The Communist government of the Soviet Union controlled thelives of its citizens.

Today, many republics of theformer Soviet Union have becomeindependent nations.

MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW

Soviet CultureThe Soviet space program of the 1950s and 1960s brought inter-national attention to that country. Daily life for citizens of theSoviet Union and of the Eastern European countries under itscontrol, however, was difficult. Most people were poor and hadlittle, if any, say in their government.

TERMS & NAMESpropagandaprivate property

rightsNikita Khrushchevdeposeddétente

A 27-year-old Soviet pilot

has become the first per-

son to travel into space.

Soviet officials proudly

announced today that

cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin

had orbited Earth in

1 hour and 29 minutes.

His 4.75-ton spacecraft,

Vostok I, flew at a maxi-

mum altitude of 187 miles

above the planet. Its top

speed was 18,000 miles

per hour.

Gagarin graduated

from the Soviet Air Force

cadet school just four

years ago. He is the son of

a carpenter and began

to study flying while in

college. Gagarin’s space

flight puts the Soviet

Union a giant step ahead

of the United States in the

space race.

Movement • Yuri Gagarin

becomes the first human

in space. �

THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW, APRIL 12, 1961

Eastern Europe UnderCommunism

Eastern Europe UnderCommunism

TAKING NOTES

Government

Economy

AspectAfter

CommunismUnder

Communism

Use your chart to take notes about modern Europe.

Modern Europe 353

Creating a National Identity The Soviet gov-ernment was fearful that some ethnic groupsmight want to break away from the SovietUnion. To keep this from happening, Sovietleaders tried to create a strong national identity.They wanted people in the republic of Latvia,for example, to think of themselves as Soviets,not as Latvians.

To help achieve its goals, the Soviet govern-ment created and distributed propaganda(PRAHP•uh•GAN•duh), or material designed tospread certain beliefs. Soviet propagandaincluded pamphlets, posters, artwork, statues,songs, and films. It praised the Soviet Union, itsleaders, and Communism.

Soviet Control of Daily Life To prevent differentethnic groups from identifying with their individ-ual cultures rather than with the Soviet Union, theSoviet government outlawed many cultural cele-brations. It destroyed churches andother religious buildings and killedthousands of religious leaders. Themembers of many ethnic groups werenot allowed to speak their native lan-guages or celebrate certain holidays.

The Soviet government alsocontrolled communications media,such as newspapers, books, andradio. This meant that mostSoviet citizens could not learnmuch about other nations aroundthe world.

Literature and the Arts The works of manywriters, poets, and other artists who lived duringthe Soviet era often were banned or censored.Soviet artists were forced to join government-run unions. These unions told artists whatkinds of works they could create. Artists whodisobeyed were punished. Some were impris-oned or even killed.

354 CHAPTER 13

Space Dogs Four years beforeYuri Gagarin blasted into space,a Russian dog orbited the planet.Her name was Laika (LY•kuh),which means “Barker.” Laika,pictured below, was launched intospace on Sputnik 2 in November1957. The Soviets did not thenhave the ability to bring a space-craft down safely, and Laika livedin space for only a few days.

In August 1960, however, theRussians sent two other dogs intospace. Named Belka and Strelka,they were the first living creaturesto go into space and return safelyto Earth.

Region • This statue, a form of propaganda, displays the Soviet belief in the unity of theworker (hammer)and the farmer(sickle). �

Sports The leaders of the Soviet Union wanted their country tobe seen as equal to, if not better than, other powerful nations.One way to achieve this goal was to become a strong competitor inthe Olympics and in other international sports competitions.

The Soviet government supported its top athletes andprovided for all their basic needs. It even hired and paidfor the coaches and paid for all training. The hockeyteams and gymnasts of the Soviet Union were among thebest in the world.

The Soviet EconomyIn addition to controlling the governments of the SovietUnion and of those Eastern European countries under itsinfluence, Soviet leaders also ran the economy. When theSoviets installed Communist governments in EasternEurope after World War II, they promised to improveindustry and to bring new wealth to be shared among allcitizens. This did not happen.

Government Control Communism in the Soviet Uniondid not support private property rights, or the right ofindividuals to own land or an industry. The Sovietswanted all major industries to be owned by the govern-ment rather than by private citizens. So the governmenttook over factories, railroads, and businesses.

ARMENIA

AZERBAIJAN

GEORGIA

BYELORUSSIA

ESTONIA

KAZAKHSTAN

KIRGHIZIA

LITHUANIA

RUSSIA

LATVIA

MOLDAVIAR U S S I A

TURKMENIA

TAJIKISTAN

UZBEKISTAN

UKRAINE

ARCTICOCEAN

BeringSea

Baltic Sea

Cas

pia

nSe

a

Sea of Okhotsk

Black

Sea

120°E

140°E

160°E

180°

40°

60°N80°N0°

CircleArctic

Caucasian peoples

Indo-European peoples

Uralic and Altaic peoples

Sparsely populated

N

0

0 250 500 kilometers

250 500 miles

GEOGRAPHYSKILLBUILDER:Interpreting a Map1. Place • Where in the

Soviet Union do mostUralic and Altaic peoplelive?

2. Region • What is themost common ethnicityof the Soviet Union?

Modern Europe 355

Region • Romaniangymnasts, likeNadia Comaneci,won medals at theOlympics. �

Ethnic and Cultural Groups of the Soviet Union, c. 1950

The Soviet government decided what would be produced, howit would be produced, and who would get what was produced.These choices were made based on Soviet interests, not on theinterests of the republics or of individuals. Communist countriesof Eastern Europe were often unable to meet the needs—includ-ing bread, meat, and clothing—of their citizens.

Attempts at ChangeStarting in the 1950s, Eastern Europeans began to demand moregoods of better quality. They also wanted changes in the govern-ment. In 1956, Hungary and Poland tried to free their govern-ments and economies from Soviet control. But the Communistarmy put an end to these attempts at change.

Khrushchev From 1958 until 1964, Nikita Khrushchev(KRUSH•chehf ) ruled the Soviet Union. During this period,called “The Thaw,” writers and other citizens began to havegreater freedoms. Khrushchev even visited the United States in1959, but the thaw in the Cold War did not last. In 1964, with theSoviet economy growing weaker, Khrushchev was deposed, orremoved from power.

Solzhenitsyn In 1945, army officer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn(SOHL•zhuh•NEET•sihn), far right, called the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin“the boss.” For this, he was sentenced to eight years in slave-laborcamps. Later, Solzhenitsyn wrote books about his experiences in thosecamps. He also wrote a letter against censorship. The government calledhim a traitor, and in 1969 it forced Solzhenitsyn to leave the writers’union. Five years later, Solzhenitsyn left the country.

Although Solzhenitsyn’s works were banned, many Soviet citizensread them in secret. Copies of his and other banned books werepassed from person to person across the nation. Through such writ-ings, Soviet citizens learned many things that the government hadtried to hide from them.

THINKING CRITICALLY

1. Analyzing Motives Why would the Soviet government stoppeople from reading Solzhenitsyn’s books?

2. Comparing Compare the censorship of literature in the SovietUnion with censorship in the United States.

356 CHAPTER 13

A. Clarifying Whobenefited most fromSoviet industry?

For more on Aleksandar Solzhenitsyn, go to

CL AS SZONE .COM

RESEARCH LINKS

The Prague Spring In January1968 in Czechoslovakia, AlexanderDubcek (DOOB•chek) became theFirst Secretary of the CzechoslovakCommunist Party. His attempts tolessen the Soviet Union’s controlover Czechoslovakia led to a periodof improvement called the “PragueSpring.” Czech citizens enjoyed greater freedoms, including morecontact with Western Europe. In August of that year, however,the Soviet Union sent troops to force a return to strictCommunist control. Dubcek was later replaced, and Soviet con-trols were back in place.

Détente The member nations of NATO, which were concernedabout starting an all-out war with the Soviet Union, were unableto stop the Soviet control of Eastern Europe. In the 1970s, how-ever, leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States began tohave more contact with each other. This led to a period ofdétente (day•TAHNT), or lessening tension, between the mem-bers of NATO and the Warsaw Pact nations.

Place • NikitaKhrushchev, theson of a minerand grandson of a peasant, lessened governmentcontrol of Sovietcitizens. �

Region •Citizens ofCzechoslovakiaprotested Soviet control in 1968. �

357

B. RecognizingImportantDetails How didthe Soviet Unionmaintain controlover other EasternEuropean nations?

ˇ

358 CHAPTER 13

Reread the information under “Literature and the Arts” and the Spotlight on Culture feature.Write a speech for or against censorship in the arts.

SECTION ASSESSMENT

Using Graphics2. Use a chart like this one to list and

describe major aspects of Sovietculture.

Main Ideas3. (a) Why did Soviet leaders try

to create a strong nationalidentity?

(b) What began to happen inEastern Europe in the 1950s?

(c) Describe the significance of the “Prague Spring.”

Critical Thinking4. Analyzing Motives

Why do you think the works ofmany writers, poets, and artistswere banned or censored duringthe Soviet era?

Think About◆ what Soviet citizens learned

from Solzhenitsyn’s works◆ the government’s use of

propaganda◆ what life was like for most

Soviet citizens

Terms & Names1. Explain the significance of: (a) propaganda (b) private property rights (c) Nikita Khrushchev

(d) deposed (e) détente

Aspects of Soviet Culture

Economic Crisis By the 1980s, economic conditions in the SovietUnion and in those countries under its control had still notimproved. Even after détente, the Soviet government continued tospend most of its money on the armed forces and nuclear weapons.In addition, people who lived in the non-Russian republics of theSoviet Union now wanted more control over their own affairs.Many citizens began to reject the Soviet economic system, but theSoviet leaders refused to give up any of their power or control.

Place • The old city ofDubrovnik is inCroatia, a partof the formerYugoslavia,which was aCommunistcountry inEastern Europe. �