CZECHOSLOVAKIA AND POLAND

This research examines economic and political stability in Czechoslovakia and Poland from 1945 through 1993. Czechoslovakia separated into two sovereign nations--the Czech Republic and Slovakia--as of 1 January 1993 (Velvet divorce, 1992, p. 52). Thus, Czechoslovakia is treated as a unity in the greater part of this examination.

Background on Economics and Politics in Eastern Europe: 1945-1989

Subsequent to the Russian Revolution in 1917 and the creation of the Soviet Union in 1922, the republics that comprised the Soviet Union functioned largely under a Marxist political and economic system. Lenin's New Economic Policy implemented in 1921 temporarily suspended most of the Marxist economic policy; however, Marxist economic policy and centralized planning were reimposed with a vengeance by Stalin in 1928 (Mazour, 1967, pp. 121, 129). Khrushchev flirted with economic reform in the 1950s; however, these reforms were abandoned after a few years along with Khrushchev (Mazour, 1967, p. 204).

Most of the nation states of Eastern Europe became Soviet satellites following the end of the Second World War. Thus, subsequent to 1945, most of these countries also functioned largely under a Marxist political and economic system. There were some temporary interruptions in Marxist dominance. Hungary attempted to overthrow its Marxist government in 1956, only to see its

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Hunter, 1993, pp. 1096-1104). By mid-1981, almost 10 million Polish industrial workers had joined the independent trade union Solidarity, and the nation's farmers had secured government approval to form their own independent union (Hunter, 1993, pp. 1096-1104). In December 1981, Solidarity proposed the conduct of a national referendum on the establishment of a non-Communist government in Poland. That proposal was too much for the Brezhnev government in the Soviet Union, and the Soviet Union demanded that the Polish government move against Solidarity. Under the threat of Soviet intervention, the Polish government declared martial law, and outlawed independent trade unions (Hunter, 1993, pp. 1096-1104). Gierek was replaced as prime minister by General Wojciech Jaruzelski. By mid-1983, however, anti-government feelings in Poland were high, and labor and social unrest once again began to take a damaging toll on the Polish economy. As the Polish economy continued to worsen in the 1980s, the prohibitions against the independent trade unions were gradually lifted, and by the late-1980s the Jaruzelski government agreed to a free election in which Solidarity (or any other individual or group) could contest all o
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Communist Party, Soviet Union, World War, Mikhail Gorbachev, Edward Gierek, Czech Republic, Eastern European, Economic Model, Eastern Europe, Minister August, soviet union, czech republic, eastern europe, economic reform, communist party, hunter 1993, economic political, norton 1990, shawcross 1970, european community, hunter 1993 pp, european community membership, coup de etat, 1993 pp 1096-1104, seats lower house,
Approximate Word count = 7651
Approximate Pages = 31 (250 words per page)

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