In moments of initial change in political power, people rise against their current authorities in order to achieve social justice and reformation. Such movements are created in instances of despair, moments of hopelessness, and suppression of basic human rights. From the French Revolution to the Velvet Revolutions in Eastern Europe, a people’s revolution has proven to be a very effective means of protest against an absolute government. When the communist in Eastern Europe came and took over, all rights and personal freedom of expression were abolished. Such leadership lead to revolutionary movements that helped shape what is now a Democratic Eastern Europe. With this said, the people of the east are the main heroes of the end of the Communist regime in Eastern Europe as their determination proved to be an underestimated factor to not only the Soviet Union but history itself. In this paper, I will analyze the reason why the people of Eastern Europe had a bigger role in their independence than given credit for as their pursuit for a democratic nation through a people’s revolution has proved to be effective.
In the beginning, the idea of Communism was created in a time which the world was turning to capitalism as the Industrial Revolution launched a dramatic change in the global market. Suddenly, countries like Great Britain and the United States were becoming wealthier as production was able to be done at a faster rate. As a result, the Industrial Revolution resulted in the creation of two new classes, the Bourgeoisie and the Proliferate. The Bourgeoisie were known as the “middle class”, owners of businesses and factories who controlled productive property. The Proletariat on the other hand, were the workers behind the produced goods for the Bourgeoisie through their hard labor. The Proletariat were initially exploited by the Bourgeoisie as they paid the Proletariat less than the value of what they produced. This ultimately caused tension within both groups as the Bourgeoisie were abusing the Proliferate in terms of wages, safety, and social respect to gain further profit. Consequently, The Communist Manifesto was created by Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx to end such class distinctions due to this pressure. In Brown’s “The Rise and Fall of Communism,” he states that, “a new society would exist only in an international movement dedicated to the overthrow of capitalist systems and to the new society which would exist only in the future when Marx’s higher stage of socialism had been reached”. Communism was based on the ideas of a new social inequality in which would create a classless society. Socialism was the key goal for the moment, than Communism was the overall goal.
Furthermore, as time changed, Governments started to use communism to their own advantage to emplace totalitarian regimes. Communism is often linked to totalitarianism as the idea of communism lets the government have complete control, which eventually turns into a dictatorship as leaders and parties wish to keep this control at all means possible. Within this system, the Communist Party members operate as the head of state, undermining any other political party. According to Brown, “In parties, Communist parties, in most states which came under communism can not rely on free elections”. Consequently, this resulted in lack of open political debate, which prompted many to view communist states as dictatorships.
For example, in the case of Poland, there was discontent with the political situation and poor living standards. Workers revolted against wage cuts, but were suppressed by force. However, the events only resulted in reformist to further protest with the help of the Catholic Church. Later on, the revolution in Poland based itself though the attempt to get free elections in Poland as they saw this as the only means of taking back their government. Ever since WWII, Poland fell into Soviet control as their elections of 1947 were rigged. The people called for participation in their own elections, without the fear of having anyone tamper with their democracy. Overall, the Solidarity ended up winning. After the election, the government was guided through Solidarity’s clear endorsement, which would push through the painful measures of austerity and reconstructing which would accompany any serious programme of economic reform.
No doubt, the people were not satisfied with foreign interference. The country was stifled by a lack of freedom, and the public soon wanted to break the stranglehold of a system that had been built under Stalin. Communist rule had brought oppression and economic ruin to the country, which lead to mass poverty and injustice. Individuals were not allowed to do anything that would contradict communist rule. In a communist society, the government has the power to dictate and run the lives of people. The main goal is supported with the ideology of equality, but the true reality was that there is less or no personal freedom at all, which makes it impossible to demand for changes. Moreover, there is no freedom of speech and whoever went against the government could be subjected to punishments. Under communism, those who did not obey were subjected to imprisonment and execution, but that didn't stop people from rebelling. According to Kundera, “The identity of a people and of a civilization is reflected and concentrated in what has been created by the mind—in what is known as "culture." If this identity is threatened with extinction, cultural life grows correspondingly more intense, more important, until culture itself becomes the living value around which all people rally”.
In the case of Hungary, Imre Nagy took a more liberal approach as he replaced Stalinist leader Rakosi. However, he was soon ousted from the government for his “liberal” perspective. This lead to growing discontent of the public, especially students. The USSR was forced to reappoint Nagy, but were unsure of him restoring order. Overall, Nagy’s allegiance was with the revolutionaries, which soon lead to violence with Soviet troops entering Budapest. Nagy declared himself as the head of the resistance movement, and proudly proclaimed Hungary’s withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact. Such actions inspired and strengthened the very idea of a revolution, which is why his assassination and reburial by the Soviets became an important message for the revolution. Hungarians mourned his death which became a source of revival of resistance thinkings. During his funeral, Timothy Garton Ash recounts “funeral music sounds from loudspeakers as people queue under the burning sun to lay flowers in tribute to their martyrs”. In the long run, years later the opposition forces demanded and fought the government for the chance of having round table discussions, which aimed for reform and independence. For example, Swan states that “communist power was negotiated away in 1989, in both Poland and Hungary, behind closed doors, but with the help of the general public”.
Furthermore, in the case of Czechoslovakia like Hungary, Stalinist leaders were slowly being replaced with more liberal ones like Alexander Dubcek. Dubcek aimed to secure Czechoslovakia freedom from censorship, implicate economic reform, emplace restrictions on secret police, and etc known as the Prague Spring. The Prague Spring was essentially a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia. This however, did not go well with the Soviet Union as they sent the entire Warsaw Pact to restore order. The Brezhnev Doctrine was published to justify such intervention as it called for intervention through the use of the Warsaw Pact troops to any Eastern Bloc nation if it seemed to become compromise from communist rule. Overall, Czechoslovakia’s revolution was driven by the power of intellectuals and authors who exposed and spread the image of communism’s true colors through publications of books and peace movements. Czec
hoslovakia’s revolution was less violent as intellectuals saw the tradition revolution approach as “bloody and self-destructive”. But such demonstration were just as effective as student demonstrations continued on till the independence of Czechoslovakia.
Strangely enough, many can argue that Gorbachev’s policies, Perestroika and Glasnost, or even the economic decline of the Soviet Union is what really caused the end of communism within Eastern Europe, but that would be an overstatement. It is true that Gorbachev's Glasnost and Perestroika did make revolution easier, as the glasnost finally gave people a chance to speak out about their worries without fear and Perestroika reconstructed the current political and economic system emplaced. But the fact is that such policies were passed for a reason. The only reason Gorbachev passed such policies were from the pressure that the Soviet Union had been receiving from the people over the years. Gorbachev, unlike Stalin, saw the flaws in Stalin's policies and simply established these new policies to seek restoration in the economy and the trust of the general public. The people had been rebelling long before Gorbachev even took power, and continued till they got want they wanted.
In conclusion, the power of a people’s revolution is the main reason for the fall of communism within Eastern Europe. Without the massive collaboration of the resistance movements, nothing would have been accomplished. In order to obtain a sense of change or reform, something or someone has to inflict opposition and leadership towards the oppressor or ideology itself. Change does not happen overnight. Change takes time and dedication towards the given goal. A people’s revolution has proven to be a very effective means of protest against an absolute government because without people, there would be no government. In a democratic society, the people elect their representatives not the other way around. Revolution within Eastern Europe was based on the frustration of seeing one’s own government working against itself. Communism in paper seemed like the perfect alternative after Eastern Europe’s economic and physical status after WWII. But the reality was that the communist approach towards keeping power within its territory was to strip away culture, government, and the way of life of its inhabitants. The people’s only choice was to fight back through means of resistance. Whether it was the Polish, Hungarians, or Czechoslovakians, they all fought through means of protest and perseverance. Revolution did not take one attempt, it took several before it became effective. But overall, that is how revolutions work in the long run. When one attempt ends in failure, the next attempts just gets stronger and stronger. To say that the people of Eastern Europe had a small role in their own independence is simply an understatement.