What this lesson teaches
I can explain the reasons the Soviet Union grew weaker in the 1970s and 1980s.
Syllabus K227, End of the Cold War, Learning Outcomes. Explain the reasons that led to the decline of the USSR.
Make a guess
In 1981 Poland's Solidarity movement challenged communist rule. How do you think it was stopped?
- Poland's own leaders imposed martial law, under Soviet pressure.
- Solidarity won free elections and took power that year.
- Soviet tanks invaded Poland, as in Czechoslovakia in 1968.
Show the answer
Poland's own leaders imposed martial law, under Soviet pressure.
Soviet troops did not invade, unlike in 1956 and 1968. Polish leaders banned Solidarity themselves.
Paying for a huge military and for control over Eastern Europe drained resources the USSR also needed for daily life.
The USSR kept a huge army, nuclear weapons and troops in Eastern Europe. It also fought a war in Afghanistan. Money, workers and equipment spent on weapons could not be spent on homes, goods or healthcare. So cutting military costs appealed to reformers.
The Soviet bloc was the group of Eastern European states under Soviet control. The Warsaw Pact was their military alliance. Many people resisted Soviet control. Soviet forces crushed a rising in Hungary in 1956. A Soviet-led invasion stopped reform in Czechoslovakia in 1968.
In Poland, Solidarity began in 1980 as a free trade union. It grew into a large opposition movement. In 1981, under Soviet pressure, Poland's own leaders brought in martial law, or military rule, to crush it. Propping up allied governments cost resources, and using force deepened resentment.
- Afghanistan
- Costly Soviet war from 1979.
- Hungary 1956, Czechoslovakia 1968
- Soviet force used to keep control.
- Poland 1981
- Polish leaders impose martial law against Solidarity.
Worked example: Link a shortage to foreign policy
Why could economic problems push Soviet leaders to reduce confrontation abroad?
- The economy cannot give people enough goods.
- The military and support for allies use up scarce resources.
- Cutting those costs could free resources for daily life.
Watch out for this
The Soviet army invaded Poland in 1981, as it did Czechoslovakia in 1968.
In 1981, Poland's own leaders imposed martial law, under Soviet pressure. There was no Soviet invasion.
Check your understanding
Who imposed martial law in Poland in 1981?
- Solidarity, to take power from the Communist Party.
- The Soviet army, after invading Poland.
- Poland's own leaders, under Soviet pressure.
Show the answer
Poland's own leaders, under Soviet pressure.
Yes. It was not a Soviet invasion like Czechoslovakia in 1968.