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Brezhnev Doctrine
The Brezhnev Doctrine was the Soviet policy (articulated after the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia) asserting Moscow's right to intervene militarily in any socialist state where socialism was deemed under threat. It effectively limited the sovereignty of all Warsaw Pact members until renounced by Gorbachev in 1988.
Brezhnev Doctrine
Soviet foreign policy doctrine (from 1968) asserting the right to intervene militarily in any socialist state where socialism was threatened. Used to justify the invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968) and later Afghanistan (1979).
Ethnic cleansing
The forced removal, deportation, or killing of an ethnic or religious group from a territory to create an ethnically homogeneous region. It became a defining and horrifying feature of the Yugoslav Wars (1991-2001), particularly in Bosnia.
Martial law
Temporary military control of government due to crisis.
Nationalization
When a government takes control of private industries or property, usually to strengthen national sovereignty.
Perestroika
Economic reform policy designed to restructure the Soviet economy by introducing market-like changes.
Shock therapy
A rapid economic transition strategy adopted by some post-communist states in the 1990s, involving immediate privatisation, price liberalisation, and removal of trade barriers, often causing short-term hardship.
Sinatra Doctrine
The informal name for Gorbachev's policy of allowing Eastern European states to determine their own political direction without Soviet military intervention. It replaced the Brezhnev Doctrine and was named after Frank Sinatra's song "My Way".
Solidarity
An independent trade union founded in Poland in 1980 under Lech Walesa. It was the first free trade union in a Soviet-bloc country and became a mass social movement that challenged communist rule.