Fall of the Soviet Union Research Paper

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The replacement of Communist, military, and dictatorial regimes is usually accompanied by a period of euphoria among the citizenry but soon thereafter reality sets in and the practical operation of the government sets in (Ekman). When democratization developed in America, the role and size of government was much different. Government in the twentieth century is a much more complicated operation. Reorganization of the various institutions that had developed under prior governments had to be transformed into institutions operated under new sets of rules. Suddenly, decisions and policies were not made based on an ideology and conflicting interests had to be considered. Suddenly, politicians and administrators in these new Eastern European democracies were forced to learn how to negotiate. With the adoption of democracy, differing points-of-view and differing policies had to now be considered and the bureaucrats who had formerly operated these institutions and agencies were provided with choices and political pressures that were never present prior to democratization.

The problems inherent in the democratization of Eastern Europe were considerable but the basic problem was that such nations did so backwards. These nations introduced democratic concepts such as competitive elections and political parties before establishing the basic institutions of democratic states such as the rule of law and government accountability. Because these Eastern European governments were democratized in a backwards fashion they are incomplete. The citizens of the nations located in Eastern Europe simply did not possess the skills and experience required for democracy to be successful.

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They lacked the ability to engage in political discourse, the ability to compromise, and the lack of an interest in politics. As a result of these factors, democratization in Eastern Europe met with mixed results and in many nations frustrations set in which served to jeopardize the governments that were organized. Individuals who had learned to rely on a government that dictated every aspect of their lives were suddenly forced to make determinations individually. This added to their frustrations.

The adoption of a democratic form of government in America was an easy and natural process that met with little opposition. The various American governments were formed from the bottom up and there were no prior impediments. In Eastern Europe, however, years of prior forms of government made the transition to democracy more difficult.

Diamond, Larry. Democracy after Communism. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007.

-- . "Democracy's Third Wave Today." Current History (2011): 299-307.

Ekman, Joakim. "Communist nostalgia and the consolidation of democracy in Central and Eastern Europe." Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics (2005): 354-374.

Freeman, Michael. "The perils of democratization: Nationalism, markets, and human rights." Human Rights Review (2000): 33-50.

Rose-Ackerman, Susan. "From Elections to Democracy in Central Europe: Public Participation and the Role of Civil Society." Eastern European Politics & Societies (2007): 31-47.

Tocqueville,….....

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