Ch. 19 sec. 4 Changes in Central & Eastern Europe

I. Poland and Hungary ReformA. Poland and Hungary

1. Poland and Hungary became the 1st two countries in Eastern Europe to break away from the Soviet Union

A. Poland and Hungary2. In Poland the Gdansk shipyard workers formed a union

called Solidarity that demanded recognition

3. The govt. gave into the demands and union leader Lech Walsea became a hero

B. Solidarity Defeats Communists1. The next year though the Communist Party banned the Solidarity union

and declared martial law

2. The economy worsened and in Aug. of 1988 workers left jobs and demanded change

3. April 1988 military leader Jaruzelski legalized the Solidarity & held free elections for the first time since the communist had taken control

4. Polish voters voted against communist & elected Walsea as president

C. Poland Votes Out Walsea1. Walsea tried to revive Poland’s bankrupt economy toward a

free market economy but was unsuccessful

2. By the mid 1990’s the economy did progress but not fast enough so Walsea was voted out of office and former Communist Alexander Kwasniewski was voted in

D. Poland Under Kwasniewski1. Poland becomes a member of NATO and continues to

establish a strong market economy

2. Kwasniewski pushed for democracy and free markets

E. Hungarian Communists Disband1. Inspired by Poland, Hungarian leaders launched reforms to

encourage private enterprise, a small stock market, & a new constitution with free elections

2. 1st country to vote the Communist Party out of existence

3. A socialist & democratic party formed a coalition to rule

4. In 2001 there was economic hardship due to weak exports, decline in foreign investment and excessive spending

II. Germany UnifiesA. Fall of the Berlin Wall

1. In Oct 1989 huge demonstrations had broken out in East Germany demanding the right to travel freely

2. On Nov. 9, 1989 East German leader Egon Krenz believed that opening the border would save Communism in East Germany

3. Instead the East German Communist Party ceased to exist

B. Reunification1. As a result reunification occurred uniting both Germany’s

2. West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl assured world leaders that a unified Germany would not be a threat to the rest of the world

C. A New Chancellor1. Reunification forced new leader Gerhard Schroeder to accept

global responsibility since they were now the largest Central European country

2. Germany is the worlds third largest economy in the world

III. Democracy Spreads in CzechoslovakiaA. Czechoslovakia Reforms

1. Citizens demanded democracy & freedom in 1989 & began to protest in Wenceslas Square

2. The govt. led by Milos Jakes resisted but had to resign after 500,000 demonstrators crowded downtown Prague demanding change

3. Nov. 25, 1989 the Communist Party member resigned and political hero Vaclav Havel was elected president

B. Czechoslovakia Breaks Up1. As a result of economic hardship Czechoslovakia broke up

into Slovakia and the Czech Republic in Jan. 1993

2. Both countries slowly began to recover economically; the Czech Republic joined the EU and Slovakia hopes to join soon

IV. Overthrow in RomaniaA. A Popular Uprising

1. Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu kept a tight grip of control over Romania until he had military forces fire on demonstrators in the city of Timisoara.

2. The move backfired as the military and citizens turned on him and while trying to flee the country he was arrested and executed.

B. The Romanian Economy1. Since the end of communism in Romania, it has been a

struggle to create a stabilized economy.2. The country has slowly incorporated capitalism and

improved trade allowing it to slowly grow as a country.

V. The Breakup of YugoslaviaI. A Bloody Breakup

1. After the death of Josip Tito, Yugoslavia began to slowly break apart because of the many different ethnic groups in the country.

2. Slovenia and Croatia were the first to declare independence but not without blood shed as Yugoslavia tried to forcibly keep them.

3. Bosnia-Herzegovina followed suit which in turn created the Bosnia war where ethnic cleansing was a policy implemented to kill all the Muslims in Bosnia. A terrible incident.

B. The Region Faces its Problems1. Early in the 21st century, Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milosevic

was sent to trial for war crimes on the Muslims in Bosnia.2. Eventually, Serbia and Montenegro would decide to become their

own separate countries instead of being a loose union.3. Through time the region has accepted their differences and have

begun to rebuild relationships with each other.