The Falling of the Berlin Wall, 1989
•Erich Honecker, East German leader ran one of the most repressive Soviet Satellite gov’t
•In fall of 1989 thousands of demonstrators demanded greater freedoms
•Honecker wanted to shoot them, was overruled and replaced by Eron Krenz
•On Nov. 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall was opened and free elections were held
•In fall of 1989 thousands of demonstrators demanded greater freedoms
•Honecker wanted to shoot them, was overruled and replaced by Eron Krenz
•On Nov. 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall was opened and free elections were held
The Collapse of Communism, 1989-1991
•Poland had a history of liberation movements
•Lech Walesa had formed the solidarity movement of trade unions in 1980
•1981 the gov’t cracked down with martial law under General Jaruzelski
•1989 elections were held in Poland the solidarity movement won 92% of the vote and 160/161 seats
•The solidarity leader, Tadeusz Mazowiecki became Prime Minister although Jaruzelski remained President
•Dec. 1990 Lech Walesa became President of Poland
•Hungary had been ruled by Janos Kadar since the 1956 Hungarian uprising
•After watching events in Poland they allowed free elections in March 1990
•The Democratic Forum won with Jozsef Natal as the Prime Minister•Czechoslovakia protested during the “velvet revolution” Nov. 1989
•After a nationwide strike the Communist party resigned in favour of Vaclev Havel
•In 1992 the Czechs and Slovaks decided to separate into two independent countries
•Romania had been ruled by Nicolae Ceausescu since 1965
•He ordered protesters shot in Dec. 1989, after two days the army refused orders and executed Ceausescu and his wife
•Bulgaria had its first free elections in June, 1990
•Albania became democratic in 1992
•Yugoslavia disintegrated into civil war in 1991
•Lech Walesa had formed the solidarity movement of trade unions in 1980
•1981 the gov’t cracked down with martial law under General Jaruzelski
•1989 elections were held in Poland the solidarity movement won 92% of the vote and 160/161 seats
•The solidarity leader, Tadeusz Mazowiecki became Prime Minister although Jaruzelski remained President
•Dec. 1990 Lech Walesa became President of Poland
•Hungary had been ruled by Janos Kadar since the 1956 Hungarian uprising
•After watching events in Poland they allowed free elections in March 1990
•The Democratic Forum won with Jozsef Natal as the Prime Minister•Czechoslovakia protested during the “velvet revolution” Nov. 1989
•After a nationwide strike the Communist party resigned in favour of Vaclev Havel
•In 1992 the Czechs and Slovaks decided to separate into two independent countries
•Romania had been ruled by Nicolae Ceausescu since 1965
•He ordered protesters shot in Dec. 1989, after two days the army refused orders and executed Ceausescu and his wife
•Bulgaria had its first free elections in June, 1990
•Albania became democratic in 1992
•Yugoslavia disintegrated into civil war in 1991
The Fall of the Soviet Union, 1991
•Gorbachev made a couple of major changes in 1990
•First was he introduced ‘rule of law’
•He felt that socialism could be achieved within a democratic state
•Second was the ‘500 day plan’ dealing with the deficit
•Finally, the Union Treaty giving the republics more autonomy
•First was he introduced ‘rule of law’
•He felt that socialism could be achieved within a democratic state
•Second was the ‘500 day plan’ dealing with the deficit
•Finally, the Union Treaty giving the republics more autonomy
Summary
The falling of the Berlin wall was one of the last straws to fall before communism came crumbling down. It was all started mostly by Gorbachev and his major changes.