The Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe

The Collapse of Communism in Eastern EuropeCommunism is like Prohibition - it's a good idea but it won't work"(Will Rogers, 1927) (1)This essay will give a brief introduction to communism. It will thendiscuss the various factors which combined to bring about the collapse ofCommunism in Eastern Europe. It will examine each of these factors andevaluate the effect of each. Finally it will attempt to assertain whetherRogers' opinion (see above quotation) on Communism is true, that is,whether communism was truly doomed to fail from the start, or whether itscollapse was a result of external influences.Communism is based on the ideas and teachings of Karl Marx as modified byLenin. At its most basic, the ideal of communism is a system in whicheveryone is seen as equal and wealth is distributed equally among thepeople. There is no private ownership. The state owns and controls allenterprises and property. The state is run by one leading elite. The Sovietmodel of communism was based on these ideals. All opposition parties werebanned although parties who were sympathetic to communism and who sharedthe communist ideals were allowed. All power was concentrated into thehands of the Communist party. Free press and civil liberties weresuppressed. Censorship and propaganda were widely used. There was stateownership of the economy. No private enterprise was allowed. There was acollectivisation of agriculture. The Communist Party invaded and controlledevery aspect of political, social, cultural and economic life. It was atotalitarian state with complete Communist control over all facets of life.In the early years, and up until Gorbachev's "new regime", the use of forceand terror as a means of maintaining control was widespread. The first factor which contributed to the failure and eventual collapse ofcommunism was the fact that the Communist party's domination wasillegitimate from the beginning. Lenin came to power after a bloody CivilWar between those who supported Lenin and those...