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Encyclopedia > Autumn of nations

The Autumn of Nations is the series of events in Central and Eastern Europe in the autumn of 1989, when various communist satellite states of the Soviet Union were overthrown in the space of a few months[1]. The name of this event refers to the Revolutions of 1848, known as the Spring of Nations. [1] The Autumn of Nations began in Poland[2] and sparked similar, mostly peaceful revolutions in East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, while Romania was the only Eastern bloc country to violently overthrow its Communist regime and execute its head of state.[3] This event drastically altered the world's balance of power, marking (together with the Collapse of the Soviet Union) the end of the Cold War and the begining of the Post-Cold War era. Regions of Europe Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. ... Current division of Europe into five (or more) regions: one definition of Eastern Europe is marked in orange Eastern Europe as a region has several alternative definitions, whereby it can denote: the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Central Europe and Russia. ... OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx Autumn (also fall in North American English) is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition from summer into winter. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... Satellite state is a political term that refers to a country which is formally independent but which is primarily subject to the domination of another, larger power. ... It has been suggested that The Gathering Storm: Before the Revolutions of 1848 be merged into this article or section. ... National motto: none Official languages German Capital East Berlin Largest city East Berlin Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 106th 108,333 km² Negligible Creation -Abolition 7 October 1949 3 October 1990 Currency East German Mark Time zone  â€“ in summer CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2) National anthem Auferstanden aus Ruinen Internet... A map of the Eastern Bloc. ... Balance of power is a central concept of realist theories of international relations. ... The rise of Gorbachev Although reform stalled between 1964–1982, the generational shift gave new momentum for reform. ... Clockwise from top: United States President John F. Kennedy and Soviet General Secretary Nikita Khrushchev meet in a 1961 summit held in Vienna; East German border guards at the Berlin Wall; the first Soviet nuclear weapon Joe 1 is tested; American soldiers land in Vietnam during the Vietnam War; Sputnik... The post-Cold War era is a time period following the end of the Cold War. ...

Contents


History

 "High Noon, 4 June 1989"Polish Solidarity Citizens' Committee election poster for elections of 1989.
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"High Noon, 4 June 1989"
Polish Solidarity Citizens' Committee election poster for elections of 1989.

The Autumn of Nations can be traced to the election of Polish bishop, Karol Wojtyła, as Pope John Paul II, and to the 1980s, when the Gdańsk Agreement led to the creation of Polish trade union Solidarity.[4] It was given further momentum when Mikhail Gorbachev became, in 1985, the First Secretary of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev introduced a set of reforms (perestroika and glasnost) and signaled that the Soviet Union was less likely to 'come to the rescue' of its falling satellite states. Image File history File links W_samo_poludnie_4_6_89-Tomasz_Sarnecki. ... Image File history File links W_samo_poludnie_4_6_89-Tomasz_Sarnecki. ... Solidarity (Polish: Solidarność; full name: Independent Self-governing Trade Union Solidarity — Niezależny SamorzÄ…dny ZwiÄ…zek Zawodowy Solidarność) is a Polish trade union federation founded in September 1980 at the GdaÅ„sk Shipyards, and originally led by Lech Wałęsa. ... 1942 US government war poster. ... Contract Sejm (Polish: ) is a term commonly applied to the Polish Parliament elected in the Polish parliamentary elections of 1989. ... Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) The winner of the October 1978 conclave. ... Pope John Paul II (Latin: ), born Karol Józef WojtyÅ‚a (May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005) reigned as pope of the Roman Catholic Church for almost 27 years, from October 16, 1978 until his death, making his the second-longest pontificate. ... The GdaÅ„sk Agreement was a strike that took place in GdaÅ„sk, Poland in which workers up and down the Baltic coast joined the revolution “in Solidarity”. They demanded the right to form free trade unions, the right to strike, freedom of speech, the release of political prisoners, and... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Solidarity (Polish: Solidarność; full name: Independent Self-governing Trade Union Solidarity — Niezależny SamorzÄ…dny ZwiÄ…zek Zawodowy Solidarność) is a Polish trade union federation founded in September 1980 at the GdaÅ„sk Shipyards, and originally led by Lech Wałęsa. ... (help· info) (Russian: ), IPA: (commonly anglicized as Gorbachev), born March 2, 1931, was leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991. ... First Secretary may refer to: First Minister General Secretary 1st Secretary Categories: Disambiguation ... Poster showing Mikhail Gorbachev Perestroika â–¶ (help· info) (Перестро́йка) is the Russian word (which passed into English) for the economic reforms introduced in June 1987 by the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...


In 1988 the weakened government of Poland engaged in negotiations with the anti-communist opposition, resulting in the Polish Round Table Agreement. This agreement paved the way for the Solidarity victory in the Polish elections of 1989, marking the end of the People's Republic of Poland. Tadeusz Mazowiecki became the first non-communist premier of Poland since 1945, and Lech Wałęsa became the president of Poland. Round-table negotiations. ... Contract Sejm (Polish: ) is a term commonly applied to the Polish Parliament elected in the Polish parliamentary elections of 1989. ... The Peoples Republic of Poland or Polish Peoples Republic (Polish: Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1989, during its period of rule by the Communist party, officially called the Polish United Workers Party (Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza, or PZPR). ... Tadeusz Mazowiecki (born April 18, 1927 in PÅ‚ock) is a Polish author, journalist, social worker and politician, formerly one of the leaders of the Solidarity movement, and the first non-communist prime minister in Central and Eastern Europe after World War II. Tadeusz Mazowiecki Tadeusz Mazowiecki as Prime Minister... The Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland represents the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet) and directs their work, supervises territorial self-government within the guidelines and in ways described in the Constitution and other legislation, and acts as the superior for all government administration workers (heading the public service... Office President of Poland Term of office from December 22, 1990 until December 23, 1995 Profession Electrician and shipyard worker Political party none, see Solidarity for details Spouse Danuta Wałęsa Date of birth September 29, 1943 Place of birth Popowo, Poland Date of death Place of death Lech Wa... Following are the successive heads of state of Poland. ...


The events in Poland were mirrored in Hungary, where negotiations between government and the opposition led to constitutional change in October 1989. At the same time, increasing migration from East Germany to Federal Republic of Germany resulted in the fall of the Berlin Wall November 9, 1989; formal German reunification occurred October 3, 1990. In November 1989, the Czechoslovakian Velvet Revolution led the overthrow of that country's communist government; on 7 December, the government of Bulgaria started talks with the opposition; later that same month, the Romanian Revolution deposed and executed communist dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu. National motto: none Official languages German Capital East Berlin Largest city East Berlin Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 106th 108,333 km² Negligible Creation -Abolition 7 October 1949 3 October 1990 Currency East German Mark Time zone  â€“ in summer CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2) National anthem Auferstanden aus Ruinen Internet... Remnant of the Berlin Wall near Potsdamer Platz, June 2003. ... Remnant of the Berlin Wall near Potsdamer Platz, June 2003. ... November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) took place on October 3, 1990, when the areas of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR, in English commonly called East Germany) were incorporated into the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, in... October 3 is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... The Velvet Revolution (Czech: samatová revoluce, Slovak: nežná revolúcia) (November 16 - December 29, 1989) refers to a bloodless revolution in Czechoslovakia that saw the overthrow of the communist government there. ... December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... Nicolae CeauÅŸescu (IPA ) (January 26, 1918 - December 25, 1989) was the leader of Communist Romania from 1965 until shortly before his execution. ...


Within a year, the Autumn of Nations reached the Soviet Union itself. On March 11, 1990, Lithuania declared independence. The collapse of the Soviet Union would take place 2 years later, in 1991, with many former Soviet republics (such as the Baltic States, Ukraine and Belarus), breaking away from Russia and becoming independent countries. 11 March is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ... This article is about the year. ... The rise of Gorbachev Although reform stalled between 1964–1982, the generational shift gave new momentum for reform. ... In its final decades of its existence, the Soviet Union consisted of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics (SSR), often called simply Soviet republics. ... Baltic states and the Baltic Sea The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a term which nowadays refers to three countries in Northern Europe: Estonia Latvia Lithuania Prior to World War II, Finland was sometimes considered, particularly by the Soviet Union, a fourth Baltic state. ...


Consequences

The Autumn of Nations drastically altered the worldwide balance of power, and marked the end of the Cold War. Many former Soviet satellites have formed alliances with the 'West', abandoning state communism and structures like the Warsaw Pact and COMECON, and, over the following decades, becoming members of (or aspiring to membership in) NATO and the European Union. The Soviet Union also renounced communism and transformed into modern Russia, and as its influence waned its troops (and nuclear weapons) were largely pulled back within its own borders. Clockwise from top: United States President John F. Kennedy and Soviet General Secretary Nikita Khrushchev meet in a 1961 summit held in Vienna; East German border guards at the Berlin Wall; the first Soviet nuclear weapon Joe 1 is tested; American soldiers land in Vietnam during the Vietnam War; Sputnik... The term Western world or the West can have multiple meanings depending on its context. ... Seal of the Warsaw Pact Distinguish from the Warsaw Convention, which is an agreement among airlines about financial liability. ... A Soviet poster reading COMECON: Unity of Goals, Unity of Action The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON / Comecon / CMEA / CEMA), 1949 – 1991, was an economic organisation of communist states and a kind of Eastern European equivalent to the European Economic Community. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the epicenter. ...


See also

Color revolutions or Flower revolutions are the names given collectively to a series of related movements that have developed in post_communist societies in Eastern Europe and are possibly spreading elsewhere. ... Flag of the CIS The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (in Russian: Содружество Независимых Государств (СНГ) - Sodruzhestvo Nezavisimykh Gosudarstv) is a confederation, or alliance, consisting of 11 former Soviet Republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. ... January Events (Lithuanian: Sausio įvykiai) is a series of events that occurred on January 11-13, 1991 in Vilnius, Lithuania. ... Germans dancing on the Berlin Wall. ... The Yugoslav wars were a series of violent conflicts in the territory of the former Yugoslavia that took place between 1991-2001. ...

Notes and References

  1. a b E. Szafarz, "The Legal Framework for Political Cooperation in Europe" in The Changing Political Structure of Europe: Aspects of International Law, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. ISBN 0792313798. p.221.
  2. S. Antohi and V. Tismaneanu, "Independence Reborn and the Demons of the Velvet Revolution" in Between Past and Future: The Revolutions of 1989 and Their Aftermath, Central European University Press. ISBN: 9639116718. p.85.
  3. Piotr Sztompka, preface to Society in Action: the Theory of Social Becoming, University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226788156. p. x.
  4. —, August 1980: Bitter-Sweet Memories, Warsaw Voice, 27 August 2000. Accessed 1 April 2006.


 
 

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