urged the Soviets to simply tell the truth. Gorbachev said there needed to be regular press briefings to inform the people. Gorbachev gave the people of the Soviet Union permission to speak their minds; that opened emotions that had been pent up for years.

In July of 1989, Gorbachev announced that the U.S.S.R. would no longer intervene in Eastern European affairs. This announcement allowed the people of Eastern Europe to take to the streets and demand change in their government. The possibility of having what the rest of Eastern Europe had ran rampant in Russia. People began to argue that Gorbachev was not doing enough. There was an attempt to overthrow Gorbachev by those who wanted to go back to the days of the past, but the coup failed. People were demanding change. Boris Yeltsin, a respected political leader in Russia, denounced the coup but also believed there was more reform needed for the Russian people. Gorbachev realized that the days of the Soviet Union were over. In December of 1991, Gorbachev resigned, and the Soviet Union disbanded. Boris Yeltsin became Russia’s president, bringing almost a century of tension to an end.

Boris Yeltsin

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