Drastic Change in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe

This is the abbreviated phrase which refers to the tremendous events leading to for the change of flags in the Soviet Union and the Eastern Europe countries. This upheaval in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe is a world-wide historical event with great influence that occurred during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The drastic change, i.e., the evolution of the political and economic systems of the numerous socialist countries in Eastern Europe into the Western capitalist system preceded the disintegration of the Soviet Union. In the 1980s, the reforms in the Eastern European countries were faced with difficulties, dilemma and the contradictions in various aspects became increasingly prominent.

In terms of internal factors: in the economic field, Eastern Europe had adopted the highly centralized economic system of the Soviet Union and in a one-sided manner developed the heavy industry, and their reform efforts lacked comprehensiveness, besides people's living standards had dropped significantly. In terms of political factors, the ruling communist parties of Eastern European countries could not establish a unified leadership and commonly agreed basic line due to the misguided orientation of their reform and they faced ideological confusions and organizational splits. At the same time their reforms encountered a "deviation of orientation", especially inspired by the "new thinking" of "humane and democratic socialism" promoted by Mikhail Gorbachev after he came to power in the USSR. In terms of external factors: the "peaceful evolution" strategy pursued by the West succeeded, as well as the political opposition forces cultivated by this western strategy became an important force for the change of their banner, so it can be said that the upheaval occurred in Eastern European was an overall and simultaneous outbreak of a series of contradictions that the countries of Eastern Europe had accumulated for a long time during the Cold War. The upheaval in Eastern Europe was first seen in Poland, and later to Democratic Republic of Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia, Albania and other countries.

The disintegration of the Soviet Union was a step by step shift from gradual evolution to a rapid accelerated collapse. In March 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power. In 1988, at the 19th National Congress of the CPSU, he introduced "humane and democratic socialism" as the goal of the reforms, and launched political reforms marked by "democratization, openness and pluralism”.

The "new political thinking" and "humane democratic socialism" advocated abstract humanitarianism in world affairs and supra-class democracy, which was a complete deviation from the Marxist class analysis method and created ideological confusions and splits within the Party, as well as weakened the leadership of the CPSU, and lost the trust and support of the masses. Following Lithuania Republic’s declaration of independence, the other constituent republics withdrew from the Soviet Union one after another.

On August 24, 1991, Gorbachev resigned from the post of General Secretary of the CPSU and demanded that the CPSU should dissolve itself. But, on December 25, 1991, under the pressure of radical liberal elements Gorbachev was forced to resign as President, and the flag of the Soviet state was lowered from the Kremlin and the U.S.S.R ceased to exist.

The abandonment of the guiding position of Marxism and rejecting the leadership of the Communist Party in building socialism was the direct and fundamental cause for the collapse of the Soviet Union.