HOW SECURE WAS USSR,S CONTROL OF EASTERN EUROPE FROM 1948-1989.

SOVIET UNION CONTROL OF EASTERN EUROPE AND ITS IMPACT ON THE INDIGENOUS.
. After ww2 Soviet Union under Stalin took control of eastern Europe which included countries such as
Poland,Czechoslovakia,Hungary,Bulgaria,Romania etc.
. The reasons for taking control of this region were as follows:
. Stalin felt that Soviet Union had suffered so much economically,politically and socially during ww2
when she was fighting against Germany and Germany.
. Stalin felt that Soviet,s economy was destroyed eg infrustructure,lost large sums of money sponsoring
the war,lost many soldiers and may civilians,hence Russia should be compensated for that to recover from
such a huge loss.
. Soviet Union decided to take control of eastern Europe in order to use these countries to recover her
economy,use the natural resources and trade with them to recover its economy. Also wanted these
countries to strengthen its military system destroyed by the war.
. Soviet Union also wanted to strengthen its political and military system in preparation for any future
aggression from Germany hence should used a number of method to take control of eastern Europe.
. The following were the methods of control used by Soviet Union in eastern Europe.
. Formed coalition gvts in countries in Eastern Europe controlled by Communist parties.
. Rigged elections in these countries in favor of the communist party.
. Arrested,imprisoned and killed members of the opposition leaving the communist party to control.
. Refused to remove her troops operating in these in these countries during ww2 to maintain law and
order to the advantage of Soviet Union.
. Controlled the police and the secret agents of these countries to the advantage of Soviet Union.
. Introduced the Cominform –a political organization uniting all communist countries in eastern Europe
against threat from the capitalists.
. Also introduced the Comecon –an economic organization meant to promte trade among members of the
communist party only especially trade trade between them and Soviet Union,not to trade with the
westerners.
. Soviet Union economic system grew tremendously.
. This control had negative effects to the indigenous.
. The indigenous people lost their freedom of speech and association as the police,secret agents did not
allow them speak negative about communism,did not allow them to support other political parties.
.They had lost their right to elect democratic gvts of their interests.
. They had lost freedom of press ,all newspapers were sensored allowing those only supporting the
communist gvts.
. They had lost their freedom to demonstrate as protest were ruthlessly suppressed .
. Workers in Eastern Europe suffered because their wages continued to fall unlike workers in western
Europe.
. They lost their natural resources to Soviet Union leading to scarcity of resources such as coal in these
countries. Clothing and shoes from Soviet Union were very expensive for them.
. The people of eastern Europe had no access to consumer goods such as radios,electric kittle or
televisions which were common in western Europe because the economies of eastern Europe were meant
to sustain Soviet Union ,s needs not their needs.
. When Stalin died in1953,he was succeeded by a man called Nikita Khrushchev. He was different from
Stalin in that he wanted peaceful co existence with the western countries not hostility.
. He wanted to improve the standards of living of the people of Eastern Europe.
. He started by closing down the Cominform and released all political prisoners.
. He also denounced Stalin ,s rule as harsh.
. He encouraged criticism of the communist rule and this allowed the emergence of protests movements
and demonstrations against communist rule in eastern Europe such as in Hungary,Czechoslovakia and
Poland.

THE UPRISING IN HUNGARY 1956.