THE FAILED PROMISES OF COMMUNISM - Pt 1 of 5 (Augustus Classic)

• Report rights infringement
• published: 20 May 2010
• views: 14696

THE FAILED PROMISES OF COMMUNISM: This video was made in connection with the Revolutions of 1989 (also known as the Fall of Communism, the Collapse of Communism, the Revolutions of Eastern Europe and the Autumn of Nations) are the revolutions which overthrew Soviet-style communist states in Eastern-bloc European countries. The events began in Poland, and continued in Hungary, East Germany, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and Romania. Romania was the only Eastern-bloc country to overthrow its communist regime violently. The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 failed to stimulate major political changes in China, however powerful images of courageous defiance during that protest helped to spark a precipitation of events in other parts of the globe. Albania and Yugoslavia abandoned communism between 1990 and 1991, the latter splitting into five successor states by 1992: Slovenia, Croatia, Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (comprising Serbia and Montenegro). The Soviet Union was dissolved by the end of 1991, resulting in Russia and 14 new nations that declared their independence from the Soviet Union: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The impact was felt in dozens of socialist countries. Socialism was abandoned in countries such as Cambodia, Ethiopia, and Mongolia. The collapse of communism led commentators to declare the end of Cold War. The adoption of varying forms of market economy generally resulted in rising living standards in post-Communist States, together with side effects including the rise of business oligarchs in countries such as Russia, and disproportional social and economic development. Political reforms were varied; in many countries communist institutions were able to keep themselves in power, such as the People's Republic of China, while for other states various emerging political parties succeeded. Many communist and socialist organisations in the West turned their guiding principles over to social democracy. The European political landscape was drastically changed, with numerous Eastern Bloc countries joining NATO and stronger European economic and social integration entailed. Furthermore, continued economic reforms in the People's Republic of China also began the country's rise as a global economic powerhouse