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If it's any consolation, Austria got rid of the Soviets in 1955 and yet the situation you describe sounds extremely similar to the one here. The main difference
by pmjordan 16y ago
If it's any consolation, Austria got rid of the Soviets in 1955 and yet the situation you describe sounds extremely similar to the one here. The main difference seems to be overall wealth - GDP per capita is about 3.3x as high here, despite being neighbours. Neighbours on the other side of the Iron Curtain for 3-4 decades.
I don't know what the answer is, but I have a feeling it's not violence. The countries of former Yugoslavia to me don't seem to be doing better than those that emerged from Soviet rule peacefully. It's hard to judge from the outside, but the societal problems there seem even deeper.
- rodp 16y agoThe people of former Yugoslavia weren't really fighting the communism, they were fighting between themselves. It wasn't a revolution but a mixture of civil war, agression, ethnic violence, etc.
- pmjordan 16y agoI am aware of that; my understanding is that the sudden release from the grip of communism also released this brewing internal tension. I've been lucky enough to avoid getting caught up in any sort of revolution, violent or not, but pure black & white "us vs. them" rebellions seem to be rare these days. Any other kind of violent uprising tends to end with some kind of societal rift due to the former oppressors living among the formerly oppressed or having to cooperate in some way. Presumably, the more violent, the deeper the rift. I strongly suspect the original reason for the revolution to be irrelevant to that part of the outcome.
- myth_drannon 16y agoHere in Canada we never got rid of Soviets... Actually we never had them in the first place.And you know what ? The amount of government bureaucracy, corruption, cronyism and nepotism is staggering.