The Rise and Fall of Communism: From Post-War Recovery to Economic Stagnation

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The Foundational Treaties

The idea was to encourage progressive economic integration that would eventually lead to a political union. The first treaties, known as the foundational treaties, were:

The Treaty of Paris (1951)

  • Established the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).
  • Originally formed by: France, Luxembourg, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

The Treaty of Rome

  • Signed by the same six countries as the Treaty of Paris.
  • Established the EEC (European Economic Community).
  • Formed a common market of goods, labor, services, and capital, and a common agricultural policy.

The Treaty of Euratom (European Atomic Energy Community)

  • Established a common market for nuclear energy.

The ECSC, EEC, and Euratom created their own institutions that gradually took on some responsibilities of the member states.

The Communist World (1945-1982)

General Characteristics

Political System: Dictatorship of the proletariat, where the common interest was considered more important than individual rights and freedom. Countries created institutions that joined executive and legislative powers and only permitted the existence of a single party: the communist party.

Economy: Controlled by the state, which collectivized land, nationalized industry and services, and controlled the market and prices.

1945-1960: The communist world recovered from the crisis caused by the war.

After 1960: The economy slowed down due to:

  1. Low productivity.
  2. Lack of economic incentives to work.
  3. Technology in the Eastern bloc lagging far behind Western countries.
  4. Lack of consumer products, leading to the rationing of some goods.

Communist Society

In Theory: Egalitarian and classless.

In Practice: Significant differences existed between:

  • The communist party, which controlled the state bureaucracy.
  • The rest of the population.

The standard of living for most of the population improved after the war but not to the level of Western countries. The state guaranteed:

  1. Full employment.
  2. Coverage of basic needs (education and health).
  3. Improved public services, although the quality of these services was poor.

The Communist Countries

Communist Bloc (Soviet Union): Included Central and Eastern Europe, where Soviet troops remained after World War II.

Revolutions: Occurred in China (1949) and Cuba (1959).

Other Communist States: Parts of Asia (North Korea and Indochina) and Africa (Angola and Namibia).

The Soviet Union

Post-Stalin Era: After Stalin's death in 1953, Khrushchev initiated de-Stalinization to combat the abuse of power and the cult of personality. He allowed some freedom of speech and thought.

Brezhnev's Rule: When Khrushchev died in 1964, Brezhnev halted all his reforms.

Soviet Satellites

In European countries controlled by the USSR:

  • The state repressed revolts and claims of independence.
  • Examples include revolutionary attempts in Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (the Prague Spring of 1968).

Communist China

Civil War: After World War II, a civil war erupted in China between the nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Republic of China, and the communist rebellion led by Mao Zedong.

Communist Victory: Mao achieved victory in 1949, leading to the creation of the People's Republic of China. The nationalist government took refuge in Formosa, establishing the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Tibetan Occupation: Mao occupied Tibet in 1950.

Characteristics of the Maoist Political System

  • Fierce repression of the opposition.
  • Strict control by the communist party over all aspects of life.

Cultural Revolution (1966-1971)

Forced people to abandon their traditional ways of life and change their habits and beliefs. Individuals were sometimes forced out of their villages, and professionals like doctors and engineers were sent to work on farms.

The Chinese Economy

adopted a system of collectivization, and was organized in communes.  Each commune was self- sufficient and combined collective work in agriculture and industry. The economic plans to develop heavy industry in 1958 received the name of the “Great Leap Forward”. 

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