Economic factors and the Soviet non-intervention during the Central East European revolutions: 1988-1990 (Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia).

In 1988-89 Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia erupted with popular political movements that challenged Communist rule and Soviet hegemony in the region. Generally the USSR dealt with the most serious challenges to Soviet control with the use of force. In 1988-89, the Soviet Union did not follow the percent that it had set, and pursued a non-interventionary policy in Eastern Europe. The study explores the major role that the state of the economy played in the formulation of Soviet foreign policy during the Central East European revolution. It does this by comparing the official growth rates of key Soviet economic indicators in 1988-1990 with the rates of growth in 1968-1970 and 1978-1980. The findings show that the health of the economy did deteriorate over the twenty-two years covered by this study. Decline in the Soviet economy was an important factor in the formation of Soviet East European policy. The soviet economy could not support an intervention because the cost of the intervention would have been too high, not just in financial terms, but also because it would have jeopardized the Soviet Union\u27s ability to reach a rapprochement with the West. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)Dept. of History, Philosophy, and Political Science. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1992 .F344. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 31-04, page: 1577. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1992