Revolutionary Ideas: Communism in Eastern Europe

Regional Responses to Communism

Wladyslaw Gomulka, a communist leader, A man spits on decapitated head of A man protests in front of Soviet tank in Prague,
speaks to the people of Warsaw, Poland in 1956. Stalin’s statue in Hungary, 1956. Czechoslovakia in 1968.

Source: Wieslaw Wladyka, Dzieje PRL. Pazdziernik 56, Source: "Hungary 1956 - Reading Guide." Source: Ladislav Bielik, printed in Smena,
(Warsaw,1994), p. 73. Hungary 1956 - Reading Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 http://www.fedorgal.cz/i/library/srpen-1968/full-06.jpg
Feb. 2015.

Context: Polish October (1956) and Hungarian Uprising (1956). Context: Prague Spring (1968)
Both the Polish and Hungarian uprisings must be understood in relation to Joseph Stalin’s The Prague Spring united students and workers
death in 1953 and Nhttps://classroom.google.com/hikita Khrushchev’s “Secret Speech” in in calling for reforms within the communist
1956, which opened the gates for Eastern European countries to make reforms to party.  In early 1968, Alexander Dubcek assumed
communism. leadership of the communist party and pressed
 In 1956, workers in Poznan, a city in eastern Poland, protested shortages of food and for specific reforms, such as ending censorship
consumer goods, bad housing, a decline in real income, trade relations with the Soviet laws. Warsaw Pact forces invaded Prague in
Union and poor management of the economy. The Communist government arrested 1968 because the censorship reforms demanded
many protestors, but they also selected a new head of the Communist Party in Poland. too much change. The Brezhnev Doctrine,
 The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 began as student protests against the leadership articulated by Soviet leaders, made it clear that
regime but ended in a nationwide actions calling for reforms of the system and a the USSR would violently repress reforms in the
withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact. The Hungarian Revolution (as opposed to the Eastern Bloc if they strayed too far from Soviet
Polish October) ended violently with Soviet tanks in the streets, street fighting, and doctrine.
the execution of the Hungarian revolutionary leader, Imre Nagy. In November, Soviet
forces invaded Hungary and stopped the Revolution.
Revolutionary Ideas: Communism in Eastern Europe
 Revolutionary Ideas: Communism in Eastern Europe
A. Exploring Short & Long Term Causes of the Uprisings

Background Info: After Khrushchev’s “Secret Speech,” many people in Eastern Europe expected the
Soviet Union to reform and give more power back to the people.  Reforms did not happen, however, and
people in Eastern Europe became increasingly frustrated with poor economic conditions and a lack of
political freedom. Eventually, these conditions led to popular uprisings in Poland, Hungary and
Czechoslovakia.

Directions: Read A. Regional Responses to Communism.  Underline any short-term causes for the
uprising and put a star next to any long-term causes for the uprising. Finally, complete the following
graphic organizer and questions.

Short-term Causes Long-term Causes Outcomes

Soviet chief Nikita Prior to World War I, Poland misplaced over

Khrushchev offers a
mystery speech at the cult
and crimes of Joseph
Stalin; General Secretary of
the Polish United Workers'
Poland Party, Boleslaw Beirut dies
in Moscow, and as a result,
communist Poland sees a
short-lived liberalization of
the remedy of the
competition through the
authorities
Poland turned into a five million of its
memory, and its territory residents because of
turned into divided the World War II. It become
various empires of anticipated that the
Germany, Russia and conflict harm at PLN 6
Austro-Hungary; those trillion, 220 billion and
powers in conjunction 609 million
with France and Great
Britain had been wrestling
for dominance of the
continent

During World War II, the
Kingdom of Hungary
changed into a member of
the Axis powers.[1] In the
1930s, the Kingdom of
Hungary trusted improved
alternate with Fascist Italy
and Nazi Germany to drag
Hungary itself out of the Great
Depression. Hungarian
politics and overseas
coverage had grow to be
extra stridently
nationalistic via way of
means of 1938
After years of battle In 1945, Hungarian and
towards the Soviet Union, German forces in
Prime Minister Miklos Hungary had been
Ká llay commenced peace defeated with the aid of
negotiations with the USA using advancing Soviet
and the UK in autumn of armies. Approximately
1943.[4] Berlin became 300,000 Hungarian
already suspicious of the squaddies and extra than
Ká llay government, and in 600,000 civilians died for
September 1943, the the duration of World
German General Staff War II, which include
organized a venture to extra than 400,000 Jews
invade and occupy and 28,000 Roma. Many
Hungary. In March 1944 towns had been
damaged, maximum
extensively the capital
Budapest.

The Prague Spring reforms The reforms, specifically It became occupied

Czechoslovakia had been a robust strive the decentralization of through Nazi Germany in
Revolutionary Ideas: Communism in Eastern Europe
with the aid of using
Dubcek to furnish extra
rights to the residents of
Czechoslovakia in an act of
partial decentralization of
the economic system and
democratization. The
freedoms granted
blanketed a loosening of
regulations at the media,
speech and travel. After
country wide dialogue of
dividing the us of a right
into a federation of 3
republics, Bohemia,
Moravia-Silesia and
Slovakia
administrative authority, 1938–forty five and
have been now no longer became beneathneath
acquired properly with the Soviet domination from
aid of using the Soviets, 1948 to 1989. On January
who, after failed 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia
negotiations, despatched separated peacefully into
1/2 of one million Warsaw new countries, the Czech
Pact troops and tanks to Republic and Slovakia
occupy the country. stated
reviews of 650,000 guys
prepared with the
maximum current and
complicated guns
withinside the Soviet army
catalogue.[2] A huge wave
of emigration swept the
nation. The reforms,
specifically the
decentralization of
administrative authority,
have been now no longer
acquired properly with the
aid of using the Soviets,
who, after failed
negotiations, despatched
1/2 of one million Warsaw
Pact troops and tanks to
occupy the country. stated
reviews of 650,000 guys
prepared with the
maximum current and
complicated guns
withinside the Soviet army
catalogue.[2] A huge wave
of emigration swept the
nation.

1. What did the uprisings in Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia have in common?

Events in each Prague Spring and the Hungarian Uprising came about in very comparable
approaches with college students starting protests in opposition to the tough communist chief
appointed through the united states and rebelling in opposition to harsh conditions - no freedom
of speech, oppression of ideals and bad requirements of living.