After the end of World War II, pro-Soviet regimes were established in Eastern Europe. Among the overwhelming majority of the population of the countries of this region, sympathy was on the side of the USSR as the state that saved them from fascism. The elections held in the early years after the end of the war were won by the communist and socialist parties. To confront the forces of the West, the countries of Eastern Europe united in a military-political bloc under the auspices of the USSR. This lesson is devoted to an overview of relations and the development of the countries of Eastern Europe.
Background
By 1947-1948. in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (Poland, East Germany, Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Albania), communist parties subordinate to Moscow came to power. All other parties were driven out of political life. A regime of autocracy was established and a course was taken to build socialism according to the model of the USSR.
The following features were characteristic of the countries of the socialist camp.
- One-party system.
- Totalitarian socialism (totalitarianism).
- Nationalization of industry, trade and finance.
- State planning. Command and control distribution system.
Events
1947 g.- The Information Bureau of Communist and Workers' Parties (Cominform) was created, through which Moscow led the countries of the socialist camp.
GDR
1953 g.- an uprising in the GDR due to a decline in living standards.
The establishment of pro-Soviet and socialist regimes on the territory of Eastern, Southeastern and part of Central Europe made it possible to include the countries located in these territories, including the so-called. socialist camp. To the states caught in orbit of the USSR in Europe, include: Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Albania, Yugoslavia and the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The establishment of Soviet-style political regimes entailed transformations and reforms copied from the USSR. So, in all of the above countries, at the end of 1940 - beginning of 1950. the agrarian reform was carried out, the persecution began dissidents (i.e. people who disagree with the political regime), practically all spheres of society were subordinated to the state. To strengthen interconnections and maintain the economy, the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) was founded in 1949, which included all states, with the exception of Yugoslavia (Fig. 1). In 1955, in Warsaw, between the USSR, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, East Germany, Romania and Bulgaria, an agreement was signed on the creation of a military bloc, largely to confront NATO, created in 1949. This bloc of socialist countries was named OVD - the Warsaw Pact Organization.
Rice. 1. The CMEA building in Moscow ()
The first cracks in a single socialist camp occurred in 1948 year when the Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito, who wanted to pursue, in many respects, his policy without coordination with Moscow, once again made a willful step, which served to aggravate Soviet-Yugoslav relations and break them. Before 1955 Years Yugoslavia dropped out of the unified system, and never returned there entirely. A peculiar model of socialism arose in this country - titoism based on the authority of the country's leader Tito. Under him, Yugoslavia turned into a country with a developed economy (in 1950-1970 the rates of production increased fourfold), Tito's authority strengthened multinational Yugoslavia. The ideas of market socialism and self-government were at the heart of Yugoslavian prosperity.
After Tito's death in 1980, centrifugal processes began in the state, which led the country to collapse in the early 1990s, the war in Croatia, and the massive genocide of Serbs in Croatia and Kosovo.
The second country that left the united socialist camp and was no longer part of it was Albania. The Albanian leader and staunch Stalinist - (Fig. 2) - did not agree with the decision of the XX Congress of the CPSU to condemn the personality cult of Stalin and broke off diplomatic relations with the USSR, leaving the CMEA. The further existence of Albania was tragic. The sole regime of Khoja led the country to decline and mass poverty of the population. In the early 1990s. between Serbs and Albanians, national conflicts began to erupt, resulting in the mass destruction of Serbs and the occupation of the original Serbian territories, which continues to this day.
Rice. 2. Enver Hoxha ()
For the rest of the countries socialist camp a tougher policy was pursued. So, when in 1956 Polish workers' unrest broke out, protesting against unbearable living conditions, the columns were shot by the troops, and the leaders of the workers were found and destroyed. But in the light of the political transformations taking place at that time in the USSR, associated with de-Stalinization of society, Moscow agreed to put in the head of Poland a repressed under Stalin Vladislava Gomulku... Later, power will pass to General Wojciech Jaruzelski who will fight the gaining political weight movement "Solidarity" representing workers and independent trade unions. Leader of the movement - Lech Walesa- became the leader of the protest. Throughout the 1980s. the Solidarity movement gained more and more popularity, despite the persecution of the authorities. In 1989, with the collapse of the socialist system, Solidarity came to power in Poland.
In 1956, an uprising broke out in Budapest... The reason was the de-Stalinization and the demands of the workers and the intelligentsia for fair and open elections, the unwillingness to be dependent on Moscow. The uprising soon escalated into the persecution and arrests of Hungarian state security officers; part of the army went over to the side of the people. By decision of Moscow, ATS troops were brought into Budapest. Leadership of the Hungarian Workers' Party led by a Stalinist Matias Rakosi, was forced to put on the post of prime minister Imre Nadia... Soon, Nagy announced Hungary's withdrawal from the OVD, which angered Moscow. Tanks were again brought into Budapest, and the uprising was brutally suppressed. The new leader was Janos Kadar, who repressed most of the rebels (Nagy was shot), but began to carry out economic reforms that contributed to the fact that Hungary became one of the most prosperous countries of the socialist camp. With the collapse of the socialist system, Hungary abandoned its previous ideals, and a pro-Western leadership came to power.
In 1968 in Czechoslovakia a new communist government was elected, led by Alexander Dubchek who wanted to carry out economic, social and political transformations. Seeing a relaxation in internal life, the whole of Czechoslovakia was engulfed in rallies. Seeing that the socialist state began to gravitate towards the world of capital, the leader of the USSR L.I. Brezhnev ordered the introduction of the OVD troops into Czechoslovakia. The unchangeable balance of power between the world of capital and socialism after 1945 has received the name "Doctrine of Brezhnev"... In August 1968, troops were brought in, the entire leadership of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia was arrested, tanks opened fire on people on the streets of Prague (Fig. 3). Soon Dubchek will be replaced by a pro-Soviet Gustav Husak, which will adhere to the official line of Moscow.
Rice. 3. Riot in Prague ()
Bulgaria and Romania throughout the entire period of the existence of the socialist camp will remain loyal to Moscow in their political and economic transformations. The Bulgarian communists, led by Todor Zhivkov, will unswervingly pursue their domestic and foreign policy, looking back at Moscow. Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu made the Soviet leadership nervous from time to time. He wanted to appear as an independent politician, like Tito, but quickly showed his weakness. In 1989, after the coup and overthrow of the communist regime, Ceausescu and his wife were shot. With the collapse of the common system, pro-Western forces will come to power in these countries, which will be inclined towards European integration.
Thus, the countries " people's democracy"Or countries" real socialism Over the past 60 years, they have gone through a transformation from a socialist system to a capitalist system led by the United States, becoming largely dependent on the influence of the new leader.
1. Aleksashkina L.N. General history. XX - early XXI century. - M .: Mnemosina, 2011.
2. Zagladin N.V. General history. XX century. Textbook for grade 11. - M .: Russian word, 2009.
3. Plenkov O.Yu., Andreevskaya TP, Shevchenko S.V. General history. Grade 11 / Ed. Myasnikova V.S. - M., 2011.
2. Encyclopedia of world historical names, titles, events ().
1. Read Chapter 18 of the textbook by LN Aleksashkina. General history. XX - early XXI century and give answers to questions 1-6 on p. 213.
2. What is the manifestation of the consolidation of the countries of the socialist camp in the economy and politics?
3. Describe the "Brezhnev Doctrine".
At a certain period in the history of mankind, the idea of general equality was so popular that the socialist countries of the world were widespread. This situation was associated with the intense political and economic influence on such states of the Soviet Union, which led to the emergence of most of them.
Socialist countries is a definition used during the Cold War in the USSR to refer to countries that have embarked on the path of development of socialism
Despite the fact that the ideas of socialism began to enjoy popularity for a long time, the period of the greatest flourishing of states with such an ideology fell on the forties and fifties of the 20th century.
As of 1950, there were 15 states in the world where socialism was the main ideology.
During this period, the list of socialist countries in the world was the widest and included the following:
- (NSRA);
- (NRB);
- (Hungary);
- (SFRY);
- (Czechoslovakia);
- (SRV);
- (CPP);
- Part (GDR);
- (Poland);
- (PRC);
- (DPRK);
- (Lao PDR);
- (Mongolia).
Thanks to the active participation and support of the USSR, such states were able to defend their sovereignty in an attempt to build a socialist society.
However, after the fall of the Union, such countries were left without any support, which led to a significant economic, ideological and political crisis.
As a result of such events, most of these states ceased to exist, becoming democratic, or disintegrated into several independent countries. Some of them retained their political system and remained faithful to the ideas of socialism.
Socialist countries at the present time and their features
For all states that have still preserved this kind of ideology, several features are characteristic at once. They deviated significantly from the ideas of classical socialism and suggest the possibility of the existence of private property for citizens.
Learn more about the socialist countries in the video below.
In addition, the communist and socialist regimes that exist today have been liberalized, which has brought them somewhat closer to their capitalist counterparts. In economic terms, such states want to attract funds from foreign investors, providing open and transparent conditions for entrepreneurs.
Socialist states are constantly exposed to a number of factors that negatively affect their development:
- Sanctions from more economically developed countries.
- Militarism as the dominant ideology.
- Constant threat of invasion from outside.
- The economic crisis.
Regimes like these have enough resources to survive. However, these conditions have an extremely negative effect on the quality of life of people living on the territory of the socialist states. There are significantly fewer of them today than in 1950:
- North Korea;
- Vietnam;
- Laos;
- Venezuela;
- Cuba.
Each of these states has its own characteristics that determine the local flavor, as well as the problems that one has to face most often in the 21st century.
People's Republic of China
The most economically developed socialist state is China. For many years it has been holding a leading position in terms of economic growth and production, which makes it one of the most promising countries with a similar ideology.
Detailed map of the administrative divisions of the PRC
The main political force is the State Council, which is also called the Central People's Government. In addition to the increase in production rates, which are record high, the country's economy is focused on the export of manufactured products. At the same time, the state is successfully striving to become self-sufficient: food dependence on trading partners does not exceed 10%.
The liberalization of the economy and the desire to attract investment from abroad led to the emergence of free economic zones. These are special regions where various enterprises of foreign partners - Xiamen, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Shantou - are concentrated, as well as many duty-free areas.
China actively trades with external partners, as evidenced by the presence of the inscription "Made in China" on most things sold in many countries of the world. China is the leader in production (% of world production):
- cameras (50%);
- air conditioners (30%);
- refrigerators (about 20%).
And also the Celestial Empire ranks first in the world in the production of textiles, clothing, footwear and many other goods. At the same time, the state actively imports crude oil for further processing and use.
Celestial - majestic and mysterious
Since 2002, the PRC has been implementing a program of investments abroad, which are concentrated mainly in the countries of the Asian region (over 60%). A much smaller share of investments (15%) goes to projects implemented in Latin America. The European region receives only 9%, invested by Chinese entrepreneurs.
Despite a certain level of militarism, the country seeks to expand with the help of economic and demographic tools, and not through active military action.
DPRK
North Korea appears to be a much less successful state. This socialist country is subject to constant sanctions from the international community, and public order is maintained with the help of law enforcement agencies. In the DPRK, the main ideology is Juche, local socialism, coupled with the personality cult of the country's ruler Kim Jong-un, and earlier - his father.
Despite the ideology, there are three political parties on the territory of the state:
- The Workers' Party of Korea is in the leadership position.
- Social Democratic Party of Korea.
- Cheongdogyo-Cheonudan.
The last two political associations fully recognize the leading role of the labor party, to which the current leader of the country belongs, and also support it in every possible way. Despite the clearly authoritarian orientation, the local ideology proclaims "freedom of conscience", but in reality the authorities are actively fighting against religion and its manifestations.
The economy of the state is almost entirely focused on domestic consumption, since it is traditionally isolated from potential trading partners due to numerous sanctions. The situation is exacerbated by food shortages caused by droughts, which have led to a humanitarian disaster.
Nevertheless, the authorities in every possible way deny the existence of a crisis in the country and, as a result, refuse to receive assistance from other states. At the moment, the DPRK remains the most isolated and closed country in the world.
You can learn more about life in the DPRK from the video below.
Vietnam
Today Vietnam is undergoing active liberalization of its economy and foreign policy. And also the weakening of control by the ruling Communist Party over various aspects of the life of the country's citizens. Nevertheless, officially the state is still socialist.
The National Assembly has been established as the supreme body of power, which includes a plurality of deputies elected by direct suffrage. It is noteworthy that in 2004 the DPRK recalled its ambassador to Vietnam due to a possible conspiracy that facilitated the delivery of refugees from the DPRK to the territory.
In Vietnam, there is freedom of religion, in connection with which the locals are mostly adherents of traditional beliefs and animist cults. The economic situation in the country is rather difficult due to the budget deficit and high unemployment rate.
Landscape of the capital of Vietnam, the city of Hanoi
This led to the poverty of the overwhelming majority of the population. However, recently, due to the attraction of investments, the share of the population living below the poverty line has decreased to 12.6%. In an effort to improve the financial situation, the state began to actively develop the tourism sector and has become one of the most popular Asian destinations of this kind.
Laos
Previously one of the poorest countries in Asia, the country has since 1986 adopted a new economic model that has allowed it to attract the attention of foreign investors.
This was followed by the privatization of part of state enterprises, and free economic zones were created. In 2003, the authorities drafted a law guaranteeing the inviolability of foreign investment.
The country is led by the People's Revolutionary Party of Laos, which belongs to the communist type. At the same time, the positions of the president and the prime minister are envisaged. The first is elected by parliament for five years, while the second is appointed by the head of state.
At the moment, despite the economic difficulties, Laos is actively building up trade relations with the most developed countries - China, the USA, Thailand, and in 2013 became a full-fledged member of the WTO. This led to a gradual increase in the welfare of the population, as well as the development of local companies.
The modern world, given the presence of many antagonistic states in it, is unipolar. The same cannot be said about the events that took place several decades ago. The Cold War divided the world into countries of the camp, between which there was constant confrontation and the whipping up of hatred. What were the countries of the socialist camp, you will learn from the next article.
Definition of the concept
The concept is quite broad and controversial, but it is possible to define it. The socialist camp is a term that designates countries that have embarked on the path of socialist development and support of the Soviet ideology, and regardless of the support or hostility of the USSR to them. A vivid example is some countries with which our country had a rather political confrontation (Albania, China and Yugoslavia). In the historical tradition, the aforementioned countries in the United States were called communist, opposing them to their democratic model.
Together with the concept of "socialist camp", synonymous terms were also used - "socialist countries" and "socialist community". The latter concept was typical for the designation of the allied countries in the USSR.
The origins and formation of the socialist camp
As you know, the October Socialist Revolution was carried out under international slogans and the declaration of the ideas of the world revolution. This attitude was key and remained in all the years of the existence of the USSR, but many countries did not follow this Russian example. But after the victory in World War II, many countries, including European ones, followed the model of socialist development. Sympathy for the country - the winner of the Nazi regime - played a role. For example, some states have even changed their traditional political vector from West to East. The alignment of political forces on earth has changed radically. Therefore, the concept of "socialist camp" is not some kind of abstraction, but specific countries.
The concept of socialist-oriented countries was embodied in the conclusion of friendly treaties and subsequent mutual assistance. The groups of countries that were formed after the war are also commonly called military-political blocs, which were more than once on the brink of hostilities. But in 1989-1991, the USSR collapsed, and most of the socialist countries embarked on a course of liberal development. The collapse of the socialist camp was due to both internal and external factors.
Economic cooperation between the countries of the socialist community
The main factor in the creation of the socialist camp was mutual economic assistance: the provision of loans, trade, scientific and technical projects, the exchange of personnel and specialists. The key of the listed types of interactions is foreign trade. This fact by no means means that a socialist state should trade only with friendly countries.
All the countries that were part of the socialist camp sold on the world market the products of their national economy and received in return all modern technologies, industrial equipment, as well as raw materials necessary for the production of certain goods.
Countries of the socialist camp
- Democratic Republic of Somalia;
- People's Republic of Angola;
- People's Republic of the Congo;
- People's Republic of Mozambique;
- People's;
- Republic of Ethiopia.
- People's Democratic Republic of Yemen;
- Socialist Republic of Vietnam;
- Democratic Republic of Afghanistan;
- Mongolian People's Republic;
- People's Republic of China;
- People's Republic of Kampuchea;
- Democratic People's Republic of Korea;
- Lao Democratic Republic.
South America:
- Republic of Cuba;
- People's Revolutionary Government of Grenada.
- German Democratic Republic;
- People's Socialist;
- Polish People's Republic;
- The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic;
- People's Republic of Bulgaria;
- Socialist Republic of Romania;
- The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia;
Existing socialist countries
In the modern world, there are also countries that in one sense or another are socialist. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea positions itself as a socialist state. Exactly the same course is taking place in the Cuban Republic and the countries of Asia.
In such eastern countries as the People's Republic of China and Vietnam, the state apparatus is run by the classical communist parties. Despite this fact, capitalist tendencies, that is, private property, can be traced in the economic development of these countries. A similar political and economic situation is observed in the Lao Republic, which was also part of the socialist camp. This is a kind of way to combine market and planned economies.
At the beginning of the 21st century, socialist tendencies began to emerge and consolidate in Latin America. There was even a whole theoretical doctrine of "Socialism XXI", which is actively used in practice in third world countries. For 2015, socialist governments are in power in Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela and Nicaragua. But these are not the countries of the socialist camp; such governments emerged in them after its collapse at the end of the 20th century.
Maoist Nepal
In mid-2008, a revolution took place in Nepal. A group of Maoist communists overthrew the monarch and won elections as the Communist Party of Nepal. Since August, the head of state has been the main party ideologist Bauram Bahattarai. After these events, Nepal became a country where a course with a clear communist dominance operates in political and economic life. But Nepal's course is clearly not similar to the policy pursued by the USSR and the socialist camp.
Socialist policy of Cuba
Cuba has long been considered a socialist state, but in 2010 the head of the republic set a course for economic changes along the Chinese model of modernizing a socialist society. The central aspect of this policy is the increasing role of private capital in the economic system.
Thus, we examined the countries of the socialist orientation of both the past and the present. The socialist camp is a collection of countries friendly to the USSR. Modern states pursuing a socialist policy are not included in this camp. It is very important to take this into account for understanding certain processes.