Western Civilization - History Of European Society

CHRONOLOGY 32.3

The Revolutions of 1989 in Eastern Europe

USSR

January Coal miners in Ukraine defy government and strike

February Gorbachev withdraws last Soviet troops from Afghanistan

March Elections for new Parliament give landslide victory to reformers

Government admits that Nazi-Soviet Treaty of 1939 planned Baltic annexation

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Ukraine demand autonomy

September Azerbaijan becomes first republic of USSR to declare its independence

December Lithuania changes constitution and abolishes Communist monopoly of power

Presidents Gorbachev and Bush meet in Malta and declare the cold war over

Poland

January Government legalizes Solidarity and multiple trade unions

February Solidarity enters negotiations for reform of Polish political system

March Government agrees to multiple party political system and calls elections

June First free Polish elections after World War II give sweeping victory to Solidarity

August Poland ends forty years of Communist rule

September New Polish government launches plans for transition to market economy

Hungary

January Reforms permit multiple political parties

March Draft constitution ends dominance of Communist Party

September Government violates treaties and allows massive transit of East Germans to West

October Reformers abolish Communist Party and regroup as Socialist Party

Parliament democratizes constitution and calls elections

East Germany

September Hundreds of thousands of East Germans flee to West through Hungary

October Gorbachev visits East Germany and encourages liberalization

Mass demonstrations of New Forum in Leipzig and other cities

President Erich Honecker forced to resign amid growing demonstrations

November Government allows citizens to visit West without visas; thousands cross borders

Demonstrating crowds begin to demolish the Berlin Wall

December East German government resigns and free elections scheduled for early 1990

Czechoslovakia

October Government troops crush student demonstrations in Prague and arrest dissidents

Gorbachev urges Czech government to accept need for restructuring

Civic Forum leads demonstrations in Prague, demands resignation of government

November Entire Czech government resigns but demonstrations and strikes continue

December Non-Communist cabinet installed in the Velvet Revolution

Czech Parliament approves Western-style democracy and names dissident president

Slovaks open question of cession to create separate state of Slovakia

Romania

December Secret police shoot demonstrators seeking ethnic and religious freedom in Timisoara

Units of army join demonstrators as National Salvation Front against Ceausescu dictatorship

Ceausescu arrested, tried, and executed by provisional government