The Changing Faces of the Soviet Bloc
The Cold War brought a new bipolar system of alliances to the world upon the close of World War Two. The Soviet Union gained the control of many of the eastern parts of Europe, and enshrouded them in communism. These countries became dependent on the USSR and started with a mutual acceptance of Soviet control. This view changed over the next forty years of the Cold War, ultimately culminating in satellite countries wanting to leave the Warsaw pact. The Soviet Union began this series of alliances with almost complete control in some of the countries. As historians Joel Palmer and R.R. Colton say, even when the communists (directly influenced by Moscow) had to share control in a country, they still "held key ministries of interior, propaganda, and justice, and controlled the police, the army, and the courts" (850). These countries became dependent on the Soviet Union for agricultural reform, rebuilding after World War Two, and for leadership. As Louis J. Halle says, the Soviets did "everything they could" to keep control over these countries that would later become the Soviet bloc. The replacement of International Communism, Comimform, helped to tie the Soviet Union to the smaller countries, causing, as Halle says, a stron
Cold War, Communism, and Colonial RevolutionUrquhart, Brian. The Cold War as HistoryLaFeber, Walter. Khrushchev regained power forcefully, with an army of tanks crushing the revolt. From that point onward, especially considering the separation of Yugoslavia from Cominform, the relations declined. As historian Brian Urquhart says, the shift of the USSR's attention toward the newly developing nations of the world left the superpower spread out (17). The prointervention faction gained power, and persuaded Brezhnev to intervene. Colton and Palmer characterize this strike as serving "notice that the brutal exploitation of Eastern Europe for the benefit of the USSR could not continue" (855). Within a single day, twelve non-Communist government officials resigned, and the next week the leaders of the government committed suicide. By the mid-1950's, the Soviet Union had turned to developing nations in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean as possible spots for communism to grow. One of the causes of the decline was, as Halle again suggests, caused by Communism's failure to "overthrow capitalist oppression" and the people's failure to welcome the military forces of the Soviet Union (235). Under the new Soviet leadership of Aleksey Kosygin and Leonid Brezhnev, power was being consolidated in the USSR itself, and the changes in the satellites became a threat. All came out with the same result: a government with extremely strong ties to the Soviet Union. Khrushchev expended much effort there, and, ended up with the resources of his country spread out. At the same time, according to LaFeber, the citizens of Hungary wanted to secede from the Warsaw pact.
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