1. IB Paper One Document Analysis
Communism in Crisis: 1976 – 1991
IB Paper One
Document Analysis

2. China 1976: Mao dies Hua Guofeng is designated successor
Gang of Four (led by Jiang Qing) jockey for power
Struggle ensues between Right and Left
Hua Guofeng is neutral
“Two Whatevers”

3. Gang of Four Led by Jiang Qing
Radical Leftists, drivers of Cultural Revolution
Power in media, urban militia, universities
Eliminate revisionism and Four Olds
Allied with Mao’s nephew – Mao Yuanxin
Cut short mourning period for Zhou Enlai (Died January 8th 1976, Mao dies September 9th)
Qingming Festival turns into a protest, riot, crackdown

4. Gang of Four Bid for Power
Gang of Four see Hua as weak and malleable
Losing base of support, plan a coup
Includes assassinations of Hua and other party officials
General Chen and Su report plans to Hua
Gang of Four arrested and denounced

5. End of Gang of Four Years in prison before trial
Celebrations and denounced as enemies of the people
Show trial
Death sentences and long prison sentences
Blamed for excesses of Cultural Revolution
“10 Lost Years”

6. Pragmatists Led by Deng Xiaoping
Support in moderates, rightists, military
Deng rehabilitated after 3rd purge
Four Modernizations
Soon moved away from Hua’s “2 whatevers”

7. 10 Year Plan (way better than 5)
Driven by incentives and catching up
Military:
Modernize technology
Science and Technology:
Reform education, send students overseas
Industry:
Heavy industry, SOE’s, limited autonomy
Agriculture:
Mechanize, Household Responsibility System

8. Adding foreign capital
Open Door Policy
Nixon visits in 1972
Diversify production
Need managerial and technical training
Special Economic Zones
Special zones for foreign investment to limit exposure to west
Lenient economic policies

9. Results? Huge economic growth (11%)
Specialists training abroad had to adjust to outdated systems at home
Consumer choice grew
Pollution and deforestation
Party members still privileged
Resentment growing…

10. Political Reforms Criticism of Gang of Four led to greater criticism
Democracy Wall becomes a forum for public dissent
Pro-democracy advocates growing
“5th Modernization”
Wall poster to add Democracy to the 4 Mods
Wei Jingsheng (show trial, 15 years)

11. More Political Reforms
Deng travels, seeking new markets and allies
Foreign journalists (like Jan Wong) allowed to report from within China
Intellectuals allowed some criticism
1986: students encouraged to participate in government
Demonstrate for better conditions and freedoms

12. Lead-up to Tiananmen Square
Hu Yaobang dies (General Secretary) in April
Mourning turns into criticism and calls for social change
Students lead demonstrations in Tiananmen Square
Includes pro-democracy movement and “Goddess of Democracy” statue

13. Tiananmen Square, June 1989
Zhao Ziyang (new Gen. Sec) tries to work with protesters
Students intensify protest, hunger strikes (motivated my reforms in USSR)
Global attention due to Gorbachev’s visit
Foreign press in town…Gorbachev leaves…
Deng orders military to seize control
100s killed (1,000’s by some reports, riots suppressed

14. Reaction? World supported protestors
Very little official response to repression
Leaders rounded up and arrested
“Most Favored Nation” status renewed in US
Zhang purged
Economic liberalization NOT political, What happened in Eastern Europe would not be tolerated in China

15. USSR: Brezhnev Era Economic Stagnation
Years of poor harvests lead to morale and productivity declines
Consumer goods limited and poor quality
Thriving ‘black market’
25% GNP spent on military (missile gap)

16. Dissent in USSR Samizdat Tamizdat Minorities and non-Russians
Self-published illegal pamphlets distributed in USSR
Tamizdat
Smuggled illegal pamphlets published abroad
Minorities and non-Russians
Using Helsinki Accords 1975 to advocate for equal treatment

17. Political Stagnation Gerontocracy: rule by elderly Very conservative
No new ideas or leaders
“stability” meant stagnation

18. Foreign Policy Challenges
Brezhnev Doctrine – limited sovereignty
Keep communist regimes in place, protect from internal and external threats
Détente: SALT
Arms limitation
Role in Angolan revolution, Somalia, Mozambique

19. Afghanistan 1979 - 1989 Rebel forces, Mujahideen, oppose PDPA
Mujahideen assassinate PDPA leaders, Soviet advisors…civil war brewing
Invasion to support PDPA, invoking Brezhnev Doctrine
10 year intervention, 10,000s lives lost
“USSR’s Vietnam”
CIA supported Mujahadeen

20. Andropov and Chernenko
Brezhnev dies 1982
Continuation of much the same policies
Supported suppression of Polish Solidarity movement
Poor relations with USA
Gorbachev takes power in 1985

21. Gorbachev, 1985-1989 54 = young and vital! Reformer
Sought to repair an ailing system
“the worst time for a regime to reform is when it is in crisis”

22. Gorbachev’s Reforms Decreased alcohol consumption (lost tax revenue)
Perestroika: Economy
Decentralize planning, end price controls
Glasnost: Politics
Open to criticism, dissidents rehabilitated
Demokratiztsiya

23. Gorbachev’s Foreign Policy
Satellites expensive!
Renounce Brezhnev Doctrine
Withdraw from Afghanistan
Too costly, no clear objective
Meet with Reagan
Ease strain of confrontation
INF and START treaties
Reduce stockpiles and cost of maintaining arsenal

24. Consequences in Eastern Europe
Satellites facing same problems
Dissent, economic instability, shortage of consumer goods
Local party officials (apparatchiks) concerned with Gorbachev’s reforms
Fear losing control
Nationalist movements gain momentum

25. Poland - Solidarity Origins 1970 strike in Gdansk shipyard
Lech Walesa and others strike for better conditions
“consumer socialism”
Rent controls, food prices controlled
Riot in 1976 to protest food prices
Leads to dissent movement and underground newspaper “Robotnik”

26. Poland cont…
Pope John Paul II visits 1980, encourages dissent on religious grounds
National debt rising, food prices again
21 demands, including legalize unions, pay and working conditions, religion
Allowed to exist for 469 days
Leader imprisoned, martial law

27. Poland Cont… Created atmosphere of pluralism Moral revolution
Peaceful focus, anti-political
1981 October Program challenged Communist Party
Martial Law imposed, Walesa imprisoned

28. Poland Cont… Jaruzelski (Polish leader) imposes control
Allows media and religious freedom as long as distanced from Solidarity
Weakness of economy difficult to address
“Fondest dream is of a roll of toilet paper”
Solidarity legalized and invited to government meetings in Feb 1989
Sweep elections

29. East Germany – Berlin Wall
GDR loyal hardliners, Stasi feared
“Ostpolitik” built a bridge between east and west
Open borders in Hungary and Czechoslovakia lead to alarming exodus to west
Dissent and protests abound
Travel laws relaxed, wall opens Nov 9, 1989

30. Czechoslovakia – Velvet Revolution
Resisted de-Stalinization
Economic decline in 1950s lead to reforms
Dubcek as leader: “Socialism with a human face”
Open debate, relax censorship and travel rules, greater autonomy for Slovakia
Reforms concern hardliners

31. Czechoslovakia Students get involved, start non-communist parties
Leader Vaclav Havel, writer and dissident
Genuine democracy seems attainable
Neighboring regimes get concerned by reforms
Hardliners appeal to Moscow

32. Prague Spring 1968 Warsaw Pact forces invade in August
First exercise of “Brezhnev Doctrine”
Likened to Nazi invasion in 1939
Disillusioning to students and leaders
Confusion as to who was ‘helping’ who
Dubcek forced to capitulate at gunpoint in Moscow

33. “Normalization” Gustav Husak hardliner
Purge party of reformers, censorship restored, etc
Roll-back of reforms
State provided basic standard of living, better than most Soviet bloc states
Charter 77 issued as opposition, gained global publicity

34. Czechoslovakia
Perestroika and Glasnost exciting ideas in Prague
Even more exciting: rejection of Brezhnev Doctrine
Dissidents cautious…
Economic decline leads to greater dissent
Opportunities for young limited

35. Velvet Revolution 1989
Opposition coming from environmental groups, political groups, rock and roll, etc
Religious freedom demands growing (like Poland)
May: borders open, June: Solidarity wins, Nov. 9: Berlin Wall down
Nov 17 commemoration turns into anti-government riot

36. Velvet Revolution cont…
Riot dealt with violently, leading to more protest and outrage
Civic Forum created by Havel to articulate demands
Communist party can’t hold on – no new ideas
Police and military can’t be relied on to crackdown
President resigns, Dubcek and Havel appear triumphant
Havel new president by the end of 1989

37. Issues for post-Soviet control
Lack of democratic traditions
United by opposition, now what do we want?
Remnants of old regime
Old party admins needed to create structure
Economic disasters
Harsh realities of global markets and capitalism
Socio-cultural
Economic crisis, fear and nationalism