East Central Europe and the end of the Cold War, 1985-1991 = Közép-Kelet-Európa és a hidegháború vége, 1985-1991

Absztrakt (kivonat)

The thesis examines the final years of the Cold War from the perspective of East Central Europe, focusing on the international background of the political transition. It demonstrates the gradual process through which the superpowers reached the psychological threshold beyond which the maintenance of the Eastern European status quo became redundant and impossible. Out of security considerations the West did not want to hasten the ferment in the communist bloc, but the improving relations with the Soviet Union and the peaceful nature of the processes changed the attitude of the American and Western European leaders. The change of perception in Moscow was caused by economic necessities and the “new thinking” introduced by General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. The question of the Brezhnev Doctrine and the example of the German reunification provides an insight into the hopes and doubts of the Gorbachev led reformist decision-making group, whose positive intentions substantially contributed to disintegration of the communist system. As the termination of the arms race became a pressing need and the survival of the Soviet Union became the priority, the issue of Eastern Europe fell off the radar, thus these countries could enter into a vacuum of inattention. The states – especially Hungary – already pursuing a more independent foreign earned the right for themselves to choose the path toward European integration over the creation of a common European home.