You are on page 1of 7

1989: Revolution, Transition and Political Change.

The Post-Communist
Transformation in Eastern Europe

Organizers: Department of History of Eastern Europe at the Eötvös Loránd University in


Budapest – Terra Recognita Foundation
Venue: Eötvös Loránd University, The Faculty board room (Kari Tanácsterem)
1088 Budapest, Múzeum krt. 4/A Hungary
Date: 5th July 2009, 10.00–18.00

Mihály Madarász: Dissolution of Soviet Union and oil extraction

In my lecture I would like to focus on the economic historical analysis of the soviet regime
dissolution and finding the answers to main question – which economical and structural
circumstances occurred in 80’s in Soviet Union which drove this regime into collapse. I am
trying to analyze the great and long depression of soviet oil extraction from the beginning of
1980. And at the same time try to find out which exact economical parameter made Soviet
Union to be apart in this decade. The analysis end point is 1998 which was a plateau in
development of extraction. My goals int he presentation: Cycle theories and commodity
markets. The cycle theory and its effect to the soviet oil extraction. The world price of oil int
he past and its effect to the soviet oil prices. Trend int he commodity markets in 1980’s int he
world and int he Soviet Union. Price decline between the commodities and its effect to the
soviet prices. Chronology of dissolution in soviet economic How could determinate the
changing of oil prices in 1980’s in the soviet policy toward to the satellite countries.

Mihály Gruber: The main points of the Soviet-Russian systemic change

I would like to explain the Soviet-Russian systemic change in my lecture. By the


determination of the main events and processes, I will give the answer for the questions
below: What are the consequences of the collapsed perestroika? How was happened the
privatization? What’s the foreign capital role in Russia? What’s the characteristic of the
Yeltsinism? What’s the importance of the Russian White House siege? The questions of
general are Lebegy political importance. By the answers given for questions, we can compare

1
(see the differences and the similes) with other systemic changes in Eastern Europe at that
time.

András Radvánszky: Belarus or Belorussia: The historical roots and possible causes of
an unfinished transition

The aim of this essay to analyze the historical and political occurrences of Belarus, this ex-
soviet landlocked country of 10 million people lying between Russia and the extended
European Union, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. On closer examination of this period
considering the relations among the ex-soviet states one can observe that Belarus has been
omitted from the researches up to now. In this essay the author would like to examine the
history of this east European country before and during the so-called perestroika and after
1991 including the different internal situations and diplomatic relations of Belarus and the
inherited political-economical conditions of the disappeared Soviet Union. Next to the
historical and economical roots we should also pay attention to the psychological motives and
causes which have led to a tight and interweaved relations with Moscow in the time of the
renascent east European nationalism.

Zsolt Szilágyi: Impact of Social and Economical Changes on Politics. Mongolia in the
Post-Soviet Period

Political and economical transformation of Mongolia is connected in several points to the East
European transitions. It is in connection with the democratic process of the Soviet Union
started in the middle of the 80ies and it was parallel with the East European events.
Besides these similarities the main difference was that Mongolia was the most vulnerable to
the COMECON and the Soviet Union. At the same time the North neighbor helped Mongolia
to reach independency in 1946 against China.
After the 70ies Mongolia got more and more economical support from the countries of the
Eastern-block. 92% of Mongolian export was directed toward the COMECON countries, and
80% toward the Soviet Union. Though there had started a partial modernization at that time
but it had weak effect. Main part of the population remained by the nomadic lifestyle.
Affectivity and productivity of the minor industrial centers was not satisfying. The democratic
process after 1990 gave a great chance for political, economical and social changes, but the
problems are not solved even until our days.

2
Events of the Mongolian transition are well documented, but the economical and social
effects are not sufficiently analyzed, although these effects can basically influence the
political stability of the country. The unsuccessful privatization and the tension in the aparted
Mongolian society were the reasons of the political events after the 2008 election. In the last
two decade after the transition there is still no economical and political consensus. The
modernization and the privatization generated a conflict into the Mongolian society, which is
one of the obstacles of the political stability.

Gábor Kiss: Military transformation in Eastern Europe

After 1989 the armies of East European countries were simultaneously characterized by
similarities coming from the former Warsaw Pact membership as well as by differences.
There were resemblances in the applied military tools and training methods and also int he
mass army feature etc. Differences meant historical traditions and different political interests.
Disarmament, similarly to the process in Western European countries continued in the Eastern
European region as well. The new structures were determined by the following factors:
disarmament talks in Vienna, the speed of withdrawal of the Soviet troops, the relationship
between united Germany and its neighbouring countries and the bad financial conditions that
could be expected. The question of neutrality was considered in several countries of the
region. The idea of forming an alliance or alliances of East European countries arose as well.
Some of them (for example the case of „Vishegrad countries” – the Czech Republic, Slovakia,
Poland and Hungary) still run today with changing intensity. Eventually the NATO
membership proved to be a defenuining factor for these countries.
In Eastern Europe the announcement that the Soviet troops placed nuclear weapons in the
countries of the region brought about a negative response from society. In my opinion this
was not so surprising for the soldiers. The cause of the heated reaction of society was that for
decades it had hardly ever been informed about questions connected with the army.

Miklós Mitrovits: From the Theory of the Self-governing socialism to the Capitalism in
Poland

3
The Polish „Solidarity” was the largest independent self-governing mass movement in the
Eastern European region, which after the transition fell apart.
The study is seeking to answer the question; how could pure market capitalism get established
also in Poland, which is fully in contradiction with the „Solidarity” self-governing socialism
theory? What was the reason for that such a large mass movement could disappear under the
new circumstances?
The Polish opposition activists (Kuroń, Modzelewski, Kołakowski, Brus, Michnik) wanted to
establish a „self-governing socialism” together with the working class from the middle of the
1960’s. In the years 1980-81 this was also established for a short period during the
„Solidarity”. After introduction of the Martial law, due to the world economic system, the
indebtedness of the socialist economics and the pressure of the international financial
institutes it was impossible to resolve the crisis in a „socialist way”. In addition to this the
revolutionary changes within the industry scattered the classical working class, which was the
basis of the „Solidarity”.
The author is striving to answer these questions based on archive documentation, while
comparing the Polish events with the Hungarian. According to the author it is important to
analyze the role of historical traditions and the transformation of the world economic system
at the same time. This shows the specialties and resemblances of the countries in the Central
Eastern European region.

Jordan Miczov: Political Changes and the National Question during the Transition in
Bulgaria

In Bulgaria the years of transition between 1989 and 1991 showed a lot of analogous features
with the political, economical and social changes in the other East European countries.
However, there were some elements specific to Bulgaria only (or even to some extent to
Romania if we try to describe the common features of the transition in the Soviet satellite
countries in the Balkans), deeply rooted in the post 1878 - the date of liberation from Turkish
rule - history of the country: inefficient peripheral modernization that preserved the under
developed forms of capitalism and the prevailing traditional agrarian society in the pre-1944
era. The weak democratic political traditions of that time were almost fully suppressed and
destroyed during the era of State Socialism. These factors, combined with external political
influences, had a great effect on the course of the events during the transition.

4
These problems were aggravated by the national question (building of the national state,
nationalistic aspirations towards Macedonia) and the ethnic conflicts (between Christian
Bulgarians and Moslem Turks, majority versus minority). Although the ruling Bulgarian
Communist Party avowed a really internationalist Marxist-Leninist ideology, it usually
pursued nationalistic policy in the ethnic question. This policy culminated in the compulsory
Bulgarization of the family names of the Turkish minority in the mid and late 1980’s. The
evolution of the ethnic problem during the transition was also very specific to Bulgarian
circumstances.

György Lukács B.: Characteristics of Slovenian Transition

In my study I am about to present the main points of the process of transition, the changes in
the Slovenian political system. I would like to describe the way Slovenian transition effected
the development of this small, but prosperous country. There are many interesting questions:
How could Slovenian economy get on after losing the common Yugoslavian market? What
made Slovenia the most successful country in post-communist part of Europe? What is the
explanation for that? Is it a result of special way of transition? I want to find an answer to all
these questions, focusing on special characteristics of Slovenian transition.

Mátyás Binder: The Image of the Roma and its Transformation during the Regime
Change in Slovakia and Hungary

The majority societies usually see the Roma as a homogeneous ethnic group with permanent
attributes, predominantly characterized by a marginal social status and different ethnic
stereotypes. The prevailing image of the Roma has always been a great influence on the Roma
politics of the government in power.
In my essay I will attempt to demonstrate how this image transformed during the regime
change in two East European countries: Slovakia and Hungary.
Opinions concerning the Roma were basically formed by two factors and their further
influences: the transformation of the legitimacy ideology of the state and socio-economic

5
changes. The established “Gypsy Image” consists of these processes along with inherited
stereotypes, and this is a serious obstacle in the integration of the Roma.

László Nagy: Transition in Croatia and Resurgence of the Extreme Rightist Ideology

In my study I would like to analyze the transition in Croatia and the influence of the Croatian
extreme right. During the era of state-Socialism Ustasha ideology existed as a subculture only
in the emigration (and in a very infinitesimal measure in Croatia). After the transition,
elements of this subculture penetrated into the public opinion. The ethnic conflicts, which
remained unsolved in post-Second World War Yugoslavia, often led to antagonism - or even
hostilities – and identity crisis during the stormy months of the transition. The reflex of
scapegoat-making began at the dissolution of Yugoslavia and this determined the
interpretation of state-Socialism. The new elites searched for a source of legitimacy and it was
found in the rightist politics between the two world wars and in the heritage of Roman
Catholic Church.

Csaba Zahorán: The Transition in the Szeklerland. The Ethnic Dimension of the
Romanian Transition

After the fall of Nicolae Ceauşescu in the last days of 1989, the Hungarian minority in
Romania hoped that the dictator’s national-communism would be buried as well. The
Hungarians in Szeklerland – a Romanian region with Hungarian (Szekler) majority – aimed to
find redress for their grievances and to change the ethnocratic regime which had been
installed in the last period of the Ceauşescu-rule. However in the circumstances of the
Romanian transition full of contradictions and roundabouts, it appeared to be a long and hard
road.
The study tries to examine the process of breaking down the old structures and their
replacement with new ones in the Szekler counties, which reflect the democratic principles
and the real national conditions of this predominantly Hungarian region. Study mainly reflects
on relations between the local Romanian minority and Hungarian (majority) population and
the ethnical conflicts of the period of transition, which – with the exception of the clashes in
Târgu Mureş in 1990 – lacked violence and stayed within the frames of politics. An important
issue is the possibility of a violent ethnic conflict in Romania and how it got avoided, while in
Romania’s neighborhood (Yugoslavia, Moldavia) a series of civil wars broke out.

6
7

You might also like