Chapter 8:
Current and Former
Communist Regimes
Thinking about the Current and
Former Communist Regimes
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Weaknesses of Communist regimes
appeared by 1980s
• States relaxed repressive policies
• Factional disputes divided Chinese
rulers
• Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of
USSR
Thinking about the Current and
Former Communist Regimes
–
Former Communist states declared
themselves democracies
• Transitions very difficult
• Success stories in Poland, Hungary,
and others
– China, Vietnam, North Korea, and Cuba
remained Communist regimes
Thinking about Communism
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Marxist-Leninist Regimes in Eastern Europe and
Asia
Several Marxist-like regimes in North Africa,
Arabia, and South America
The Leninist State
Communist Party controlled all political life
Democratic centralism was regime paradigm
Until 1950s, USSR controlled “Communist
World”
China and USSR split in late ‘50s offered an
alternative model
Thinking about Communism
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Command Economies
– Government owned and controlled nearly
all industrial and retail activity
– State planning committees determined
output and consumption goals
– Benefits of command economies began
diminishing in late ‘80s
Thinking about Communism
•
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Key Questions
What contemporary and historical, domestic and
international forces shaped their development?
How are decisions made in these countries?
What role do average citizens play in policy making?
What are the public policies?
How is political life affected by global forces?
How could regimes that seemed so strong collapse so
quickly?
What have some Communist systems survived?
What are the political implications of economic reform in
countries that have kept Communism and in those that have
abandoned it?
Why are they all facing much more serious domestic and
global challenges than any of the countries covered in Part
2?
Socialism, Marxism, Leninism
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Socialism
– Public ownership of means of
production
– Substantial material equality
– Economic and political democracy
Socialism, Marxism, Leninism
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Marxism
Evolution of society
Dialectics
Historical materialism
Revolution
Socialism, Marxism, Leninism
•
Marxism-Leninism – democratic
centralism
Stalinism - totalitarianism
Expansion
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Third International (Comintern)
Eastern Europe
Asia
Socialism, Marxism, Leninism
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De-Stalinization
– Khrushchev’s “secret speech” (1956)
– Slight loosening of intellectual controls
– Brezhnev era of more control and economic
stagnation
• No longer a unified Communist movement
• Need to change grew at a time leaders
were trying to prevent change
The Marxist-Leninist State
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The Party State
– Secretariat
– Politburo
– nomenklatura
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The Graying of Communism: “thumbs”
and “fingers”
The Crisis of Communism: Suicide
by Public Policy
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Reform: too little, too late
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Glasnost
Democratization of the Party
Perestroika
New thinking in foreign policy
Change and resistance in Eastern
Europe
The Crisis of Communism: Suicide
by Public Policy
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1989: The Year That Changed the World
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Solidarity in Poland
Opening the Iron Curtain in Hungary
Emigration and protest in East Germany
Czechoslovakia’s “Velvet Revolution”
Violent revolution in Romania
Massive protest in Tiananmen Square
The Crisis of Communism: Suicide
by Public Policy
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The Remnants of the Communist World
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A few Parties and governments were willing
to continue to use force
Countries too poor and too closed to outside
influences
Most had been outside Soviet Union’s
sphere of influence for some time
Transitions
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Relative Success: Eastern and Central
Europe
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Relative ethnic homogeneity
Economic progress with reform
Communist leaders made common cause
with opposition (pacting)
Transitions
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Troubled transitions: The former Soviet
Union
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No real shift of power to new leaders
Great problems with corruption
Ethnic conflict
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The former Yugoslavia
Russian war with rebels in Chechnya
Transitions
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What's left of Marxism?
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North Korea and Cuba have maintained
Marxist-Leninist systems
China and Vietnam have reformed
economies
Monopoly power of Communist Parties
remains
Feedback
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Marxist-Leninist regimes controlled all
media
Loosening of controls in 1980s
Radio, satellite television, cell phones,
and the Internet have made controls
much more difficult
Conclusion: The End of the Cold
War important because
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Cold War determined the evolution of
Communist and non-Communist states
Communist past vital to understanding
present of Communist and former
Communist states today
Learning Objectives
After mastering the concepts presented in this chapter, you will be able to:
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Comprehend the development of communist doctrine and ideology in Europe.
•
Differentiate among and define the following: Marxism, Leninism, Stalinism,
Totalitarianism
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Comprehend political and economic doctrines of Karl Marx on communism
and class exploitation.
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Define Marxist theory and explain the following notions and terms: Historical
materialism, Dialectics, Proletarian revolution
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Understand the role of Russian Revolution in 1917 in the development of
communist regimes in Eastern Europe and beyond.
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Comparatively define socialism and communism.
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Understand the notion of totalitarian regime and totalitarian form of
governance.
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Assess major differences between the command and free market economies.
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Comparatively analyze similarities and differences between the USSR and the
People’s Republic of China in managing economy and political process under
communist ideology and party system.
Learning Objectives
After mastering the concepts presented in this chapter, you will be able to:
•
Recognize the role of Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong in the
process of communist state formation and development.
•
Discuss the structure of the Communist Party and government institutions in the
Soviet Union. Define the following terms: Nomenklatura, Central Committee,
Politburo, General Secretary
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Understand the role of Mikhail Gorbachev in the process of party, state and
ideological reformation in the USSR. Define the following terms: Glasnost,
Perestroika
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Recognize factors that contribute to the collapse of communist regimes in Eastern
Europe and the Soviet Union.
•
Identify challenges of post-communist democratization in Eastern Europe.
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Define social and political, including of revolutionary character movements in
Hungary, Romania, Soviet Union, Poland and other countries against communism.
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Recognize the process of the USSR disintegration.
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Discuss the implications of the shock therapy in post-communist countries.
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Identify remaining communist regimes and discuss their political, economic and
social challenges.