Eastern Bloc: the story on HearLore

Eastern Bloc

In 1939, the Soviet Union signed a secret protocol with Nazi Germany that divided Romania, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Finland into German and Soviet spheres of influence. Two weeks after the German invasion of western Poland in September 1939, Soviet forces invaded eastern Poland to enforce this agreement. The Soviets liquidated the Polish state and began a campaign of sovietization across newly annexed areas. They organized staged elections where single candidates were listed, resulting in fabricated approval rates of 92.8 percent in Estonia, 97.6 percent in Latvia, and 99.2 percent in Lithuania. Between mid-June 1940 and August 1940, the Soviet Union formally annexed Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia through fraudulent people's assemblies. During these occupations, 34,250 Latvians, 75,000 Lithuanians, and almost 60,000 Estonians were deported or killed by NKVD troops. In 1944, the Soviet Union occupied Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina from Romania, accompanied by religious persecution and mass deportations. By February 1945 at the Yalta Conference, Stalin demanded a Soviet sphere of political influence in Central Europe while promising democratic institutions that never materialized.

Political Control Mechanisms

The first or General Secretary of the central committee held absolute power within each communist party regime. These selective parties contained only three to fourteen percent of the country's population who accepted total obedience. Members received rewards like access to special lower-priced shops with high-quality goods, special schools, holiday facilities, homes, and official cars with distinct license plates. Political police served as the core of the system, with names like the KGB in the Soviet Union, Stasi in East Germany, and Securitate in Romania becoming synonymous with violent retribution. Following Stalin's death in 1953, the primary method shifted from mass terror to selective repression along with ideological strategies of legitimation. Juries were replaced by tribunals of professional judges and two lay assessors who were dependable party actors. The suppression of dissent was considered a central prerequisite for security, though the degree varied by country and time throughout the Eastern Bloc. In Poland during the 1980s, civil society briefly took root outside party state control before being crushed again.

When did the Soviet Union sign a secret protocol with Nazi Germany to divide Eastern Europe?

The Soviet Union signed a secret protocol with Nazi Germany in 1939 that divided Romania, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Finland into German and Soviet spheres of influence. Two weeks after the German invasion of western Poland in September 1939, Soviet forces invaded eastern Poland to enforce this agreement.

What were the fabricated approval rates for staged elections in Baltic states during Soviet occupation?

Staged elections where single candidates were listed resulted in fabricated approval rates of 92.8 percent in Estonia, 97.6 percent in Latvia, and 99.2 percent in Lithuania. Between mid-June 1940 and August 1940, the Soviet Union formally annexed Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia through fraudulent people's assemblies.

Which countries had special stores like Intershop or Beryozka for purchasing premium goods in the Eastern Bloc?

Intershop existed in East Germany, Beryozka in the Soviet Union, Pewex in Poland, Tuzex in Czechoslovakia, Corecom in Bulgaria, and Comturist in Romania. Many premium goods could be purchased only through black markets or these special stores using foreign currency generally inaccessible to most citizens.

When did Albania withdraw from the Warsaw Pact following the invasion of Czechoslovakia?

Albania withdrew from the Warsaw Pact in 1968 following the invasion of Czechoslovakia under Enver Hoxha's Albanian-Soviet split. The Warsaw Pact formed in 1955 partly in response to NATO's inclusion of West Germany.

What was the average dwelling size in the Soviet Union compared to Hungary in 1986?

In 1986, average dwelling size in the Soviet Union was only 68 percent the size of its equivalent in Hungary. Even by the late 1980s, sanitary conditions in most countries remained far from adequate with 60 percent of dwellings having a density greater than one person per room between 1966 and 1975.

Eastern Bloc

Political Control Mechanisms

Up Next

Common questions

When did the Soviet Union sign a secret protocol with Nazi Germany to divide Eastern Europe?

What were the fabricated approval rates for staged elections in Baltic states during Soviet occupation?

Which countries had special stores like Intershop or Beryozka for purchasing premium goods in the Eastern Bloc?

When did Albania withdraw from the Warsaw Pact following the invasion of Czechoslovakia?

What was the average dwelling size in the Soviet Union compared to Hungary in 1986?

Economic Command Systems

International Alliances And Conflicts

Information And Religious Suppression

Demographic Trends And Migration

Eastern Bloc

Political Control Mechanisms

Up Next

Common questions

When did the Soviet Union sign a secret protocol with Nazi Germany to divide Eastern Europe?

What were the fabricated approval rates for staged elections in Baltic states during Soviet occupation?

Which countries had special stores like Intershop or Beryozka for purchasing premium goods in the Eastern Bloc?

When did Albania withdraw from the Warsaw Pact following the invasion of Czechoslovakia?

What was the average dwelling size in the Soviet Union compared to Hungary in 1986?

Economic Command Systems

Social Structure And Housing

International Alliances And Conflicts

Information And Religious Suppression

Demographic Trends And Migration