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Russia & its relations with Eastern Europe

This article explores the Soviet Union's occupation of Eastern Europe after WWII, the establishment of satellite nations, and the impact of the Cold War on the region. It also discusses the collapse of communism and the subsequent transition to capitalism in Eastern Europe.

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Russia & its relations with Eastern Europe

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  1. Russia & its relations with Eastern Europe

  2. By the end of WWII Soviet armies occupied most of E. Europe • Local Communist parties destroyed opposition parties, censored press, & ended private ownership • Stalin forced these satellite nations to contribute to rebuilding Soviet industry – sell their natural resources & provide troops & $$$ for Warsaw Pact

  3. Each country was allowed to keep its cultural identity (unlike the Soviet republics) • Soviet gov’t tightened its grip on satellite nations as Cold War deepened • Failure of the West to intervene when E. Europeans asked for help showed they accepted Soviet sphere of influence

  4. Each country was allowed to keep its cultural identity (unlike the Soviet republics) • Soviet gov’t tightened its grip on satellite nations as Cold War deepened • Failure of the West to intervene when E. Europeans asked for help showed they accepted Soviet sphere of influence

  5. Soviets responded w/force any time a nationalist movement began in satellite nation (Brezhnev Doctrine) • Late 1989 – “democracy movement” swept through E. Eur. • Communist gov’ts fell one by one • Most changes came peacefully • E. Eur nations withdrew from Warsaw Pact & Soviet troops left

  6. Moved from communism to capitalism • Privatized industries & stopped keeping prices artificially low • EFFECTS: high unemployment, soaring prices, crime wave, consumer goods plentiful but unaffordable, inflation • Many cried for the old days of communism

  7. Others asked the West for help – joined NATO or the EU (or both) • Ethnic tensions – many diverse nations • Nationalism helped unite some (like Poland & Hungary) while others divided (Czechoslovakia became Czech Republic & Slovakia)

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