Unification of Europe

Wednesday, December 7 2011, 7:03 PM

Unity in Eastern Europe
Nature & Character
1. It was a coerced unity unlike the W European unity which was voluntary.
2. This unity was like making carbon copies of USSR in E Europe. They were all to have same economic
and political system, same education, same five year plans.
3. The bulk of their trade was to be with USSR & their foreign policy and military were to
be controlled from Kremlin.
Evolution
The Molotov Plan of 1947
1. This was in response to the Marshall aid. Since USSR had forbidden the E European countries from
accessing the Marshall aid, it felt it imperative to offer an alternative.
2. This was basically a set of trade agreements which boosted the trade within the communist bloc.
The Communist Information Bureau (COMINFORM)
1. Setup in 1947 only, it aimed at replicating the Soviet style communist politico-economic and
educational system in E Europe.
The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON)
1. Setup in 1949, it aimed at helping the economies of E European states initially.
2. However Khrushchev tried to use it to integrate the economies of entire communist bloc. He wanted E
Germany and Chezchoslovakia to be the industrial hubs and Romania and Hungary to be agriculture
hubs.
3. But protests broke out and he had to abandon this plan.
The Warsaw Pact of 1955
1. This was a military pact and the armies of all the member states came under Soviet control.
2. The only time it was used was ironically against Czechoslovakia in 1968.
NATO
European Community
Foundation
Expansion
EU