1989!

[Filuwaúrdjan]

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/23232

Interesting essay and worth reading.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Good Article.

The social conservatism of the 'really existing socialist' states amuses me when compared to what came after (especially when constrasted with rhetoric from conservatives over here).

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Another good 1989 article I found from Dissent:

See here.

[Silent Hunter]

Good Article.

The social conservatism of the 'really existing socialist' states amuses me when compared to what came after (especially when constrasted with rhetoric from conservatives over here).

Indeed, the Soviet bloc didn't like blue jeans.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Good Article.

The social conservatism of the 'really existing socialist' states amuses me when compared to what came after (especially when constrasted with rhetoric from conservatives over here).

Indeed, the Soviet bloc didn't like blue jeans.

Apparently one of the first things alot of East German men did after the collapse of the wall over in the west was to buy pornography (forbidden in the east)....

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Good Article.

The social conservatism of the 'really existing socialist' states amuses me when compared to what came after (especially when constrasted with rhetoric from conservatives over here).

Indeed, the Soviet bloc didn't like blue jeans.

Apparently one of the first things alot of East German men did after the collapse of the wall over in the west was to buy pornography (forbidden in the east)....

As in Goodbye Lenin.

[The Mikado]

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Loved this paragraph.

[Beet]

So from Gorbachev's perspective, he was just "pulling out" of Eastern Europe as he would have pulled out of Afghanistan or the United States pulled out of Vietnam.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

So from Gorbachev's perspective, he was just "pulling out" of Eastern Europe as he would have pulled out of Afghanistan or the United States pulled out of Vietnam.

Not Really. Gorbachev from what I have read anyway amazingly seems to have thought that Eastern Europe states (really we are only talking about four here - but I digress) could be self-supporting without the Soviet Army in waiting despite the opposition for old Brezhnevite hacks like Erich Honecker who warned him of the dangers. Gorbachev never thought that Marxism-Leninism would collapse in Eastern Europe. All this seems to suggest that politburo were quite ignorant about the places they were meant to be ruling over. (Though now I wait for ag to prove me wrong).