Collapse of Communist rule Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Collapse of Communist rule - Essay Example Over the years, Communism had slowly eroded away the feeling of security and freedom that many citizens in countries such as Poland, Hungry, and Bulgaria craved. The world was a different place and the countries of Eastern Europe wanted to become a more integral part of the global community (Devinatz 318). This did all come to a head in 1989 as Communism as we knew it quite simply, and quickly, collapsed. Interestingly enough, the change that came to Eastern Europe had its foundation in various sectors of society that wanted a new form of government. Change began to happen from the inside out as members of different political ideologies began to become influential in the state. In Poland, for example, the free trade union Solidarity movement in the late 80s began to receive massive support from the Polish people. By June 1989, they had take control of the Senate, leading to a non-Communist Prime Minister. This contributed to the eventual collapse of Communism from within, leading to a near domino effect as the wave of anti-Communist sentiment flowed into Bulgaria and Hungry. It would only be a matter of trim before that Iron Curtain fell once and for all, and its effects were almost immediately felt in German and the Soviet Union. Reunification of Germany One of the factors leading to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall can actually be attributed back to the changing society in Eastern Europe. East German citizens began to realize that their freedoms had been squashed under Communism, and their spirits rose when they witnessed what was happening in the nearby countries of Poland, Bulgaria, and Hungry. As history tells us, demonstrations began to occur throughout East German society, the largest of which occurred when Mikhail Gorbahew visited Berlin in October 1989. Citizens from all over the region were demonstrating for the rights to be a free populace and to be rid of Communism. Gorbadhev himself, quite surprisingly to some, warned Communist leaders at the ti me that it appeared a near revolution was at hand and that they needed to listen to the cries of the people. This was the true reality of what lead to East German reunification with Germany. For one of the first times in Communist history, the leaders began to heed the cries of their people. The protests began to grown in number and by November of 1989, East Germans were actually permitted to freely cross into West German, leading to the destruction of the Berlin Wall that had long divided the two countries. End of the Soviet Union By 1991, the block of republics comprising the Soviet Union was the last remaining bastion of Communist Rule in the region. In the case of the Soviet Union, it can be seen that t was growing increasingly difficult to properly care for and maintain such a massive regime that had been built over the years in the 13 various states comprising the former Soviet Union. The truth is that there are numerous factors, many dating back to the days of the Cole War, t hat contributed to the eventual collapse of the entire system, and the eventual granting of independence to the various countries comprising the Commonwealth of Independent States. The reality was that it was certainly too large of an undertaking to create a truly centralized and unified state that