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Fall of the Communist Bloc
terms
22
History
Not Applicable
08/31/2005

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Term
Brezhnev
Definition
Soviet dictator who was succeeded by Andropov and later Gorbachev. His policies of re-Stalinization brought the Soviet union away from the reforms of Khrushchev. He issued the Brezhnev doctrine, which allowed Soviets to interfere in the affairs of other countries militarily in the Communist bloc.
Term
Gdansk Agreement
Definition
an agreement that was made between the Polish communists and the Solidarity union. This law allowed the existence of unions.
Term
Solidarity
Definition
Large union movement in Poland led by Lech Walesa. This movement seeked to make a strong labor union that could oppose the Communist party. Following the fall of the communists, the Solidarity movement gained many seats in the parliament, and its leader was elected president of Poland.
Term
Walesa
Definition
Leader of the Solidarity movement in Poland. Eventually, the Solidarity party gained the majority in the parliament, and Walesa himself was elected president of Poland.
Term
Gorbachev
Definition
Final Soviet Premier before the break-up of the Soviet Union. His reforms of glasnost and perestroika led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, much to his dismay. He also agreed to reduce the nuclear capacity of his country.
Term
Perestroika
Definition
Economic “restructuring” led by Soviet Premier Gorbachev. These were largely a failure.
Term
Glasnost
Definition
Mikhail Gorbachev’s policy of openness in government and public affairs. This policy was largely successful.
Term
Velvet Revolution
Definition
Peaceful revolution in Czechoslovakia which overthrew communism.
Term
Havel
Definition
President of Czechoslovakia who led the Velvet Revolution. He later allowed the Velvet divorce, which allowed Slovakia to split from the Czech Republic.
Term
Ceausescu
Definition
Romanian communist leader who would not abdicate his rule peacefully. As a result, there was a bloody revolution and he was eventually executed.
Term
Lithuania
Definition
Baltic state which tried to seek independence from the Soviet Union. The Soviet response was a blockade to Lithuania.
Term
Yeltsin
Definition
President of Russia following its independence. His shock therapy for the economy proved to be ineffective, although he did succeed in ending a communist coup to try to take over the country.
Term
Kohl
Definition
Chancellor of Germany who agreed to pay the Soviets and also had to agree never to develop nuclear weapons in order to reabsorb East Germany.
Term
Paris Accords of 1990
Definition
Agreement which honored all the current borders of Europe and called for a massive arms reduction
Term
START I
Definition
Agreement between the Soviet Union and the United States to reduce the amount of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles each country possessed.
Term
Gulf War
Definition
War between the Coalition led by the United States and Iraq. This war was fought over Kuwait, as Saddam Hussein invaded the small country and the US eventually liberated it.
Term
Chechnya
Definition
Province in Russia which wanted independence. In a surprising departure from usual behavior, Boris Yeltsin authorized the use of force to subjugate the Chechnya rebels.
Term
Milosevic
Definition
Serbian president who believed in the notion of a Greater Serbia, which caused him to invade his neighbors and perform genocide.
Term
Greater Serbia
Definition
Milosevic’s idea of an expanded Serbia at the expense of the surrounding countries.
Term
Srebrencia
Definition
UN town that was decimated by Milosevic’s troops resulting in UN involvement in his wars.
Term
Dayton accords
Definition
Agreements made in Ohio which allowed the Croatians to control 51% of their territory while the Bosnians control 49%.
Term
Maastricht Treaty
Definition
Treaty which set financial standards for joining the European Union. It also set up a universal currency, the Euro.
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