Jewish History Chassidim and Misnagdim Notes

5/16/11

Why was there a “war” between the Chassidim and the Misnagdim?

v R. Israel Ben Eliezer- Ba’al Shem Tov

¨     Rough earlier life

Ø  Lived in the 1700s

Ø  Orphan at a young age

Ø  Not a great student- cut class and went into the woods to be inspired by Hashem rather than learn in cheder

Ø  First job- assistant to the “aleph beis” rebbe (basically the worst job you could get)

Ø  Got married, and lived with his wife in the mountains for a period of self introspection, getting close to G-d, and a mystic appreciation

Ø  Came back from the mountains and his wife ran an inn

¨     People seemed to gravitate towards him- he was just so easy to talk to and he would make you feel better and give you good advice and a blessing. 

Ø  Many people would come to him when they felt down about their yiddishkite- they didn’t feel like such good Jews because they were working to supply for the family, and not learning Torah.  Ba’al Shem Tov answered them that learning Torah was important, but there are 612 other mitzvoth.  He reassured people that learning Torah was not the only thing that mattered

5/18/11

¨     Outlook on Judaism

Ø  Simple, sincere prayer, as opposed to strictly learning

Ø  “D’vekut”- being glued to G-d

Ø  “Kavana”- thinking about what you are saying when you pray and having it come from the heart

Ø  Fully enjoy performing all the mitzvoth, even simple ones

Ø  Song and dance

¨     Role of the rebbe (tzadik)

Ø  The rebbe is a spiritual leader

Ø  Who qualifies to be a Chassidish rebbe?

 It’s hereditary- the Ba’al Shem Tov’s descendents, and the descendants of his early followers

¨     Miracles

Ø  Ascribe miracles to the Ba’al Shem Tov that he apparently performed

¨     Followers

Ø  Earliest followers tended to be poor and non-scholars

v Eliyahu Kramer- Vilna Gaon

¨     Born 20 years after Ba’al Shem Tov

¨     Scholarly genius from his earliest childhood

Ø  Had private tutors his whole life because he was too smart for the other children

Ø  Mastered Chumash at the age of 3

Ø  Gave a very complex Talmudic lecture in shul at the age of 7

Ø  By 8, his idea of play was kabala (and making a golem out of clay)

Ø  Wrote commentaries on almost everything

Ø  Also studied math, grammar, astronomy, and other secular subjects to understand Torah better

¨     Agreed with Ba’al Shem Tov on:

Ø  Kavana in praying

Ø  Enjoying all mitzvoth

Ø  BUT, he insisted on the importance of scholarship to be able to perform mitzvoth sincerely

Ø  Leaders should also be extremely scholarly

5/19/11

¨     Attack on Chassidim

Ø  Based on lack of scholarship

Ø  His followers were called “Misnagdim”

Ø  Accepted some of the Chassidic ideas, but you can’t enjoy performing mitzvoth unless you fully understand them, and to understand them is to learn Torah and commentaries

Ø  Said the Chassidim were deriding scholarship and accepting simplistic mysticism instead (which is not acceptable)

Ø  Also disagreed with the idea of worshipping G-d with your good conscious and bad conscious.

Ø  He also attacked the Chassidic idea of learning just for learning’s sake, not learning to get a reward or respect.  The Vilna Gaon said it’s okay to start out learning for a reward, and then as one develops he will learn just to learn (l’shmah)

Ø  Didn’t like the role of the Chassidic rebbe

 There shouldn’t be a middleman between man and G-d

 Also, some people treated their rebbe close to an idol (people believed that the rebbe had the power to do things G-d is supposed to)

Ø  Emphasis on inner emotion will lead people to transgress to Torah (it will lead people off the derech)

¨     Vilna Gaon and other rabbis excommunicated the Chassidim

Ø  Chassidim separated themselves from the community and from the leadership of the rabbis

 They prayed separately in shteiblach

Ø  Improper behavior in praying

 Jumping, dancing, chanting at the wrong time, praying at the wrong time, changed the nusach (format of the prayer)

 Even though the Vilna Gaon also changed the prayers, he considered himself the “brain surgeon” who had the knowledge to do so, not the Chassidim.  He could do safely what other people could not

Ø  Accused them of being Sabbatean (like “Shabbetai Zevi”) in regard to their treatment of the rebbe as a supernatural being (he also believed the rebbe’s and the Ba’al Shem Tov were ignorant, but he never would have said that)

Ø  De-emphasis on Torah study à putting unlearned people on the same level as scholars, and an emphasis on kabala instead of Talmud

Ø  General improprieties- drinking, smoking,

Ø  Why did they want to excommunicate the Chassidim?

 To contain them so that their ideas don’t influence others.  They intended for it to fade their appeal

5/20/11

v R. Schneor-Zalman of Liadi

¨     Chassidic scholar

¨     Tried to bring the two groups together

Ø  However, the Vilna Gaon refused to meet with him

¨     Started a new group- ChaBaD (Chochma, Bina, Deah)

Ø  He became the first Lebavitch rebbe

Ø  Tried to create a new type of Chassidim that combined elements of Chassidim but also emphasized learning

Ø  Updated the Shulchan Aruch for Chassidic use

Ø  Wrote a book that explained Chabad principles

Ø  Nussach Ari

v Vilna Gaon died during Succoth à more intense conflict

¨     Misnagdin were mourning, but the Chassidim singing and dancing on Simchat Torah outraged them à more bad blood in Vilna

¨     Later on both groups would turn each other in to the authorities for different “crimes”

v Peace at last

¨     The two groups began to come together a little bit

Ø  Chassidim let their children learn gemara, Misnagdim decided to sing some zmirot at the Shabbat table

¨     Enlightenment produced Jews who denied Torah, so the Chassidim and Misnagdim realized that they are both Orthodox and follow Torah law, they just argue over how

Ø  Agreed on the basic: Hashem gave us the Torah and we are required to fulfill His commandments

¨      

v  

Jewish History Test 5/17

The test tomorrow covers:

18th and 19th Century Jews
19th Century Affairs
Holocaust

Homework #32-37

AP Euro FINISHED!

I would like to congratulate all the kids in AP Euro for sticking it out and finally finishing!  We did it!  :-D

(Don't worry, I will still be posting Jewish History notes on here!)

AP Euro Review

AP Euro Review

v Monarchs of England

¨     Tudors: Henry VII (New monarch, centralization, star chamber, raised his own money), Henry VIII (Anglicanism), Edward, Bloody Mary, Elizabeth I (golden age, politique)

¨     Stuarts: James I (believed in divine right rule), Charles I (ship money, short and long Parliament, English civil war), Charles II (Stuart restoration after Cromwell, development of Whigs and Tories), James II (Catholic, ignored Test Act), William and Mary (Glorious Revolution, English Bill of Rights limited power of king), Anne

¨     Hanover (this is still the ruling family now, except they took the name Windsor during WWI): George I (Walpole- first PM)

v New monarchs

¨     More concentration of royal authority

¨     Efforts to suppress nobles

¨     Control Church

¨     Gain loyalty of people

v French Revolution comparisons

¨     Method for comparisons- start with one, figure out its main characteristics (causes, changes, stages, results), then look at the other and ask the same questions, then make comparisons between the two

¨     English Civil War

¨     Russian Revolution

Ø  Duma did not make reforms needed

Ø  WWI = financial insolvency of the FR as the trigger

Ø  Both started off led by moderates (FR- wanted constitutional monarchy, RR- wanted democracy)

Ø  Kerensky would not pull Russia out of the war (Russia was still bleeding!).  Kerensky’s lack of reform à Bolshevik Revolution (more radical, just like when the FR became more radical)

v  

v  

AP Euro Postwar Era Notes

5/3/11

How did Western Europe change in the postwar era?

v Growth growth growth

¨     Political developments

Ø  At first communists did well- legacy of anti-Nazi fight

Ø  Later decline as the SU lost support the in the cold war (France and Italy communist parties stayed at 25% level by focusing on social inequality- avoided support for Stalin)

Ø  Socialists had support after the war, but faded during the cold war

Ø  1950’s moderate parties made a comeback, especially Christian Democrats who wanted democracy and economic reform (cared about the poor)

¨     By 1950 “recovery” was complete and growth continued on

Ø  Prosperity and nearly full employment

v France- de Gaulle

¨     Reestablished the glory of France

¨     Did not like the “weakness” of the 4^th republic (which was established after WWII) à “withdrew from politics”, formed a right wing French Popular Movement à 1958 new constitution for a 5^th French republic

Ø  Factors à new system

 Loss in Indochina

 ?? Algeria

¶ Anti war intellectuals + Church leaders were against the fight

¶ Army wanted a victory, some officers revolt against their own gov’tà with civil war a danger, the 4^th Rep leaders turn to de Gaulle and offer him the gov’t and changes to the constitution

¨     5^th French Republic

Ø  Strong president: chooses PM, can dissolve Parliament, controls foreign policy, supervises defense

Ø  De Gaulle’s policies

 Return French glory

 Wanted a more pivotal role in the Cold War à pulled out of the NATO high command

 Nuclear weapons

 Withdrawal from Algiers à led more prestige in 3^rd world

Ø  Economic

 Nuclear cost increased defense spending

 Centralized government reflected in centralized economic decision making

¶ Nationalized industries: RR, coal, steel à expansion and deficits

 France became a major exporter of autos and weapons

 Growth, growth

 Problems

¶ Housing shortages, lack of sufficient hospitals, schools, cost of living rose

¨     End of de Gaulle

Ø  Problems à May ’68 student strikes, labor unions had general strikes

Ø  De Gaulle restored order- lost prestige and resigned in April 1969

v West Germany- Konrad Adenauer

¨     Allies allowed political parties

Ø  Social Democrats (SPD)

Ø  *Christian Democrats (CDU)

Ø  Free Democrats (FDP)

¨     Reconciled with France

¨     Joined NATO in 1955

Ø  Were allowed to rearm as a defense against E. Germany and communism

¨     Economic

Ø  Postwar economic growth was the complete opposite of Germany post-WWI

Ø  Ludwig Erhard

 1955 W. Germany had a greater GNP than prewar Germany

 Real wages doubled

 Unemployment was so low (.4%) that they imported “guest workers” (however, this led to problems in the future)

¨     De-Nazification

Ø  Nuremberg trials 1945-46

Ø  1953 payments to Holocaust survivors and to Israel

¨     Adenauer resigned in ’63, followed by Erhard with similar policies

¨     Economic downturn in the mid 60’s à rise of Social Democrats

v Great Britain- Welfare State

¨     Labour Party (more socialistic) à welfare state

¨     Clement Atlee

Ø  Nationalized the Bank of England, coal, steel, transportation, and utilities

Ø  Social welfare reforms

 National Insurance Act 1946

¶ Social security

 National Health Services Act

¶ Medical insurance

Ø  Cut expenses abroad (to pay for the welfare)- dismantled the empire (and England stopped becoming a great power)

¨     Most European countries also adopted the welfare state approach

¨     Continuing economic problems à Conservatives 1951-1964

Ø  Private enterprises and continuing welfare state (added housing for the poor)

Ø  Long tern economic decline

 Unions demanded larger increases than productivity

 Old industrial technology and methods

 Lost revenue from abroad (no empire) but still had debt from international obligations

 Result: Britain was much less of a power

v Italy

¨     Abolished the monarchy and became a Democratic Republic

¨     ’48 first postwar election won by the Christian Democrats

Ø  Alcide de Gaspieri- he held office for a very looong time for Italy- 5 years

¨     Economic miracle here too

Ø  Marshall plan

Ø  Combined private enterprise with government management, especially in heavy industry

¨     Problems

Ø  Still had disparity between the industrialized and developed north from the poor underdeveloped south à migration north and even out of Italy

v Social Changes

¨     Social structure

Ø  Increasing middle class

 New manager positions

 Specialized knowledge

 White collar jobs were considered middle class

Ø  Many peasants moved to more urban areas (people were no longer on the farms)

Ø  Factory jobs also decreased because more people took up white collar jobs

Ø  Consumer society

 Real wages went up

 Lower classes could buy more

 Workers could by cars, televisions, washing machines, etc

¨     Installment plan

Ø  People paid for merchandise out in a stretch of time

¨     More leisure à commercialized popular culture

Ø  Shorter workweeks

Ø  Europeans got more paid holidays

Ø  Music, sports, media, mass tourism

¨     Welfare state

Ø  Expansion of state power over the individual citizen
on the other hand…

Ø  Goal of the state to better give more meaningful lives for the individual

Ø  New mind set: society’s obligation to make people have good lives (society should not allow people to be sick, homeless, uneducated, etc).  These new 20^th century liberals wanted the government to be actively involved in people’s lives (the exact opposite of 19^th century liberals!)

Ø  Generally, existing benefits in countries were increased and extended to more people

Ø  Tried to remove class barriers for education

Ø  Cost of welfare state went up and up

¨     Women

Ø  Initially, women left the work force as returning soldiers got jobs

Ø  They wanted women to stay home and be domestic to take care of children.  They believed that working women was very socialistic.  In the SU, women were encouraged to work

Ø  Baby boom, but the birth rates dropped at the end of the ‘50’s

Ø  Smaller families à more married women in the workforce

Ø  Feminist movement

 WWI and WWII à achieved the 19^th century aim of suffrage

 1945-60 little feminist talk, most women went “traditional”

 1960 “women’s liberation movement”

¶ Political and legal equality does not = true equality

¶ Simone de Beauvoir- The Second Sex

Ø  Thought society imposed more limits on women than men

¨     Permissive society

Ø  Critics believed people had the ability to do whatever they wanted, which was bad

Ø  Extensive drugs, alcohol, and sex

Ø  Sweden was the first country to give sex-ed in schools

Ø  Oral contraceptive for women gave them freer attitudes

Ø  Result

 Increased divorce rates

 Drug culture- marijuana and LSD were common on college campuses

¨     Education and student revolts

Ø  France- students wanted more control over their education

 Workers joined protest but de Gaulle gave them wage hikes and they went home

 Police ended the protest

Ø  W. Berlin- similar protest against Axel Springer

 Herbert Marcuse

Ø  Protests against the Vietnam War inflamed the French and German protestors

How did European foreign relations change after WWII?

v Cuban Missile Crisis

¨     Khrushchev was upset over Kennedy not pulling westerners out of West Berlin

¨     ’59 Castro took over Cuba

¨     ’61 Bay of Pigs

Ø  US tried to invade Cuba, but it was an epic failure

¨     ’62 Khrushchev tried to put nuclear missiles in Cuba

Ø  à Naval blockade

¨     Compromise (SU ships with missiles turned around, and the US promised not to invade Cuba) à other efforts to avoid conflict

Ø  Hotline communications

 Private telephone line between the US president and leader of Russia to avoid going to war by mistake

Ø  Nuclear test ban treaty- no more atmospheric testing

v Decolonization

¨     US started with the Philippines 1946

¨     Britain let India go in 1947

¨     Others followed

Ø  Indonesia became independent from the Dutch

¨     France tried to hold on in Indochina

Ø  SE Asia – Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia

Ø  Algeria- FLN won and de Gaulle accepted it in ‘62

Ø  Gave Morocco independence

¨     Africa

Ø  All the African countries eventually became independent starting in ’57 with Ghana

Ø  Belgium freed the Congo

v Neocolonialism

¨     A charge leveled after independence by African countries that did not like European economic influence

¨     1^st world- Japan, Western Europe, and North America (industrialized non-Communist countries)

¨     2^nd world- Soviet Union and its satellites

¨     3^rd world- backwards, unindustrialized nations

5/4/11

Why was the period after 1975 a different era in European history?

Stagnation stagflation instead of growth growth

v Economic downturn

¨     Severe recession 1973-74 and 1979-83

¨     Rising unemployment

¨     Sharp increased price in oil by OPEC

¨     Worldwide recession and declined demand for European goods

v Mid 1980’s- recovery

¨     Integration of European economies

Ø  Started before 1975 when Europeans wanted to unify, but didn’t want to give up their nationalism and independence à economic unity (European Coal and Steel Community, ECSC- “common market” for coal and steel) as opposed to political unity
1957 Euratom
         EEC = European Economic Community = Common Market (free trade within the group, and a common tariff against outsiders)

Ø  EEC à EC by the addition of Great Britain, Ireland, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, and Greece.  Largest single trading entity with ¼ of the world’s commerce by 1992

¨     Maastricht Treaty- Treaty on European Union

Ø  Economic and monetary union 1999, 11 countries adopted the Euro as a common currency

v Political conditions

¨     Economic union à more political consultations

¨     Democracy spread to the “holdouts”

Ø  Spain: Franco died in ’75, King Juan Carlos brought in a democratic constitution

Ø  Portugal: dictator Salazar had a stroke in ’68, Caetano continued dictatorship until Carnation Revolution in ‘74

¨     Decline of Western communist parties as “eurocommunism”- support better government within a democratic system

v West Germany à Germany

¨     Voters go from center right of the CD to center left SD+FD 1969-1982

¨     Willy Brandt

Ø  “Opening to the East” = Ostpolitik

Ø  1972 Basic Treaty with East Germany- agreed to have friendly relations

Ø  Resigned in ’74 because people saw he was giving too much to the East

¨     Helmut Schmidt- technocrat- politicians doing things based on scientific principles based on what was best for the time

¨     Helmut Kohl

Ø  1989 East Germany’s revolution à reunification of West and East Germany

Ø  Germany became a leading power

Ø  Problems because of unification

 East was underdeveloped, backwards, with no idea of democracy

¨     1998 election- Social Democrats

¨     2005 Christian Democratic Union + coalition: Angela Merkel became the first woman, East German, and scientist to be Chancellor of Germany

v Great Britain

¨     64-79 Conservatives and Labour alternated

Ø  Ireland

 Catholics and Protestants were really violent

 2007 Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein and Reverand Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party) agreed to power sharing à Paisley and McGuiness (friends of Adams) became the leader and deputy leader of the government- ended direct British rule.  However, Ireland still had economic problems

¨     1979 Margaret Thatcher was elected PM- Conservative (would tried to undo the whole welfare state)

Ø  Thatcherism- Margaret Thatcher’s conservative economic policy

 Cut the power of the labor unions

 Limit the expenses for social welfare

 Control inflation

 Results: economy improved some places, but there was still unemployment and poverty.  Worst result was education cuts that made the education in England not as good as it used to be

Ø  Foreign policy- like Ronald Reagan- hardline anti-Communism

 Falklands Islands war

 Military buildup

Ø  1990 poll tax (rich and poor pay the same) à unpopular- 1992 resigned but conservatives continued under John Major

¨     1997 Tony Blair- Labour

v France: uncertainties

¨     Economic problems à Socialists were elected, led by Francois Mitterand 1981

Ø  Economic reforms

 More social benefits

 Higher taxes on the rich

Ø  Administrative reforms

 Nationalization of some large industry

 Decentralization of government

 These two reforms are complete opposites

Ø  Problems with socialist policies à “about face” = “Modernization” (return to private enterprise) à more success and Mitterand stayed in power until 1995

Ø  Later there were more conservatives- Jacques Chirac, Nicholas Sarkozy

v Italy: confusion

¨     50 governments in less than 50 years

¨     Terrorist attacks

Ø  Also Moro kidnapped and killed by the Red Brigades (Marxists/Leninists who wanted a revolution)

Ø  Mafia spread from southern Italy to the north

¨     Government corruption and bribery

v Social changes

¨     Women

Ø  Women became more active in the workforce

Ø  More women attended university

Ø  Women still did not get equal pay

Ø  Lower birthrate- abortion and contraceptive were legalized in more countries

Ø  New cultural attitudes- women’s studies in colleges

Ø  Women’s movement

 Joined with other movements to get more attention

¶ Petra Kelly of the German Green

 Wanted equality in political and economic roles

¨     Terrorism

Ø  1972 Munich Olympics

Ø  Palestinians

Ø  Left- Bader-Meinhof gang (Red Army/ Red Brigade- wanted Marxist revolutions)

Ø  Right- New Order in Italy and Charles Martel in France

Ø  Nationalist based terrorists were more effective because they were backed by their countries

 IRA

Ø  Counterterrorism

 German rescue of ‘91 Lufthansa passengers who were hijacked to Mogadishu

 1986 disco bombing of a W. German club targeted American soldiers à Reagan bombed Libya

¨     Guest Workers

Ø  Labor shortages during the earlier growth period à imported workers à problems, because these workers complained (they weren’t being paid equally).  Also, when the countries didn’t need them anymore, they wouldn’t leave.  Also led to an increase in immigration because some of these workers missed their families

Ø  Franz Schonhuber- wanted to stop all new immigrants, and not let settled immigrants stay

Ø  Jean Marie LePen- foreigners would destroy French culture

¨     Environment and the Greens

Ø  Eastern Europeans did not care about the environment

Ø  Chernobyl in the SU

Ø  Global warming, pollution, etc

Ø  Ministries were created to protect the environment, green movements and green parties

Ø  Green Party

 Germany

 Elected 44 deputies to Parliament in 1987

Ø  Results

 People were more aware of the environment

 Green parties often formed coalitions with others

 Co-opt- traditional parties agreed to be green too!

¨     Culture

Ø  Postmodernism in art

Ø  Abstract expressionism continued- Anselm Kiefer

Ø  Postmodernism- people went back to older art styles

Ø  Respect for traditional crafts- weavers, potmakers

Ø  Music

 Serialism- Oliver Messien- atonal

 Minimalism- tonal, harmonic, repetition

Ø  Theater- theater of the absurd

 Disillusionment with fixed beliefs in religion and politics; world is meaningless

¶ Becket’s Waiting for Godot- what’s happening now?

¶ Vaclav Havel Memorandum- criticism of the communists (imposing artificial systems based on ideology)

¨     Existentialism

Ø  Sartre and Camus

 Absence of G-d in the universe leaves humans alone with no preordained destiny, no future, and no hope

Ø  Sartre

 Existence precedes essence

 Man is what he makes of himself

Ø  Camus

 World is absurd, only basis of hope is oneself

¨     Religious revival

Ø  Protestant: Karl Barth- sinful humans only know truth through grace (not reason)

Ø  Catholic

 Karl Rahner- continuity between ancient and modern

 John XXIII Vatican II

¶ Liberalized Catholic practices (you can have meat on Friday)

¶ Open communication w/ other Christians and kinder attitude to Jews (Jews today are not responsible for the death of Jesus)

 John Paul II

¶ First non-Italian pope since the 16^th century

¶ Traditional

¶ Pushed for social justice, condemned war and nuclear weapons, tried to make the world a better place

¨     Science and technology

Ø  Computer vs. small is beautiful

Ø  Chemical fertilizers

Ø   

¨     Pop culture- you should be so lucky

Ø  Films

Ø  TV

Ø  Radio

Ø  Music- Beatles!

Ø  Mass sports- TV made this accessible to everyone

How have the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe changed since Stalin?

(Sorry these notes aren’t in my usual indentations, by I was getting lazy)

Post WWII—Stalin

       War devastation à ‘old policies’ of squeeze labor to get $ for rebuilding

                                    Women do heavy manual labor

 Result: success 

By 1947, production was at prewar level

1946 5 year plan was finished in less than 5 years

Military benefits

Could develop nuclear weapons, fighters, and Sputnik

Problem: Returning soldiers saw how much better everything was outside   Russia.  Stalin’s response- lock them up

Stricter censorship- all literary and scientific works were invalid unless they supported the state.

Accused Jews of plotting to kill Communist officials, but Stalin died before he could carry it out

Nikita Khrushchev 

        1956 He denounced Stalin for a ‘cult of personality’

More freedom for writers:  Solzhenitsyn’s A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch  (the daily life of a person in the gulag)

          deStalinizatrion

Beria (head of the secret police) executed

Closed prison camps

Destalinization à spirit of rebellion in the satellites of E. Europe à 56 Hungarian uprising, suppressed by force

        Economic: more consumer goods

                     Efforts to expand cultivated land failed

         Other leaders didn’t like his jokes and efforts to lessen their privileges  

         Foreign policy failures—Cuban Missile crisis

Politburo (head group of the party) kicked him out for “deteriorating health” and he could not run the SU anymore

Brezhnev

Vietnam– “proxy war”

Post Vietnam War— détente (a period of less intense hostility) after ‘75

Eastern Europe was a lot like the Soviet Union, but Communism wasn’t popular among the Eastern European people

          Generally satellites  [coalition start à CP take over]

          Yugoslavia a little more nationalist under Tito

          Under Stalin generally following his policy—former enemies [WWII] have to pay

Khrushchev—less tight control

Less interference

Countries still could not become independent of Soviet control

       Poland protestsà reforms of Communist Party and election of Gomulka   (still socialist but a little more independence for the Poles)

       Hungary

              Nagy called for free elections and a free nation because they didn’t want communism at all

              Troops crushed it

              Kadar collaborates w/ Soviets, keeps eco reforms

   Czech

        Little Stalin—Novotnyàresign and be replaced by Dubcek “Communism w/ a human face”- reforms, allowed more freedom of speech and press, people were allowed to travel abroad, secret police backed off.  However, people wanted more freedom than what they were given

               Prague Spring 1968

                Went too far—wanted neutrality from the Soviet Union–Red Army came in and took Dubcek out (but he will be back in 1989 for the Velvet Revolution)

Détente

      Anti ballistic missiles treaty 1972

      Helsinki Agreements- non-Communist nations recognized Soviet spheres of influence, and Soviets promised to respect human rights

Steps back from détente

       Afghanistan was invaded by the Soviets to maintain socialism there, but they could not win

End of the cold war: Gorbachev 1985— new thinking (open to new ideas)

         Arms reduction- INF Treaty

Both SU and US wanted to get rid of the costly arms race

         Mostly peaceful revolutions in Eastern Europe were not stopped by Gorbachev

        1990 reunification of Germany

        1991 USSR disintegrated- US actions were unopposed by the Russians

1995 US helped broker an end to war in Bosnia

1999

         

Domestic policy

       Under Brezhnev

              Eco problems

              Morale problems

              New reforms: Yuri Andropov succeeded Brezhnev and supported Gorbachev

Gorbachev

       ‘86 called for major changes

              Perestroika: started a market economy w/ limited free enterprise and private property

                    Criticism from 2 sides (some wanted full freedom, others feared exploitation of workers) à needed political and social change à 

        Glasnost

                Open discussion of problems

                Pravda began printing reports of government corruption (publicized corruption so they could do something about it)

                More freedom of arts, western music

       Political reform

             2 candidates run for a position

             Dissidents were freed from jail

             New Soviet Parliament: Congress of People’s Deputies w/ elections in 1989

             1990 allowed other parties

             New state president– Communist Party no longer controlled the government

1990 Lithuanian Supreme council declared independence à call for “proper procedures” of filling out paperwork

  

Gorbachev worked w/ Boris Yeltsin– head of the Russian Republic 

Abortive Communist coup to arrest Gorbachev by traditional Communists- army, KGB, and military.  Coup failed à speeded up the changes

Russian, Ukrainian and Belarus republic announce that the SU has ceased to exist

Problems remain

  Eco but also Chechens

Eastern Europe

     Poland:  Solidarity- Lech Walesa  

     Hungary: gradual free market reforms- “Communism with a capitalist face lift” (more friendly relations with the west)

     Czech:  Vaclav Havel (poet)

             1993 split into Czech and Slovak republics

    Romania

        Ceausescu (rigid dictator) was overthrown

   East Germany (already discussed with reunification of Germany)

Yugoslavia

         Collapsed into civil war because of all the ethnicities

               Serbs against everyone else

                   Milosevic practiced ethnic cleansing against Bosnians

                US and NATO helped the Bosnians à negotiations à Dayton Accords à Paris peace treaty split Bosnia from Serbia (similar story with Kosovo)