events had been set in motion and could not be stopped now.
On the 8th of December 1991 Yelstin, along with the Beloruissian and
Ukraine leaders issued a statement which declared the end of the USSR. They
offered a ?Commonwealth of Independent States? in return and invited other
countries to join. (51) Gorbachev protested at first but then bowed to the
inevitable. Communism in Eastern Europe had collapsed. On the 25th of
December 1991, he tendered his resignation as president of the USSR and the
communist flag was lowered from the Kremlin dome to be replaced by the
Russian tricolour. (52)
Communism in Eastern Europe, therefore, collapsed for a number of reasons.
It had no political basis or popular support. It was riddled with economic
problems and, in comparison to capitalism, was a complete failure. Finally
the Gorbachev factor and the loss of elitist party confidence fanned the
flames and destroyed communism. Communism broke down because of fatal
weaknesses built into the system from its inception. It is in a human?s
nature to aim for success and prosperity. Communism denies the competitive
trait which is inherent in all humans. Communism was rejected because it is
not as good as alternative systems of satisfying humans material wants.
Communism also is at odds with the other most basic instinct which a human
has, that is, the desire for freedom. Communism, in practice, denied the
expression of civil liberties, opinions and thought. It was also a forced
rule which was only enforced by terror, not acceptance or majority ruling.
Such a regime could only hope to last for a certain period, never
indefinitely. Gorbachev?s reforms were merely the catalyst for this
failure. Gorbachev wished to reform the system, not destroy it, but the
situation rapidly went out of control as years of pent-up frustration and
antipathy toward the communist regime was finally given expression.
Can we therefore validate the quotation by Rogers which was made at the
start of this essay? This essay would argue yes. A regime which is
inherently against human nature can never hope to succeed. It is human to
want what we cannot have and to be denied it, as with prohibition, makes us
all the more determined and curious to achieve that which is forbidden. The
same can be said to be true for communism. Therefore this essay would
conclude that although there were a number of external contributory
influence to the collapse of communism, communism as an ideal cannot hope
to survive for long in anything more than a theoretical sense, as it is
inherently contrary to the basic drives of human nature.
FOOTNOTES
(1) Various Inputs, Chronicle of the 20th Century Quotations (Guinness
Publishing Ltd., 1996) page 36
(2) Various Inputs, World Book Encyclopaedias (World Book Inc., 1984) page
727
(3) Kehoe, A.M, Makers of 20th Century Europe (Mentor Publications Ltd.,
1988) page 25
(4) Ibid., page 32
(5) Ibid.
(6) Ibid., page 33
(7) Ibid., page 40
(8) O? Brien, Eileen, Modern Europe 1870-1966 (Mentor Publications Ltd.,
1995) page 231
(9) Kehoe, A.M, op cit., page 50
(10) Ibid.
(11) Ibid.
(12) Ibid.
(13) Ibid., page 52
(14) Ibid.
(15) Various Inputs, op cit. (1984) page 618b
(16) Ibid., page 618a
(17) Ibid., page 618b
(18) Ibid.
(19) Ibid.
(20) Kehoe, A.M, op cit. page 13
(21) Ibid.
(22) Ibid., page 55
(23) Ibid.
(24) Various Inputs, op cit. (1996) page 142
(25) Sakwa, Richard, Gorbachev and his Reforms 1985-1990 (Philip Allan,
1990) page 271
(26) Ibid.
(27) Ibid., page 272
(28) Ibid.
(29) Ibid.
(30) Ibid.
(31) Ibid., page 281
(32) Hosking, Geoffrey, A History of the Soviet Union (Fontana Press,
1992) page 213
(33) Ibid., page 215
(34) Ibid., page 218
(35) Ibid., page 228
(36) Ibid., page 235
(37) Ibid., page 245
(38) Ibid.
(39) Ibid.
(40) Ibid.
(41) Ibid., page 466
(42) Ibid.
(43) Ibid.
(44) Ibid.
(45) Ibid., page 468
(46) Novikov, Euvgeny & Bascio, Patrick, Gorbachev and the Collapse of the
Soviet Communist Party (Peter Lang Publishing Inc., 1994) page 68
(47) Hosking, Geoffrey, op cit. page 494
(48) Ibid., page 495
(49) Ibid.
(50) Ibid., page 497
(51) Ibid., page 498
(52) Ibid.
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