Crippled economies and suspicion of democracy. Are these the fertile soils that could witness Eastern Europe return to Communism?
In freezing December conditions shoppers weave and interlace through the streets and heavy traffic of downtown Bucharest, Romania. The hubbub and buzz of Christmas shopping in the capital city represents a symbol of capitalism; the bright lights promising a cheerful future.
But Christmas also embodies a past that many Romanians haven’t been able to reconcile. On Christmas day 1989, Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena – the long-time dictators of Romania – were executed by firing squad live on television after a show trial lasting 1 hour. Having ruled for more than a quarter of a century by force, violence and oppression, many Romanians were content with these live executions. Most hoped their deaths would herald a new beginning, soothing their animosity and disdain for the tyrants. In a way that has what has happened! Romania is now a stable democracy and member of the European Union. But, Ceausescu’s legacy has cast a shadow over the country. Romania remains one of the poorest countries in the EU and has witnessed 4 million people leave in search of a better life. Poverty in rural areas is vast and corruption is widespread. Many Romanians are unsatisfied by the political climate, and extensive anti-government protests occur across the country regularly.
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Anti-Communist Sentiment
Resentment for Romania’s last Communist oppressor is still palpable. Retired Gen. Andrei Kemenici jokes with a visitor to his small home some 50 miles northwest of Bucharest. But the 78 year-old’s smile evaporates as he is reminded of Ceausescu’s legacy:
“I, like the rest of the army, was sick of him,” Kemenici explains. “He was always taking from the Romanian people and wouldn’t offer anything in return. … That’s why we had it so bad.“
He adds:
“Among all the communist countries — Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Poland — we had it the worst, except maybe Russia,” (1)
I was thus astonished that a young restaurant worker in Bucharest’s bustling Old Town conveyed to me her fondness for the ‘good ole days’. Having expressed support for a regime deposed long before she was born, and one so reviled at the time, was baffling. “At least everyone had jobs” she explained, placing my Sarmale (Cabbage Rolls) on my table. The hard left had witnessed a revival in my own country, the UK in recent years. Fervour in Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party led to a revival of a creed many thought had long been rejected. But a revival of a dogma responsible for the multiple genocides of its own people left me confounded! Her response was a concern for low wages and lack of work. “There’s no jobs for young people” she explained. These reasons underpinned her enthusiasm for socialism and a sentiment that hoped Eastern Europe would return to Communism.
Is Communism on the Rise in Eastern Europe?
I recall a vivid discussion with a Polish woman in London a couple of years ago as she vented her dismay at the education practices of Polish education institutions, having recently completed her college education.
Depicted in secondary education text-books were bread lines in Warsaw during the Communist era. The conclusion as conveyed by the teacher? The bread must have been exceptionally good quality! Never did the school books explain that bread lines represented a lack of food, and that the queue was in desperation to acquire something to eat. I forget the woman’s name, but I nonetheless cannot forget her dismay at how Polish teachers divulge Communism.
In recent years there has certainly been an increase of nostalgia for Communism among many East Europeans. The longing has been spearheaded by the young. But should we be surprised? Younger people across Europe, not just eastern countries, are suffering from a lack of economic stimulus; they endure long-term unemployment and when jobs become available they are often low paid jobs in the service sector. In contrast older generations recall the hardship and destitution that Communism bestowed. From Cuba to the Soviet Union, Mao’s China or present day Venezuela, life under a Communist regime is horrendous; economic stagnation, starvation, authoritarian government and people risking their lives to flee.
Nonetheless young east Europeans still commit to what many agree is a decadent ideology. According to Open Democracy:
“many Romanians remain nostalgic for communism, over two decades after dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was overthrown. The INSCOP Research poll revealed that 44.4 percent of the respondents believed that living conditions were better under communism, 15.6 said that they had stayed the same, while only 33.6 claimed that life was worse back then. When asked about dictator Ceausescu, 47.5 of the respondents claimed that he had a relatively positive role in Romania’s recent history, while 46.9 said that his role was rather negative. The recent poll was conducted between November 7 and 14, 2014, on a sample of 1,055 participants, with a 3 percent margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level.” (2)
This survey seems to represent a collective amnesia in Eastern Europe on the past role of Communism. But one interesting tenet is age-based attitudes; namely that older generations oppose a return to Communism while younger people embrace it. Historians argue that some of Ceausescu’s achievements, such as the construction of a metro system in Bucharest, new road infrastructure and factories throughout the country help to cement a positive legacy. Furthermore everybody was assigned a workplace and was entitled to an annual vacation. Nowadays jobs are scarce and many younger people feel it necessary to seek employment abroad.
The Future?
It’s unlikely counties of eastern Europe will return to Communism any time soon (in fact western Europe is more likely follow that path) but the pandemic of 2020 will surely exacerbate poverty and increase anxiety of the future. Such uncertain conditions could provide fertile ground for radical politics to flourish.
While democracy has unleashed new hope for many in the eastern bloc, it’s clear that unless economic prosperity is accomplished – even partially – many younger people may be tempted by the aphorism of Communist theory. Before the 2020 pandemic a survey revealed that while many were content with the market economy and democracy, this view was not homogeneous. According to the Guardian newspaper:
“Up to 85% of people approved of the shift in Poland, eastern Germany and the Czech Republic, for example, but fewer than 55% did so in Bulgaria, Ukraine and Russia. This broadly mirrored very different perceptions of how individual countries had progressed since the momentous events of 1989-91, when a wave of optimism swept Europe as walls and regimes fell, ushering in more open societies and markets, the survey’s authors said.” (3)
In other words the countries whose economies have grown and where democracy has been better implemented are also where democratic principles have been widely embraced. In contrast the same survey found that more than half of Bulgarians felt things were worse. Unsurprisingly Bulgaria is the poorest country in the EU. If an eastern Europe return to Communism become likely, a country such as Bulgaria is positioned to embrace it.
My concern is that the 2020 pandemic may usher in a fresh sentiment for radical socialism. With already fragile economies and a nostalgia for the ‘good ole days’, will Europeans in the eastern bloc be tempted to once again flirt with an oppressive dogma?
I guess only time will tell!
Bibliography:
2. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/can-europe-make-it/communist-nostalgia-in-romania/