Evaluate the impact of COMECON and the Warsaw Pact on states dominated by the Soviet Union.

The question requires that candidates make an appraisal of the impact of both COMECON and the Warsaw Pact on Eastern Bloc states. Candidates may elect to evaluate the impact of COMECON and the Warsaw Pact separately, alternatively, they may examine the combined impact of COMECON and the Warsaw Pact on individual states. There may be an assessment of the levels of control from Moscow and to what extent this control had an impact on the policies of governments. The impact of COMECON may be examined in terms of the structure of the economies in member states and the extent to which they were linked to the Soviet economy or could trade with the West. The impact of the Warsaw Pact may be discussed in terms of how it was used to maintain the ’buffer zone’ (Hungary, Czechoslovakia) and support the Brezhnev Doctrine. The presence of Soviet troops for “military planning” ensured Soviet domination of governments.