A History of Europe's Resistance of Soviet Presence

Soviet presence has been resisted by the Eastern European states since immediate post WWII through strikes and demonstrations such as those in East Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. A weak socialist economy, strict control of daily life, and ardent nationalism fed by animosity towards Soviet policies contributed to friction among Soviet power and Eastern European countries.

In post war USSR, the government's top priority was the mass production of military armament, leaving little funds for industrialization and much less for agricultural and social developments. Subsequently, money was taken from areas where it was needed to aid military weaponry growth; causing a production quota increase for workers building East Berlin's new boulevard. The work demand was greater, but the pay remained the same, causing demonstrations in East Germany in 1953. Soviet tanks crushed the uprising, killing 125 people.

When Khrushchev forced Hungarian Communist leader Rakosi to resign, Hungarians became apprehensive expecting more rights; rights which they ended up not getting. Driven by self-determination, Hungarians in 1956 rose up against the Soviet-influenced government demanding personal freedom, the removal of secret police, more food (caused by poor Russian agriculture and sole focus on weapon production), and the general removal of Soviet control. Nagy was proclaimed prime minister and when he attempted to remove Hungary from the Warsaw Pact, chaos broke out and the Red Army invaded Hungary. 50,000 demonstrators and troops were killed.

The Soviet state did not meet the simple needs of the Czechoslovakian people due to priorities within Russia such as focus on the manufacturing of weaponry, neglecting agricultural production triggering famine and hunger in the USSR. In 1968, the Czechoslovakian Communist regime was attempted to be reformed by Dubcek. Soon, Soviet tanks invaded Czechoslovakia and crushed the demonstration.