World History SL Internal Assessment

Transcription

1 World History SL Internal Assessment To what extent did Mikhail Gorbachev s policies of glasnost and perestroika lead to the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia from ? By Lauren Keel

2 Identification and Evaluation of Sources This investigation aims to evaluate the question, To what extent did Mikhail Gorbachev s policies of glasnost and perestroika lead to the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia from ? These policies, which can be translated to openness and restructuring, were Soviet leader Gorbachev s tremendous efforts to reform and introduce more democracy to the USSR and its satellite countries. Sources such as speeches from Gorbachev to the United Nations (in 1988) and from Czechoslovak activist Vaclav Havel to the public in Wenceslas Square (in 1989) will be beneficial to my investigation, in that Gorbachev s speech provides evidence for the widespread effects of USSR reforms, while Havel s speech furthers the argument that civil rights groups were a significant cause of the Velvet Revolution. In analyzing each source for its origin, purpose, value, and limitations, the conclusion can be drawn that Gorbachev s policies allowed a full-scale revolution to build out of the existing dissent created by economic difficulty and human rights groups. Source 1 ~ Gorbachev s UN Speech Asking for a New World Order Gorbachev, Mikhail. Speech to the U.N. Lecture, United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY, December 7, The origin of this source is a speech by Mikhail Gorbachev to the United Nations in December The purpose of his speech was to convince the United Nations that international disarmament and restructuring were essential. To persuade the UN that change was possible, Gorbachev stressed that within the Soviet Union, similar changes were already in the works, such as perestroika and the disarmament of the Soviet military. Gorbachev s speech is valuable

3 in that it captures Gorbachev s reliable personal view of reform, and allows historians to understand his reasoning for radically altering the pre existing government. However, it is limited in that Gorbachev s point of view is biased because he is trying to convince the UN of the positive results of reform, neglecting the drawbacks and denying historians the full account. Source 2 ~ Vaclav Havel s Declaration of the Civic Forum Havel, Vaclav. "Declaration of Civic Forum Representative." Speech, Wenceslas Square, Prague, November 23, The origin of this source is a speech given in Wenceslas Square in 1989, by Vaclav Havel, a leader of the Velvet Revolution. Havel s purpose while giving his speech was to reassure the public that his Civic Forum held enough power over the government to enact real change, and rally the people to participate in a peaceful strike. Havel attempted to convince the public that a strike would aid in the success of the revolution by demonstrating the power of the people to the Communist government. Havel s speech is valuable in that it captures the techniques used by influential leaders of the revolution to draw support, which demonstrates to a historian the importance of groups such as Havel s to the success of the revolution. However, it is limited in that his speech does not address the reaction of the Communist government to strikes such as these, or other factors that contributed to the rise of the revolution, which doesn t provide historians with the entire narrative.

4 Investigation The main factor causing Czechoslovakia s Velvet Revolution in 1989 is disputable. Following a period of severe economic stagnation in the Soviet Union under the rule of Leonid Brezhnev, Mikhail Gorbachev s ascension to power allowed him to reform some aspects of the 1 USSR, such as the productivity of workers and the crop yields of Soviet Agriculture. These reforms were made as a part of Gorbachev's policy of perestroika, meaning restructuring, which 2 was supplemented by his policy of glasnost, meaning openness or transparency. The major changes these ideas brought about in the Soviet Union were mirrored in the rapid buildup of dissent in Soviet satellite countries such as Czechoslovakia, and greatly contributed to the 3 Czechoslovak Velvet Revolution. Historians such as William H. Luers and David S. Mason argue that Mikhail Gorbachev s 1984 introduction of glasnost and perestroika provided the 4 crucial basis for revolution. Other historians, such as Daniel Charles Brook, investigate the idea that instead of Gorbachev s reforms, a multitude of factors including economic strain, mass media, and humans rights organizations worked collaboratively to bring about widespread 5 change, which culminated in the Velvet Revolution. Czechoslovakia s previous attempt at rebellion, the Prague Spring of 1978, was firmly shut down by the Soviet Union, but left behind 6 many individuals still hungry for democracy. These individuals formed groups that played an 1 Archie Brown. The Gorbachev Factor. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 1996, Ibid, Brian Mimmack, Eunice Price, and Daniela Senes, "The Fall of Communism: The USSR and Eastern Europe ," in History: A Comprehensive Guide to Paper 1 (Harlow, Essex [England]: Heinemann/Pearson, 2009), William H. Luers, "Czechoslovakia: Road to Revolution," Foreign Affairs 69, no. 2 (Spring 1990): ; David S. Mason, "Glasnost, Perestroika, and Eastern Europe," International Affairs 64, no. 3 (Summer 1988): Daniel Charles Brook, Modern Revolution: Social Change and Cultural Continuity in Czechoslovakia and China (Lanham: University Press of America, 2005) 6 Robin H. E. Shepherd, Czechoslovakia: The Velvet Revolution and Beyond (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 2000), 30.

5 7 active and arguably crucial role in the instigation of the Velvet Revolution. After thorough investigation into both sides of the issue, it is clear that under the backdrop of economic difficulty and uncomfortably tight political regulation, Gorbachev s policies fell on a receptive people ready for reform, and became catalysts that led to the Velvet Revolution. One common viewpoint argues that Gorbachev s policies were absolutely instrumental in causing the Velvet Revolution. The former U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia, William H. Luers, went so far as to say that Gorbachev's ideas were clearly the starting point to radical 8 new ideas in Czechoslovakia. In the midst of a stagnant economy, in December 1984, Mikhail Gorbachev introduced two vague and broad concepts to his political plan: Glasnost and 9 Perestroika. In doing so, Gorbachev moved towards the democratization of a strongly authoritarian government, bringing reform and political transparency, which later spread to 10 Soviet satellite countries including Czechoslovakia. Gorbachev wrote that perestroika implies not only eliminating the stagnation and conservatism of the preceding period, and correcting the mistakes committed, but also overcoming historically limited, outdated features of social 11 organization and work methods. This change extended into the foreign policy of the Soviet Union as well, which made a shift from military to political security in its world standing, 12 lowering its military profile substantially. Along with military downgrading, the Soviet Union pushed foreign policy directives in Eastern Europe that encouraged political and economic 7 Brook, Modern Revolution, Luers, "Czechoslovakia: Road," David S. Mason, "Poland and Czechoslovakia: Test Cases for Perestroika," in Glasnost, Perestroika, and the Socialist Community, ed. Charles Bukowski and J. Richard Walsh (New York: Praeger, 1990), Brown, The Gorbachev, Mikhail S. Gorbachev, "The Revolution and Perestroika," Foreign Affairs 66, no. 2 (Winter 1987): Mason, "Poland and Czechoslovakia," in Glasnost, Perestroika, 10.

6 13 reform, in order to revamp Eastern European countries as trade partners. As a result, Soviet satellite countries including Czechoslovakia underwent a large-scale restructuring from a highly conservative, censoring public to one dotted with protest and increased freedom, as Gorbachev s 14 policy of perestroika was expanded by Czechoslovaks into social reform and democratization. Jaroslav Sabata, an outspoken dissident to communist Czechoslovak leadership, noted that 15 Gorbachev has opened up a new climate here. He is destroying the old atmosphere of fear. The conservative days of the oppressive Brezhnev doctrine, established to quell dissent after the Prague Spring uprising, had been replaced with a new way of thinking and an accompanying 16 new doctrine: The Sinatra Doctrine. Named after the Frank Sinatra song, My Way, the Sinatra doctrine allowed the Eastern European countries to run their governments their way : 17 deciding how to implement reform on their own. The opportunity to enact reform on a country-by-country basis severely limited Soviet control over Eastern Europe, and provided an environment under which revolution could build. It was Mikhail Gorbachev s ambitious policies of glasnost and perestroika that reformed the Soviet Union, and by association, Eastern Europe, allowing citizens of the previously conservative Czechoslovakia to foster a revolution that 18 brought the fall of their communist government. A second viewpoint holds that the Velvet Revolution was caused by the convergence of factors such as economic difficulty, mass media, and the work of Charter 77, a human rights group, rather than Gorbachev s policies. The main reason the Soviet Union felt the need to 13 Mason, "Poland and Czechoslovakia," in Glasnost, Perestroika, Ibid, Interview on Austrian television, July 8, 1988; quoted in Glasnost, Perestroika, and the Socialist Community, Brown, The Gorbachev, Mimmack, Price, and Senes, "The Fall," in History: A Comprehensive, Luers, "Czechoslovakia: Road," 78.

7 encourage reform in Eastern Europe was the lacking economies of these Soviet satellite 19 countries, which interfered with trade. The struggling economy in Czechoslovakia, due in part to low quality manufactured goods and inefficient workers, contributed to the feeling of relative 20 deprivation shared by many frustrated Czechoslovaks. Dissatisfaction was the true motive behind the Velvet Revolution, as many citizens felt that they had been receiving less than 21 Western European countries, and that they deserved an equitable share. Sociologist Teodor Shanin wrote that at the very center of revolution lies an emotional upheaval of moral indignation, revulsion, and fury with the powers-that-be ; clearly, the economic state of Czechoslovakia was a source of deep resentment for the people, whose collective anger erupted 22 into the Velvet Revolution in The media also played to citizen s emotions, and aided in the emotionally charged outbreak of the revolution. The false news that a student had been killed on November 17, 1989, during a demonstration, was spread rapidly by the media and various dissidents, and caused the public to cross the decisive psychological threshold separating that 23 which could be tolerated from the intolerable. The media and the resentment of the people towards their government played a larger role in the outbreak of revolution than Gorbachev s policies. Another factor that led to the revolution was the human rights group Charter 77, formed after the 1968 Prague Spring and the 1977 signing of a document that asked for the 24 Czechoslovakian government to honor its people s constitutional rights. Charter 77 grew into a movement of artists and intellectuals that advocated for human rights under communist control, 19 Mason, "Poland and Czechoslovakia," in Glasnost, Perestroika, Brook, Modern Revolution, 70-71, Ibid, Ibid, David L. Paletz, Karol Jakubowicz, and Pavao Novosel, eds., Glasnost and After: Media and Change in Central and Eastern Europe (Cresskill, N.J.: Hampton Press, 1995), Mimmack, Price, and Senes, "The Fall," in History: A Comprehensive, 201.

8 25 and expanded into a community that was a large proponent of democratic ideals. Leading up to the Velvet Revolution, Charter 77 played a crucial role in assembling a community that would shape the revolutions as non-violent debates about the structure of a tolerant, liberal 26 democracy, and even supplied the new government s leader: Vaclav Havel. Overall, the role of the economy, the media, and of Charter 77 cannot be underestimated in the instigation of the Velvet Revolution. After analyzing both viewpoints of the most significant cause of the Velvet Revolution, it is clear that while Gorbachev s policies were the most significant factor, the economic stagnation and previous conservatism of Czechoslovakia (due to harsh communist regulations enacted after the Prague Spring uprising) provided the basis on which Gorbachev s ideas took hold. Economically, Czechoslovakia was struggling, and the Soviet Union felt the need to extend 27 internal economic reforms to the Soviet satellite nations, to improve the profitability of trade. Because reform was needed in Czechoslovakia, Gorbachev implemented glasnost and perestroika, which not only attempted to solve the economic stagnation but also democratize the 28 nation and resolve issues involving social organization. It was only through these policies that 29 many revolutions in Eastern Europe, including the Velvet Revolution, were able to occur. William Luers stated that the ideas underpinning the clean sweep of the communist dominion in 30 Eastern Europe flowed without question from glasnost and perestroika. While this may be 25 Jonathan Bolton, Worlds of Dissent: Charter 77, the Plastic People of the Universe, and Czech Culture under Communism (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012), Kevin McDermott, Communist Czechoslovakia, : A Political and Social History (London: Macmillan Education, Palgrave, 2015), Mason, "Poland and Czechoslovakia," in Glasnost, Perestroika, Gorbachev, "The Revolution," Brown, The Gorbachev, Luers, "Czechoslovakia: Road," 77.

9 true, glasnost and perestroika were not the only factors that contributed to the revolution: the media garnered support, the relative deprivation of the citizens created emotional motive, and 31 Charter 77 brought people together in a way that was efficient and peaceful. While many historians argue that Gorbachev s policies of glasnost and perestroika alone caused the Velvet Revolution, others contend that a mixture of factors including economic strain, the media, and groups such as Charter 77 fostered the need for revolution in the minds of the 32 people. After investigating both opposing arguments, it is clear that the emotional factors such as relative deprivation and the media, as well as the work of human rights groups, created the foundation of a revolutionary mindset on which Mikhail Gorbachev s policies of glasnost and perestroika firmly took hold. The people of Czechoslovakia, once beaten down by the strict Communist regimes enacted after the Prague Spring, finally found new voices and strengths in 33 the tidal wave of reform sweeping Eastern Europe. 31 Brook, Modern Revolution, 58, 70-71, Luers, "Czechoslovakia: Road," 2.; Brook, Modern Revolution, Mason, "Poland and Czechoslovakia," in Glasnost, Perestroika,

10 Reflection Historians face difficulties such as fact selection, source bias, and finding differing opinions while conducting historical research. I encountered many similar challenges while conducting my investigation. Whilst examining the impact of Mikhail Gorbachev s policies on the outbreak of the Velvet Revolution, I found a surfeit of primary sources due to the revolution s recency. In conducting historical research, a wealth of information can be both an advantage and a hindrance, so in my investigation, I encountered the challenge of sorting through the wide array of available sources, such as journal articles by William Luers and David Mason. Even in the process of selecting relevant information, historians introduce subjectivity into their work. As I was choosing which pieces of available materials to include in my investigation, I selected information that was corroborated by multiple sources in order to form a cohesive argument and reduce subjectivity. Historians also encounter the issue of bias in their sources. In my investigation, bias was included in the journal articles of William H. Luers, the US Ambassador to Czechoslovakia in the 1980s. Luers background contributed to his positive viewpoint of Gorbachev s reforms, as he found Gorbachev s radical ideas to be visionary and beneficial to Czechoslovakia. In addition, Luers writing appeared in journals often, where the intention of a written piece is to persuade an audience. The specific type of bias that Luers brings to his writing leads to the challenge of sorting out the pure factual information from the biased, persuasive elements in his journalistic pieces.

11 Finally, I encountered the difficulty of finding sources with differing viewpoints. In some cases, especially those with relative consensus, historians face the challenge of finding counterarguments to the widely-accepted view. In my case, most historians agreed that Gorbachev s policies had a noteworthy impact on the rise of the revolution in Czechoslovakia. I found one historian, Daniel Brook, who took a more balanced approach, including four other potential causes. I experienced a challenge many historians face as I was driven to widen my research and look for historians that focused on a different viewpoint. In analyzing the extent of the impact of Gorbachev s policies, I synthesized the common viewpoint (which emphasized glasnost and perestroika) with other accepted factors (such as economic stagnation and human rights organizations) to generate a reasonable conclusion. Word Count: 2197

12 Bibliography Bolton, Jonathan. Worlds of Dissent: Charter 77, the Plastic People of the Universe, and Czech Culture under Communism. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, Bradley, John F. N. Soviet Perestroika: : Russia s Road to Democracy. Boulder: East European Monographs, Brook, Daniel Charles. Modern Revolution: Social Change and Cultural Continuity in Czechoslovakia and China. Lanham: University Press of America, Brown, Archie. The Gorbachev Factor. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, Frost, Gerald, and Andrew McHallam, eds. In Search of Stability: Europe s Unfinished Revolution. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, Gorbachev, Mikhail. Speech to the U.N. Lecture, United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY, December 7, The Revolution and Perestroika. Foreign Affairs 66, no. 2 (Winter 1987): Digital file. Havel, Vaclav. Declaration of Civic Forum Representative. Speech, Wenceslas Square, Prague, November 23, Luers, William H. Czechoslovakia: Road to Revolution. Foreign Affairs 69, no. 2 (Spring 1990). Digital file.

13 Lukes, Igor. To Reform or Not to Reform: Gorbachev s Initiatives and Their Impact on Czechoslovakia. Harvard International Review 10, no. 1 (November 1987): Digital file. Mason, David S. Glasnost, Perestroika, and Eastern Europe. International Affairs 64, no. 3 (Summer 1988): Digital file.. Poland and Czechoslovakia: Test Cases for Perestroika. In Glasnost, Perestroika, and the Socialist Community, edited by Charles Bukowski and J. Richard Walsh, New York: Praeger, McDermott, Kevin. Communist Czechoslovakia, : A Political and Social History. London: Macmillan Education, Palgrave, Mimmack, Brian, Eunice Price, and Daniela Senes. The Fall of Communism: The USSR and Eastern Europe In History: A Comprehensive Guide to Paper 1, Harlow, Essex [England]: Heinemann/Pearson, Paletz, David L., Karol Jakubowicz, and Pavao Novosel, eds. Glasnost and After: Media and Change in Central and Eastern Europe. Cresskill, N.J.: Hampton Press, Shepherd, Robin H. E. Czechoslovakia: The Velvet Revolution and Beyond. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 2000.