REvolution
In 1989 a wave of revolutions hit the Soviet controlled Eastern European states. By the end of 1990, Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria had all introduced non-communist governments. While the seeds of revolution in the Eastern Bloc were arguably planted as early as 1956 with the Hungarian Revolution and in 1968 with the Prague Spring, the immediate reasons for the revolution were apparent in 1980 and 1978 with the creation of Solidarity (Solidarnosc), the first free and independent trade union in a communist country, in Poland and the election of the first non-Italian pope in 455 the Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla. Better known as John Paul II.
Throughout the 1970's the Polish government continually hiked the food prices while keeping the wages of workers the same. Food prices in 1979 were again hiked. This time, the price of butter rose 33%. Meat rose by 70% and sugar by 100%. Polish authorities did this as a way of paying back the near 18 billion dollars worth of foreign debt they owed. Coupled with mass food shortages and higher food prices, workers were having more and more difficulty paying for basic necessities such as food and then getting enough to feed their families. At the Lenin shipyards in Gdansk, an electrician named Lech Walesa would encourage his fellow workers to walk off work and stage an illegal strike to encourage labour reform, freedom of religion and greater civil rights. On the third day of the strike (August 16) the dockyard workers were given their demands. However, Lech Walesa and the other workers continued the strike. They continued their strike as a way of showing solidarity with the other striking workers across Poland. The popular support they received was enormous. Communist authorities gave into their demands on August 31, 1980. The most important part of the deal with the Communists was the legal establishment of Solidarity as a trade union completely separate of the Communist party. The reason why these strikes were so successful was because Solidarity used Communism's own weapons against it. Communism claimed to be a worker's party. By the very people Communism was supposed to be protecting, the workers, showing their obvious discontent with the system, Communist authorities were forced to act or else they would loose all legitimacy that they held.
Throughout the 1970's the Polish government continually hiked the food prices while keeping the wages of workers the same. Food prices in 1979 were again hiked. This time, the price of butter rose 33%. Meat rose by 70% and sugar by 100%. Polish authorities did this as a way of paying back the near 18 billion dollars worth of foreign debt they owed. Coupled with mass food shortages and higher food prices, workers were having more and more difficulty paying for basic necessities such as food and then getting enough to feed their families. At the Lenin shipyards in Gdansk, an electrician named Lech Walesa would encourage his fellow workers to walk off work and stage an illegal strike to encourage labour reform, freedom of religion and greater civil rights. On the third day of the strike (August 16) the dockyard workers were given their demands. However, Lech Walesa and the other workers continued the strike. They continued their strike as a way of showing solidarity with the other striking workers across Poland. The popular support they received was enormous. Communist authorities gave into their demands on August 31, 1980. The most important part of the deal with the Communists was the legal establishment of Solidarity as a trade union completely separate of the Communist party. The reason why these strikes were so successful was because Solidarity used Communism's own weapons against it. Communism claimed to be a worker's party. By the very people Communism was supposed to be protecting, the workers, showing their obvious discontent with the system, Communist authorities were forced to act or else they would loose all legitimacy that they held.
Solidarity's power grew to a point where over 10 million workers were members of the trade union. This thrust both Solidarity and Walesa into the spotlight. The Soviet Union became increasingly wary of the political situation in Poland and pressured Polish leader General Wojciech Jaruzelski to do something about the situation in Poland. Jaruzelski responded by implementing Martial Law in Poland and arresting Solidarity's leaders including Walesa and other major opposition figures. This harsh crackdown drove Solidarity underground. However with the support of the CIA, Solidarity was able to continue to produce underground newsletters and keep the opposition to the Communist government strong.
In August of 1988 fresh strikes hit Poland. These strikers were vying for very similar reasons as the Solidarity strikers 8 years earlier. These workers were demanding a pay raise and the release of Solidarity prisoners. Walesa, who had been release in 1983, was once again back in prison after a crackdown on Solidarity's leaders. On December 18, 1988 the Polish government allowed Solidarity to become legal again and, unable to deal with the crippling strikes involving hundreds of thousands of workers, opened talks with Solidarity in February of 1989.
Talks between the Polish Government and Solidarity lasted until April 4, 1989. The talks, known as the round table talks as the negotiators sat at a round table, culminated with the Round Table agreement. The landmark agreement of these talks was the promise of free and open elections for 35% of the Sejm's (the lower house of the Polish government) seats in June of that year. The elections on June 4, 1989 was an absolute and utter landslide victory for Solidarity. Solidarity won 99 of the 100 seats they were allowed to contest for. Eventually, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, a prominent anti-communist leader, formed a cabinet and was appointed Prime Minister. Lech Walesa was elected President in 1990.
In August of 1988 fresh strikes hit Poland. These strikers were vying for very similar reasons as the Solidarity strikers 8 years earlier. These workers were demanding a pay raise and the release of Solidarity prisoners. Walesa, who had been release in 1983, was once again back in prison after a crackdown on Solidarity's leaders. On December 18, 1988 the Polish government allowed Solidarity to become legal again and, unable to deal with the crippling strikes involving hundreds of thousands of workers, opened talks with Solidarity in February of 1989.
Talks between the Polish Government and Solidarity lasted until April 4, 1989. The talks, known as the round table talks as the negotiators sat at a round table, culminated with the Round Table agreement. The landmark agreement of these talks was the promise of free and open elections for 35% of the Sejm's (the lower house of the Polish government) seats in June of that year. The elections on June 4, 1989 was an absolute and utter landslide victory for Solidarity. Solidarity won 99 of the 100 seats they were allowed to contest for. Eventually, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, a prominent anti-communist leader, formed a cabinet and was appointed Prime Minister. Lech Walesa was elected President in 1990.
Following Poland's lead, Hungary was the next to overthrow its Communist government. Following mass demonstrations and protests, the Hungarian government allowed the establishment of trade unions and established the right to strike. On May 2, 1989 the first visible cracks in the Iron Curtain appeared when the Hungarians dismantled their 150 mile long border fence with Austria. This lead to massive unrest in East Germany and Czechoslovakia when thousands of their citizens poured over the border into neutral Austria. Like Poland, Hungary too held Round Table talks. In the Hungarian version, fully free and open elections were announced. These elections took place on March 24, 1990 in which non-communists parties won and took control of the country's government.
Between May 2 and late September 1989, over 30,000 East Germans fled East Germany through Hungary into Austria with many then continuing on to West Germany. In response the East Germans closed their borders to Czechoslovakia and Hungary effectively trapping their citizens in. After being cut off from leaving, people in the city of Leipzig staged protests every Monday throughout September seeing upwards of 8,000 people per day. After seeing 10,000 people turn out for protests on October 2, rumours were being spread that authorities were issuing shoot and kill orders against the peaceful protestors the following Monday. That Monday, October 9, some 70,000 people turned out to protest against the Communist regime. The soldiers on the ground refused to follow the orders to fire on protestors and allowed them to continue to march. Faced with growing unrest the Communist Party of East Germany replaced Communist leader Erich Honecker with second-in-command Egon Krenz on October 18. On the 23 of October 300,000 protestors turned out in Leipzig and the numbers were similar the next week. On November 4, authorities authorized a demonstration in East Berlin, the first ever of its kind. Between November 4 and November 9 close to 1,000,000 demonstrators came out. Under pressure from the increasing amount of refugees travelling through Czechoslovakia and Hungary, the East Germans opened up crossing into West Germany and West Berlin. During a news conference an East German official announced these crossing were to open immediately. Many protesters had already been breaking through the wall all night and many more had already escaped. Hundreds of thousands of people poured over the borders. Many just walked around for the night before returning to their homes. However, many more stayed. November 9, 1989 has gone down in history as the day the Berlin Wall fell. In one year, the two Germanys had reunited and the Communist government in East Germany had fallen, signalizing the end of Communism in Germany.
Between May 2 and late September 1989, over 30,000 East Germans fled East Germany through Hungary into Austria with many then continuing on to West Germany. In response the East Germans closed their borders to Czechoslovakia and Hungary effectively trapping their citizens in. After being cut off from leaving, people in the city of Leipzig staged protests every Monday throughout September seeing upwards of 8,000 people per day. After seeing 10,000 people turn out for protests on October 2, rumours were being spread that authorities were issuing shoot and kill orders against the peaceful protestors the following Monday. That Monday, October 9, some 70,000 people turned out to protest against the Communist regime. The soldiers on the ground refused to follow the orders to fire on protestors and allowed them to continue to march. Faced with growing unrest the Communist Party of East Germany replaced Communist leader Erich Honecker with second-in-command Egon Krenz on October 18. On the 23 of October 300,000 protestors turned out in Leipzig and the numbers were similar the next week. On November 4, authorities authorized a demonstration in East Berlin, the first ever of its kind. Between November 4 and November 9 close to 1,000,000 demonstrators came out. Under pressure from the increasing amount of refugees travelling through Czechoslovakia and Hungary, the East Germans opened up crossing into West Germany and West Berlin. During a news conference an East German official announced these crossing were to open immediately. Many protesters had already been breaking through the wall all night and many more had already escaped. Hundreds of thousands of people poured over the borders. Many just walked around for the night before returning to their homes. However, many more stayed. November 9, 1989 has gone down in history as the day the Berlin Wall fell. In one year, the two Germanys had reunited and the Communist government in East Germany had fallen, signalizing the end of Communism in Germany.
In Czechoslovakia, the process of removing the Communist government was quickest. On the 20 of November 1989, Communist authorities saw a massive protest of 200,000 people in Praugue. Two days later 800,000 Czechs turned out in Letnos Square in Prague to protest against the Communist regime and to demand free elections. On November 24, the Communist leader Milos Jakes resigned. On the 28th of November the Communist Party, in face of even more street protests and strikes, announced it would relinquish power and dismantle the one-party state. On December, 10 1989 Gustav Husak assembled the first non-communist in Czechoslovakia since 1948. The Czechs completed their revolution completely non-violently. This lead to their revolution being known as the "Velvet Reolution".
"International School History - Post-1945 Central and Eastern European States." International School History - Post-1945 Central and Eastern European States. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2015.
"Berlin Wall." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
"Revolutions of 1989." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2015.
"Berlin Wall." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
"Revolutions of 1989." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2015.