The Bipolar World
The Soviet State in 1980s
• The state was able to
destroy any political
opposition, but was unable to
modernize the economy or
improve the living standards
for the population.
• Early 1980s: No economic
growth, unable to compete
militarily or economically
with the West. 25% of the
national income spent on the
military spending…
• High corruption! State
officials were devoted to
advance their own interests,
not to serve public
interests.
Mikhail Gorbachev
Soviet leader 1985-1991
1989, Gorbachev
announced restructuring
of USSR, withdrawal
from cold war
Satellites states
informed that each was
on its own, without
Soviet support
Rapid collapse of communist regimes across eastern and central
Europe, 1989
In Poland, Solidarity leader Lech Walesa won election of 1990
Communism overthrown in Bulgaria and Hungary
Czechoslovakia's "velvet revolution" ended communism in 1990,
divided into Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993
Only violent revolution was in Romania; ended with death of
communist dictator
East Germany opened Berlin Wall in 1989; two Germanys were
united in 1990
The Balkins
• Nationalistic movements in the
former Yugoslavia led to “ethnic
cleansing” in which Muslims were
slaughtered by Serbians.
• UN and NATO involvement in the 90s
Gorbachev's reforms
Gorbachev hoped for economic reform within political and
economic system
• Perestroika: "restructuring" the economy
Centralized economy inefficient, military spending excessive
Declining standard of living, food shortages, shoddy goods
• Glasnost: "openness"
to public criticism,
admitting past mistakes
• Opened door to
widespread criticism of
party and government
•Alienated those in
positions of power,
military leaders
Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe
• 1989. Gorbachev seemed
to be willing to undertake
an internal reform in
Eastern Europe:
“Life itself punishes those
who delay.”
• All the regimes making up
the Socialist Bloc collapsed
and gave way to multiparty, parliamentary
regimes.
• However, Gorbachev’s
reforms in the USSR had
consequences that clearly
he did not intend!
Elections in the U.S.S.R.
• Elections for Supreme Soviets in 15
Republics and for Soviets in regions and
towns all across the country in 1990
stimulated popular, nationalist
movements in many republics!
• Three Baltic Republics (Litvania,
Latvia and Estonia) declared their
intention to secede from the USSR.
• In Russia (core republic), Boris Yeltsin
(a man that Gorbachev neither liked nor
respected) won election as the
chairman of Supreme Soviet in June
1990.
• In 1990, as an elected chief
of state in the Russian
Republic, Yeltsin had
considerable advantage to
mobilize public support and
to challenge Gorbachev!
• Keep in mind! Gorbachev
was the state president of
Soviet Union (never elected!),
Yeltsin was the chairman of
Supreme Soviet in Russia
(popularly elected!).
• Their rivalry formed a
backdrop for the dramatic
events that led to the
collapse of Soviet Union.
A New Federal Union?
• Gorbachev sought to find new terms
for a new federal union acceptable to
Yeltsin and leaders of other Republics.
• Agreement in April 1991 with 9 out of
15 republics, including Russia, regarding
the outlines of a new federal union:
---A weak federal government that
would stay to manage basic coordinating
functions.
---Republics would have power to
control the economy on their own
territory.
• Russian Republic followed the example of the
USSR and created a state presidency in June
1991.
• Boris Yeltsin was elected as the state president
of Russian Republic. He was even more
powerful now!
• In the mean time, Gorbachev had underestimated
the opposition within the CPSU for
the new federal union.
The Coup against Gorbachev
• Gorbachev’s own vice-president,
defense minister, KGB Chief and
other senior officials attempted a
coup in August 1991.
---placed Gorbachev in house
arrest
---took over state power, let
troops occupy critical locations in
Moscow and other cities.
• Yeltsin opposed the coup! After
learning of the coup, he rushed to
the Russian parliament, the White
House, which was surrounded by
troops and began organizing
resistance.
In a famous August 1, 1991 street scene, Yeltsin standing on
a tank in front of the parliament building, publicly defying
the coup plotters. Thousands of demonstrators turned out
to back him and to protect the Parliament building!
In Moscow and St. Petersburg, thousands of citizens
rallied against the coup and for democracy and Russian
sovereignty. In the photo below,
Yeltsin greets thousands of people at a huge rally at
the parliament, which becomes the unofficial
headquarters of democratic resistance.
Demise of the U.S.S.R
• Coup collapsed on the 3rd day and Gorbachev returned to office, but
his credibility was fatally undermined…
• By September, Baltic Republics were off to a shaky start, the New
Federal Union Treaty was put on hold indefinitely.
• In December, 11 of remaining 12 republics agreed to form the
Commonwealth of Independent States.
• Gorbachev resigned his position as president, the Soviet Union
ceased to exist…By January 1, 1992, Russia, biggest chunk from the
Soviet Union, became an independent country.
China under Mao Zedong
1949 - 1976
Civil War (1946 – 1949)
• KMT: Kuomindang (Nationalist Party)
– Chiang Kai-shek (President)
• CCP: Chinese Communist Party
– Mao Zedong
Timeline
•
•
•
•
•
•
KMT-CCP Civil War (1946-1949)
Recovery and Socialism (1949-1956)
Rethinking the Soviet model (1956-1957)
Great Leap Forward (1958-1961)
Recovery & growing elite division (1962-5)
Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
(1966-1976)
Mao Zedong
• A revolution to remove “3 big mountains”
– imperialism
– feudalism
– bureaucrat-capitalism
• A “United Front” of …
– workers
– peasants
– petty bourgeoisie and national bourgeoisie
Economic Reconstruction 1950s
•
•
•
•
Soviet Union model and assistance
land reform (eliminate landlord class)
heavy industry (state-owned enterprises)
First National People’s Congress (1954)
– PRC Constitution
• Zhou Enlai
– Premier
– Foreign Minister
Great Leap Forward (1958-1960)
• abandon the Soviet model of economic
development
– Soviet “scientific planning”
• mass mobilization
• people’s communes
Great Leap Forward (1958-1960)
• unrealistic output targets
– industry
– agricultural and human disaster
Growing Division (1962-1965)
• Mao Zedong vs. Liu Shaoqi and Deng
Xiaoping
• charismatic leadership vs. bureaucracy
Cultural Revolution (1966-1976)
• Mao’s goal was to discourage anything approaching a
privilege ruling class
• To accomplish this Mao issued reforms meant to erase
all traces of Western influences
• Many universities were shut down for 4 years and the
students and faculty went to collective farms for “cultural
retraining”
• Many political dissidents were imprisoned or killed
• Mao’s “Little Red Book”, a collection of teachings on
communism, became a popular symbol of the Cultural
Revolution
• The whole plan failed miserably in advancing China
socially or economically
Diplomatic Breakthrough
• 1971, PRC became the representative of
China in UN (replaced ROC)
Diplomatic Breakthrough
• 1972, President Nixon visited Beijing
Mao and Zhou Died in 1976
• Turning point in China’s postwar era
• Deng Xiaoping takes over, new leadership quickly
changed the educational policy and began to focus on
restructuring the economic policies
• End of the Cultural Revolution
1979 - Diplomatic relations established with the US.
1986-90 - China's "Open-door policy" opens the country to foreign
investment and encourages development of a market economy and private
sector.
1989 - Troops open fire on demonstrators who have camped for weeks in
Tiananmen Square initially to demand the posthumous rehabilitation of
former CCP General Secretary Hu Yaobang, who was forced to resign in
1987. The official death toll is 200. International outrage leads to
sanctions.
1989 - Jiang Zemin takes over as Chinese Communist Party general
secretary from Zhao Ziyang, who refused to support martial law during the
Tiananmen demonstrations.
1989- Stockmarkets open in Shanghai and Shenzhen.
1992 - Russia and China sign declaration restoring friendly ties.
1993 - Jiang Zemin officially replaces Yang Shangkun as president.
1993- Preliminary construction work on the Three Gorges dam begins. It
will create a lake almost 600 kilometres (375 miles) long and submerge
dozens of cultural heritage sites by the time it is completed in 2009.
1997 - Hong Kong reverts to Chinese control.
1998 - Zhu Rongji succeeds Li Peng as premier, announces reforms in the
wake of the Asian financial crisis and continued deceleration of the
economy. Thousands of state-owned enterprises are to be restructured.
About four million civil service jobs to be axed.
2000 - Crackdown on official corruption intensifies, with the execution
for bribe taking of a former deputy chairman of the National People's
Congress.
2001 June - China carries out military exercises simulating an invasion of
Taiwan, at the same time as the island's armed forces test their capability
to defend Taiwan against a missile attack from China.
2001 November - China joins the World Trade Organization.
2002 February - US President George W Bush visits, on the 30th
anniversary of President Nixon's visit to China - the first by a US
president.
2002 November - Vice-President Hu Jintao is named head of the ruling
Communist Party, replacing Jiang Zemin, the outgoing president. Jiang is
re-elected head of the influential Central Military Commission, which
oversees the armed forces.
2003 March - National People's Congress elects Hu Jintao as president. He
replaces Jiang Zemin, who steps down after 10 years in the post.
2004 November - China signs a landmark trade agreement with 10 southeast Asian countries; the accord could eventually unite 25% of the world's
population in a free-trade
2005 August - China and Russia hold their first joint military exercises.
2006 May - Work on the structure of the Three Gorges Dam, the world's
largest hydropower project, is completed.
2007 June - New labor law introduced after hundreds of men and boys
were found working as slaves in brick factories.
2007 July - China's food and drug agency chief is executed for taking
bribes. Food and drug scandals have sparked international fears about the
safety of Chinese exports.
2007 September - A new Roman Catholic bishop of Beijing is consecrated the first for over 50 years to have the tacit approval of the Pope.
2008 March - Pro-independence protests in the Tibetan capital Lhasa turn
violent and spread to other cities in Tibetan-populated areas. Chinese
police respond, with varying reports of casualties.