The Collase of Communism in Eastern Europe

By chrisownz

  • Hungarians dismantle the barbed-wire fence between Hungary and non-communist austria

  • Period: to

    the collapse of communism

  • Free elections held in Poland. Solidarity wins almost all the seats it contests, so Eastern Europe gets its first non-communist leader

  • Complete collapse of the Red Empire begins with the people of East Germany

  • Thousands of East Germans escape through Austria into West German

  • Enormous demonstrations in East German cities when Gorbachev visits. He tells East German leader Erich Honecker to reform.

  • Honeker orders troops to fire on demonstrators but they refuse

  • Gorbachev announces that Soviet tanks will not move in to 'restore order'.

  • Berlin Wall dismantled by East Germans and guards

  • Huge demonstrations in Czechoslovakia.Czech government opens its borders with the West, and allows the formation of other parties

  • Bloody revolution that ends with execution of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in Romania

  • Communist party in Hungary renames itself to Socialist Party and declares free elections in 1990.

  • Huge demonstrations against the Communist government in Bulgaria

  • Latvia leads the Baltic republics in declaring independence from USSR