The Walls Came Tumbling Down: The Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe

by Gale Stokes

The revolutions of 1989 were as pivotal a moment in European history as 1917, 1848, or 1789--yet almost no one saw them coming until nearly the last not Washington, Moscow, the Communist regimes, nor even the victorious rebels themselves. But as Gale Stokes shows in this powerful new
history--the most comprehensive, analytical, and readable of its kind--momentum for change had been building since 1968, momentum which soon drove past Gorbachev-inspired reforms to outright revolution.
In The Walls Came Tumbling Down , Stokes provides a compelling account of the Eastern European struggle for democracy, from the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 through the most recent elections. Stokes vividly describes the thinkers, leaders, and events in each country, showing how the
crushing of the Prague Spring had sparked the final disillusioment in Eastern Europe that culminated in the revolts of 1989. In Poland, workers struck again and again to force the government to negotiate, culminating in the creation of Solidarity. Solidarity, he writes, was skillfully led by Lech
Walesa, who helped create a "self-limiting" revolution with largely apolitical demands. Under General Jeruzelski's martial law, it fostered a "parallel society" which proved so successful that Warsaw was forced to recognize the union. In Czechoslovakia, intellectuals turned to "anti-politics,"
forming Charter 77 to demand that the government abide by its own laws and agreements on civil rights. Stokes also explores the actions of rulers and governments, from Ceausescu's self-glorification to Hungary's official turn toward a more market-based economy. The author interweaves the
fast-paced narrative with analytical insight, tracing the path of developments after Gorbachev lifted the lid on reform (showing, for instance, how East German reform crystalized after thousands fled across Hungary's newly-opened border to the West). Stokes provides deft biographical sketches of
the key figures, from Polish Communist leader Gierek to Vaclav Havel, and smoothly explains the tangled web of economic theories and reforms. He brings the story right up to the present day, examining the climactic events of 1989, the new democratic, pluralist governments, and the forces at work in
the region today.
Stokes's highly readable account provides truly comprehensive coverage, including a special chapter on the break-up and war in Yugoslavia. For anyone who wants a clear picture of the new Europe and the events behind it, The Walls Came Tumbling Down offers an authoritative, seamless history
filled with keen analysis and human drama.

Genres: History, Politics, European History, Nonfiction, Soviet Union

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Andrew Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the Yalta Conference at the end of the Second World War, the Russian imperialism moved to set up his loyal regimes in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, their administrated part of Germany, Bulgaria and Romania. This book summarises dissatisfaction of people living there and their struggles to save at least some elements of freedom and social justice in their lives. Finally, in seventies when the moral bankruptcy of communism could not be hidden any longer, a mass dissatisfaction led to open questioning of principles imposed from abroad and gradual takeover of power by opposition, facilitated by miraculous period in Soviet Russia when the system attempted to restructure and open to the world.

The author moves from one country to another in a series of short essays narrating their history in each decade after the war. Each chapter is supported by an impressive list of notes referring to details of events.

I have read this book with interest and was glad to refresh the memory of so dramatic events that occurred in the second half of the twentieth century.

[Austin Barselau · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Walls Came Tumbling Down (1993) examines the twilight decades of the Soviet project in Eastern Europe and the process by which the countries of the Warsaw Pact rejoined the mainstream of European development. Gale Stokes, the late professor of history at Rice University, traces what he calls an “era of disillusion and dissolution” beginning in 1968—an age of mounting ideological fatigue and social unrest that ultimately gave way to political reform in the late 1980s.

Stokes takes a close, comparative look at several nations within the Soviet orbit—including Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia—emphasizing the distinctive paths each followed as communism unraveled. He examines the cascade of largely peaceful revolutions that swept the region in 1989 and the subsequent negotiated transitions to pluralist politics and market-oriented economies and how the speed, forms, and outcomes of that process varied across the region.

As Stokes demonstrates, the collapse occurred gradually, then suddenly. Within just a few years, the Soviet bloc had vanished, leaving a constellation of newly independent nations to gather the fragments of their past and chart uncertain futures.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the kind of book they warn you about in the new books

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, accessible overview of the Cold War and its aftermaths in Central and Eastern Europe with a particular emphasis on Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, East Germany and the former Yugoslavia.

Stokes views the impetus for change in these countries largely coming from indigenous reform-minded elites (both inside and outside of government), as well as the actions of hundreds of thousands of citizens. Factors such as the failures to fulfill desires for pluralism and consumer goods, as well as the effect of western loan obligations are discussed in detail.

Stokes rightly downplays the contributions of the Reagan administration, noting that the biggest external player with influence over these proceedings was the Soviet Union, which collapsed not due to SDI but due to Gorbachev's (naive) political reforms, which caused the government to lose control. Other factors include the war in Afghanistan, inflation and the drop in oil prices etc.

The biggest strength of Stokes' book is not treating the Central and Eastern European countries as a monolithic bloc. Instead Stokes acutely dissects the various unique factors shaping each country's motives during the period

[Adam F · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In the twentieth century, Eastern European nations have found it difficult to follow paths of their own choosing"

Really interesting to read about the fall of communism as it was understood in 1993. The introduction takes the position that no one would ever again be able to look at communism with hope and optimism and so on, which feels very naive in big 2026.

The period where Communist leaders knew that the system was cooked but kept brutalizer reformers and dissidents anyways was no bueno.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for one chapter on Czechoslovakia for my IB history exams, but ended up reading the whole thing. Very informative and detailed!

[Bethany]

This book took me an age to finish, but not because it wasn't interesting. It is by far one of the most interesting books I have ever read for school, though that may be because it's in my field. The writing was totally accessible and Stokes wrote it almost in a way that told an interwoven narrative rather than simply as a textbook. I am so happy I finished it once the class was over.

[Jonathan]

None