‘The collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe could not be avoided.” How far do you agree? Explain your answer. [13]

Introduction:
The 1989 Revolutions in Eastern Europe brought the Cold War to an end. This essay will be an attempt to examine the inevitability of the factors causing the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe.

Unavoidable factors:
In order to reduce military expenditure, Gorbachev introduced the so-called Sinatra Doctrine whereby he was willing to allow the Eastern European governments to develop their countries without Soviet interference. This meant that Soviet Union would not be using the Soviet Army to support the communist governments in Eastern Europe. This was also an effective way to improve relations with the West, as the USSR would no longer be seen as an oppressive regime. However, such assurance of non-intervention gave the East European people hope that Soviet intervention that occurred during the 1956 Hungarian Uprising and 1968 Czechoslovakian Crisis would not be repeated. As such, the people began to demand for reforms. The communist governments found themselves severely weakened by the absence of Soviet support and thus, could not stop the people from ousting them from authority. Thus, the fall of communism in Eastern Europe was unavoidable.

The rising nationalist feelings of the Eastern European people were also unavoidable, as it gave the people the urge to be independent of Soviet control. Decades of Soviet control had resulted in much frustration among the people of Eastern Europe, especially with the communist systems that were imposed on them. Given the choice, many people in Eastern Europe would want to break free from Soviet control and set up democratic, capitalist countries, where they were more likely to be freer and more prosperous, just like the Western European countries. Such desires were most evident in East Germany, where the gap between the two Germanies in terms of development was huge. Thus, when the opportunity arose in 1989, most people in the Eastern European countries had no hesitation in supporting an end to the communist systems. The development of nationalist feelings in Eastern Europe could not be avoided.

Avoidable factor:
The introduction of Glasnost and Perestroika meant that there was a great deal of changes in the USSR. These meant that the Eastern European countries could introduce such changes likewise. However, the manner in which these reforms were introduced could be adjusted. Perestroika could have been introduced at a slower pace to allow the people to adjust better. In the same manner, if Glasnost was introduced in a limited form instead of full freedom, the people in Eastern Europe might not be able to organise large-scale protests to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with their respective communist governments. Thus, the communist governments would experience less pressure to step down. Thus, the collapse of communism might not have taken place the way it did.