Solidarity in Poland and Other Developments

The Difficult Situation in Poland under Communist Rule

Poland's communist rule faced strong opposition, strikes, and protests. Leaders Brezhnev and Jaruzelski struggled to control Poland until communism ended in 1989.

Poland's challenges for Moscow

Poland showed stronger resistance than Hungary and Czechoslovakia due to its strong Catholic Church.
The Polish trade union 'Solidarity' united many workers opposing the communist government.
Poland's history of independent nationalism made Soviet control harder.
Hungary and Czechoslovakia faced uprisings but lacked the sustained mass support Poland had.

Brezhnev's control

Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev wanted to maintain control over Eastern Europe.
Brezhnev supported strong actions to stop Polish dissent to avoid a repeat of the 1956 Hungarian uprising.
- Moscow pressured the Polish government to suppress Solidarity and workers' protests.

General Jaruzelski's

General Wojciech Jaruzelski became Poland's leader in 1981 during rising unrest.
Jaruzelski imposed martial law in December 1981 to halt Solidarity and strikes.
Jaruzelski aimed to avoid Soviet invasion while controlling protests internally.
- Protesters and Solidarity activists faced arrests and repression under Jaruzelski.

Death of Jerzy Popiełuszko

Worker strikes in the 1980s challenged Poland's communist rule regularly.
Priest Jerzy Popiełuszko became a symbol of resistance, defending workers and human rights.
Secret police abducted and murdered Popiełuszko in 1984, sparking nationwide outrage.
- Popiełuszko's death intensified protests and solidarity against the regime.

The decline of communism

Poland's economy worsened, causing more strikes and unrest in the late 1980s.
General Jaruzelski initiated talks with Solidarity in 1989 allowing semi-free elections.
Solidarity won a landslide victory in June 1989, ending communist monopoly on power.
Lech Wałęsa became a key leader in the post-communist Polish government.

The end of communist rule

Poland became the first Eastern Bloc country to end communist rule peacefully.
The fall of communism in Poland inspired other Soviet satellite states to seek freedom.
The collapse of Soviet control marked major change in Europe by 1990.
Poland joined a path toward democracy and market economy after decades of communist rule.

Solidarity in Poland and Other Developments

Widespread anger and unrest were felt Poland in the early 1980s. There were protests over food shortages and the price of consumer products.

Solidarity

A trade union called Solidarity was established by Lech Walesa who was a dockyard electrician who wanted to assist the working class.
Solidarity wanted to end Soviet control of the country.
Solidarity encouraged continued protest against the government although had been officially suppressed in 1981 and its leaders were arrested.

Support for Solidarity from USA and the Pope

The USA and the Pope worked covertly to undermine communist control of Poland, providing finances to support Solidarity.
Pope John Paul II, helped to secure the release of the Solidarity members that had been arrested.
The CIA also provided Solidarity with communication technology to keep the movement alive.
Solidarity quickly gained 10 million members by 1981.
Walesa was seen as a hero following support for his movement and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983.

The shooting down of KAL 007

In 1983, the United States accused the USSR of shooting down Korean Air Lines flight 007 which went missing off Russia's eastern coast.
All 269 people on board the flight were killed. The USSR admitted to shooting down the aircraft as it was an "unidentified aircraft" in the Soviet airspace.
The USSR claimed that they believed it was a US plane that had been spying on the USSR.
Reagan responded to the incident calling it ‘a crime against humanity’.
The USSR never apologised for the incident and continued to blame the CIA for spying.

‘Able Archer’ November 1983

In November 1983, a NATO ‘war game’, named ‘Able Archer’ was launched.
It was an exercise to test US and European readiness to deal with a nuclear strike.
This could have easily erupted into war for a number of reasons:
- There were increasing tensions due to the shooting down of Korean Air Lines flight 007.
- Reagan announced he would use SDI’s.
- Reagan raised the state of emergency to ‘high’ as part of the ‘war game’.
- Pershing II missiles were deployed.

‘Able Archer' protests

As a result, the USSR and members of the Warsaw Pact were worried that war was imminent.
The event caused great protest against nuclear weapons from those in the West.

1Was the Treaty of Versailles Fair?

1.1What were the Motives and Aims at Versailles?

1.1.1The Treaty of Versailles

1.1.2Roles of Wilson, Clemenceau & George

1.2Did the Victors Get Everything They Wanted?

1.2.1The Terms: Territory

1.2.2The Terms: Reparations

1.2.3The Terms: Armaments

1.2.4The Terms: War Guilt

1.2.5The League of Nations

1.2.6French Reaction

1.2.7American Reaction

1.2.8British Reaction

1.2.9Countries Left Out of the Treaty of Versailles

1.3What was the Impact on Germany up to 1923?

1.3.1German Reaction to the Treaty

1.3.2Germany’s Allies

1.3.3Economic Impacts: Ruhr & Hyperinflation

1.3.4Social Impacts of the Treaty in Germany

1.3.5Political Impacts of the Treaty on Germany

1.3.6Reducing Reparation: The Dawes Plan

1.4Could the Treaty be Justified at the Time?

1.4.1Positives & Negatives

1.4.2Contemporary Opinions About the Treaty

2Was the League of Nations a Success?

2.1How did Weaknesses in the League Lead to Failure?

2.1.1The League of Nations

2.1.2Structure of the League: Assembly & Council

2.1.3Structure of the League: Special Commissions

2.1.4Structure of the League: Permanent Court

2.1.5Structure of the League: Secretariat

2.1.6Financial Crisis in the World

2.2The League’s Success in Peacekeeping

2.2.1Successes: International Borders

2.2.2Successes: International Agreements

2.2.3Failures: Vilna (1920)

2.2.4Åland Islands 1920-21

2.2.5Failures: Corfu 1923

2.2.6Failures: Bulgaria 1925

2.3How Important was the League's Humanitarian Work?

2.3.1Refugees, Health, Slavery, Working Conditions 1

2.3.2Refugees, Health, Slavery, Working Conditions 2

2.4How did the Depression Impact the League?

2.4.1The Great Depression, 1929

2.4.2The Manchurian Crisis, 1931

2.4.3Invasion of Abyssinia, 1935

3How did Hitler's Foreign Policy Impact the War?

3.1What were the Long-Term Consequences of Versailles

3.1.1Long-Term Consequences of Versailles

3.2What were the Consequences of the League's Failure

3.2.1The Disarmament Conference

3.2.2Collapse of the League of Nations

3.2.3Tension in Europe in the 1930s

3.2.4WWII & Failure of the League of Nations

3.2.5Weak Nations

3.3Was the Policy of Appeasement Justified?

3.3.1The Spanish Civil War, 1936-39

3.3.2The Sudetenland

3.3.3Arguments for Appeasement

3.3.4Arguments Against Appeasement

3.3.5Reasons & Acts of Appeasement

3.3.6Impact of Appeasement

3.4How Important was the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

3.4.1The Nazi-Soviet Pact

3.4.2The Polish Crisis & the Outbreak of War

3.5Why did Britain & France Declare War on Germany?

3.5.1The Guarantee for Poland and the War

3.5.2Hitler’s Foreign Policy & Rearmament

3.5.3Hitler's Plan

3.5.4The Saar

3.5.5Remilitarisation of the Rhineland

3.5.6The Rome-Berlin Axis

3.5.7Germany & Italy in the Spanish War

3.5.8The Anti-Comintern Pact

3.5.9Anschluss with Austria

3.5.10The Munich Agreement

3.5.11The Crisis over Czechoslovakia

4Who was to Blame for the Cold War?

4.1Why did the US-Soviet Alliance Break Down?

4.1.1Cold War - Definition

4.1.2The Grand Alliance

4.1.3The Tehran Conference, 1943

4.1.4The 1945 Summit Conferences

4.1.5Early US-Soviet Relations

4.1.6The Breakdown of the US-Soviet Alliance

4.1.7US & Soviet Attitudes to Peace

4.2How did the USSR Gain Control of Easter Europe?

4.2.1The USSR & Eastern Europe

4.2.2Attitudes of Truman & Stalin

4.3How did the US React to Soviet Expansionism?

4.3.1The Beginning of the Cold War

4.3.2The Truman Doctrine & Marshall Plan

4.3.3East-West Boundaries

4.4What were the Consequences of the Berlin Blockade?

4.4.1Germany

4.4.2Bizonia

4.4.3Berlin Blockade

4.4.4FRG & GDR

4.5Who was More to Blame for Starting the Cold War?

4.5.1NATO

4.5.2Warsaw Pact

4.5.3The Responsibility for Cold War Tensions

4.5.4Blame on the USRR

4.5.5Blame on the US

4.5.6Sharing the Blame

5Did the US Contain the Spread of Communism?

5.1The US and Korea, 1950-53

5.1.1The US and Korea: Background to the Crisis

5.1.2The Korean War

5.1.3The Course of the Korean War

5.2The US and Cuba, 1959-62

5.2.1Build-Up to the Cuban Missile Crisis

5.2.2The Cuban Missile Crisis

5.2.3Consequence of the Cuban Missile Crisis

5.3The US and Vietnam, 1955-75

5.3.1French Rule in Vietnam

5.3.2President Eisenhower

5.3.3President Kennedy

5.3.4The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, 1964

5.3.5US Tactics

5.3.6Vietcong Tactics

5.3.7The Vietcong

5.3.8The My Lai Massacre, 1968

5.3.9Vietnamisation

5.3.10The Tet Offensive, 1968

5.3.11Attacks on Cambodia & Laos

5.3.12The Bombing of North Vietnam

5.3.13The Failure of Vietnamisation

5.3.14The Growth of Opposition

5.3.15The Draft System

5.3.16The Kent State University Shootings, 1970

5.3.17Political Opposition

5.3.18Reasons for Support 1

5.3.19Reasons for Support 2

5.3.20Political Support

5.3.21Peace Negotiations

5.3.22The Paris Peace Accords, 1973

5.3.23Economic & Human Costs 1

5.3.24Economic & Human Costs 2

5.3.25The Strengths of North Vietnam 1

5.3.26The Strengths of North Vietnam 2

5.3.27The Weaknesses of the US 1

5.3.28The Weaknesses of the US 2

5.3.29Opposition in the US

5.3.30Reasons Why USA Lost

6How was USSR's Control Over Eastern Europe?

6.1Opposition to Control in Hungary & Czechoslovakia

6.1.1Causes of Opposition

6.1.2The Hungarian Uprising & U2 crisis

6.1.3The U2 Crisis

6.1.4Czechoslovakia, 1968

6.1.5Reaction to Brezhnev

6.2Similarities Between Hungary & Czechoslovakia

6.2.1Hungary and Czechoslovakia 1

6.2.2Hungary & Czechoslovakia 2

6.3Why was the Berlin Wall Built?

6.3.1The Berlin Wall 1

6.3.2The Berlin Wall 2

6.4Solidarity in Poland & Soviet Influence

6.4.1Solidarity in Poland and Other Developments

6.5Gorbachev's Responsibility

6.5.1Reagan & Gorbachev

6.5.2Reagan and the ‘Second Cold War’

6.5.3The Collapse of Soviet Control

6.5.4The Collapse of the USSR

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