After World War Two Romania was strongly influenced by the Soviet Union. Soviet Occupation created a communist government and forced the King to exile. The communist party ruled Romania from 1947 until its overthrow in the Revolution of 1989. In the 1950’s, Romania’s communist party began to exercise some independence from its Soviet counterpart. The Romanian communist party convinced the Soviet Union to remove all troops from the country. Romania’s communist party also denounced the 1968 Invasion of Czechoslovakia. The invasion was aimed at stopping the liberalization reforms taking place in the country. Romania prohibited the Soviet Union to transport troops or supplies for the invasion through its borders or airspace. As a result, the leader of Romania was welcomed by Queen Elizabeth of England at Buckingham Palace. The relaxed politics would not last. During the late 1970’s and continuing until the communist party’s overthrow in 1989, political repression increased and more severe tactics were implemented in the communist party’s struggle to hold a tab on the citizens.
SOCIAL ASPECT
Before World War Two, Romania had a population of 18 million. Culturally, Romania’s largest city and capital, Bucharest, was known as “The Paris of the East”. The various cities were cultural centers, with sizeable populations of “boyars” or aristocrats. The period before World War Two is known as Romania’s Golden Age. There were a plethora of well-regarded, painters, sculptors, artists, poets, and writers. In medicine, Romanian scientist Nicolae Paulescu discovered insulin. Universities were opened in several Romanian cities.
After World War Two, however, the communist government imposed severe censorship on the population. For the next several decades, artists’ creativity was stifled. Many communist artists emerged, promoting the propaganda of the ruling communist party. Any material that deviated from the communist party’s beliefs was strictly prohibited. However, an advantage was that libraries were opened in every village. The cost of owning books was low and many citizens were able to afford to keep their own collection of books in their homes. Disadvantages were that the books were censored and promoted communist ideals. Also, due to severe rationing in all aspects of society, the quality of the printing paper was low and the books easily degraded. Also during the time period that the communist party ruled, many theaters were opened throughout the country and some, like the National Theater of Bucharest, became national icons. Theater became popular with Romanians partly due to the fact that there was a lack of other entertainment venues. Cinemas became popular from the 1960’s onward. Much like the theaters’ rise to popularity, cinemas followed the same path. Foreign films were shown but were heavily censored. Entire scenes were cut and dialogue was replaced. Romania’s domestic film industry developed as well and films about Romania’s history became popular.
Many significant Romanian philosophers and authors, however, were exiled during the communist party’s rule in an effort to censor any ideas that were against it.
ECONOMIC ASPECT
Romania’s economy before World War Two consisted of the agriculture sector as well as a significant industrial sector. Romania ranked second in Europe and seventh in the world in petroleum production. Romania’s oil was able to support Germany’s campaign during World War Two. The Romanian per capita gross domestic product was higher than other countries like Greece and Portugal. However, the per capita gross domestic product of Romanians was not up to par with the countries of Western Europe.
After World War Two, the communist regime introduced a command economy for the country. Under this system, the government was involved in all aspects of the economy. Romania began a process of industrialization and growth. In order to sustain the growth, the government borrowed foreign capital and national debt grew. In the 1980’s Romania entered a period of severe rations on all products. Everything was being exported, from food and agricultural products to machinery. The rations happened in part because of the national debt but also for the need to pay war reparations from World War Two. Even though Romania had switched to the Allied side, the country was not considered a cobelligerent nation by the allies. Therefore, Romania continued to make reparation payments until the 1990s. Romania was also the United States’ largest trading partner in Central and Eastern Europe during the 1980s and received the “Most Favorable Nation” certification which entailed benefits such as no tariffs on exported goods.
After the overthrow of the communist government in 1989, Romania established a market economy. The gross domestic product decreased from its record high in the mid-1980s. Privatization of businesses continued through the decade and Romania’s middle class increased. By the mid 2000s, Romania achieved a gross domestic product growth of 8.4% and rapid economic development. However, some of the development has stalled due to the global economic recession. The highest growth in the country occurred in Bucharest, Romania’s capital city. Bucharest is Romania’s hub for commerce and finance. Romania joined the European Union of January 1, 2007 and plans to join the Eurozone and adopt the Euro currency by 2014.
POLAND
POLITICAL ASPECT
At the start of World War Two, Poland was invaded by German, Soviet, and Slovakian troops. The Polish armed forces, being outnumbered and poorly equipped, were defeated. Poland was divided and annexed by Germany and the Soviet Union under a secret pact. The invasion of Poland, many Poles believed, was due to Hitler’s plan of eradicating the Polish people and using the land to expand the land available to German people for farming. Hitler’s plan was to wipe out all traces of Poland. Hitler’s quote “I have issued the command — and I'll have anybody who utters but one word of criticism executed by a firing squad — that our war aim does not consist in reaching certain lines, but in the physical destruction of the enemy. Accordingly, I have placed my death-head formations in readiness — for the present only in the East — with orders to them to send to death mercilessly and without compassion, men, women, and children of Polish race and language. Only thus shall we gain the living space (Lebensraum) which we need. Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?" shows his intentions.
After World War Two, Poland was under the Soviet Union’s sphere of influence and was part of the Eastern Bloc. Although the country’s elections held in 1947 were supposed to be free, they were actually controlled by the communist party in order to legitimize the party’s claim to power. Poland was reorganized using the model of Soviet of socialism. By the 1980’s support for the communist party reached an all-time low. At first, the government tried to suppress anti-communist groups. Later, due to nationwide strikes in 1988, the government agreed to have roundtable talks with opposition groups. The roundtable talks produced an agreement that would allow free elections in the country. In 1990, the constitution of Poland was amended and Poland made great progress towards becoming a fully democratic nation. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and its armed forces have participated in international operations like the Iraq War and Afghanistan War. Poland joined the European Union in 2004.
SOCIAL ASPECT
Before World War Two, Poland was a culturally diverse country. Minorities made up close to 30% of the total population which was 35 million. Of the ethnic minorities, Ukrainians and Jews made up the largest groups according to the Polish census of 1931. The main religion of Poland was and still is Roman Catholicism. Polish culture was suppressed during World War Two by the occupying Germans and Soviets. Both belligerents were hostile towards Poland’s culture, art, heritage and people. During the war many Polish scholars, artists, and intellectuals were killed or imprisoned by the two regimes. The occupiers destroyed Polish art and sculptures and looted museums. Schools were shut down in an effort to suppress the population. The Polish underground movement with the help of wealthy individuals and the Catholic Church were able to keep some aspects of culture alive, including plays, concert, and salvaging valuable artifacts from museums.
After the war, Poland’s population became homogenous and the diversity that existed before disappeared. This was due to the restructured borders, deportations during the war, and the Holocaust. The population continued to be suppressed by the communist regime. Intellectuals, writers, and scholars continued to be censored or imprisoned if their views were contrary to the communist party’s views. What was seen as unexpected by the Polish people was Pope John Paul II’s appointment as leader of the Catholic Church. As archbishop of Krakow, Poland, and later as Pope, John Paul II was instrumental in ending communism in Poland and Europe. His influence helped inspire political reforms within Poland which, in turn, served as a model for the rest of Europe. After the fall of communism in Poland, the country made significant social gains and is now a democratic country.
ECONOMIC ASPECT
Before World War Two, the economy of Poland had a main industrial base of coal, iron, and textiles. The agriculture sector accounted for the largest part of the economy. Wealthy landowners employed peasants for farming.
During World War Two, Poland’s industry suffered. Due to the war, many factories and refineries were destroyed. Important resources were redirected toward the rebuilding process.
After World War Two, the communist economic system restructured the economy. Nationalization of privately owned farms and businesses took place. Factories were operated by the government in order to keep a tight command on the economy. However, this process did not produce the best results and Poland’s economy suffered. Even when compared to other Eastern Bloc nations, Poland’s economy was performing poorly. In 1990, reform was taking place in Poland and the economy was shifting toward a free market economy. The centralized command economy that was in place during communist rule was disbanded. Privatization of government assets took place and unprofitable factories that were operating during communist rule were shut down. Today, the agriculture sector accounts for roughly 15% of the workforce but only 3% of the gross domestic product so it is somewhat inefficient. Poland also has a significant pharmaceutical industry that specializes in prescription drug manufacturing. Poland’s liberal law regarding businesses has encouraged growth in the country since the fall of communism. The service sector now accounts for the largest segment of Poland’s economy. During the late-2000s global economic recession, Poland was less affected than other European Union countries. Poland was the only European nation whose gross domestic product did not decline. Although growth did decrease from its peak, gross domestic product growth is estimated at 3.5% of the total gross domestic product, a figure which is much higher than Poland’s neighboring countries which are experiencing negative numbers.
SOVIET UNION & RUSSIA
POLITICAL ASPECT
Before World War Two, politically the Soviet Union had been a tsarist autocracy. The tsar, or monarch, has absolute power and is able to distribute it to his liking. The Russian tsars had more power than constitutional monarchs because they were not bounded by a constitution or a law-making body. In 1917 there were a series of revolutions within Russia that overthrow the tsarist autocracy which had been in place for hundreds of years. A provisional government took control of the country but pressure by the Bolsheviks was mounting. A civil war between communist militias, dubbed the Red Army, and an anti-communist faction, the White army, ensued. The Red Army was victorious and a communist government led by Vladimir Lenin eventually came to power. Lenin was a socialist philosopher and writer who was inspired by the political ideology of Karl Marx. Lenin’s rise to power helped him unite all of the Russian Republics into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. After Lenin’s death in 1924, Joseph Stalin took control. After World War Two, the Soviet Union emerged as the only super power besides the United States. The “Cold War” was a period of political tension between the Soviet Union and its communist allies, and the United States and its democratic allies. Although the two nations never engaged in actually war, the tension manifested itself through various military conflicts, sports events, technological advances, and influence over neutral nations. The Soviet Union was disbanded in 1991 due to the government’s failure improve the economy and the fall of communism in the rest of the countries in the Eastern Bloc.
SOCIAL ASPECT
Before World War Two, Russia’s culture was rich in the arts. There were many famous Russian poets, writers, and musicians. However, once Stalin came to power and the communist government was well established, the arts began to be censored and a tighter control was put on individual freedoms.
After World War Two, the communist government continued to censor the poets, writers, musicians, and philosophers. Persons who spoke out against the government were jailed. The only forms of art that were accepted by the government and not viewed in a negative manner were ones which endorsed communism. Propaganda in the Soviet Union was widespread. Due to competition with the West during the Cold War, sports in Russia were very competitive. Athletic events were one way to compete with other countries without actually going to war.
ECONOMIC ASPECT
Before World War Two, the main sector of Russia’s economy was agriculture. Serfs, or peasants tied to the land, worked on the lands of boyars. They agricultural yields were low due to the serf’s use of the same technology for hundreds of years. Serfdom was abolished between 1861 and 1892 in different regions of the Russian empire, but the peasants continued to struggle economically even after they gained their freedom. After the Lenin and the communist party rose to power, the government nationalized the noblemen’s land and established collectivized farms where a group of farmers would work the land and the yields would be collected by the government and redistributed. The government also took control of industries while allowing some small private businesses.
After World War Two the economy of the Soviet Union continued to be a socialist economy that was planned by the government. Heavy industrialization by Joseph Stalin changed the makeup of the Soviet economy. Before World War Two, the main sector of the economy was agriculture and after World War Two, the main sector of the economy was industry. A small service sector accounted for 60% of the gross domestic product. Corruption by the economic planners was widespread as they would report favorable numbers and quotas accomplished in an effort to fool the public into thinking the economy was improving. However, the Soviet Economy was inefficient and was one of the factors that led to the fall of the communist government in 1991. After the fall of communism and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia’s economy was severely affected and the standard of living of the middle class decreased to levels that had not been seen since the Great Depression. Russia’s transition to a free market economy also created high inflation and a contraction of the gross domestic product by 40%. Some of the contraction of the gross domestic product can be attributed to the discontinuation of the defense spending of the communist party. The eliminated wasteful spending may have given a false sense of economic contraction. Privatization of government owned businesses also took place in the transition toward a free market economy. Many government operated industries were sold to private tycoons, including much of the defense and military industry. The mass privatization created a wealth gap between the few tycoons and the large masses of population. Today, much of the wealth is concentrated in the hands of few tycoons.
Conclusion
World War Two had a long lasting effect on Easter Europe. Overall, the quality of life for the population of the countries of Romania, Poland, and the Soviet Union declined. For the social aspect, personal freedoms decreased during communist rule following World War Two. Economically, the populations of these countries were worse off due to the communist government’s taking over of private enterprises. Politically, the basic rights of the people were taken away along with free speech. Any members of the opposition were thrown in prison or killed. It took over 40 years after the end of World War Two for these nations to oust their governments and gain the social, political, and economic freedoms their populations desired.
It can be inferred through the knowledge gained and topics explored in this essay that overall, World War Two had a negative impact and hindered the quality of life for the majority of the people living in Romania, Poland, and the Soviet Union.
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