Your comments since the programme

I believe the falling of the Berlin Wall was a miracle. After years of communist rule East was reunited with the West. My parents were in Germany during the 1970's and they remember how hateful the two sides were and how many families were split up after the wall was in place. It is hard to imagine how much has been accomplished in so few and great years.
Must we all just let it fall apart? We must remember this while dealing with the new Chechnya problem. On the one hand no one in this world can afford a nuclear war but, on the other side mistreatment of people of any nationality can and must not be accepted as the norm. And, as for the Russian people I as well wish that their country regain its wealth but, I think everyone would like to see this happen, if possible without violence.
Sam, USA

The only people who celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall are Capitalists and Industrialists in both the West and the East. Just as Capitalism had wrecked the lives of billions throughout the world enabling the few to reap rich dividends, so it has spread its misery to the former Eastern Bloc. Now only the new Capitalist elite and the criminals who bleed every society dry benefit from the misery imposed on millions more.
The generation in the Soviet Union which gave their lives to defend the world from fascism have now sacrificed the basic rights of man, their homes health and general social security to rot under the jackboots of Capitalism. There is indeed so much to celebrate.
B MC Quade, Ireland

The condensed good in falling of the communism was that it gave us temporary breathing space of fear. The fear will return sooner or later in other clothing, other hungry dictatorship or totalitarianism. Lots of seeds of that is around the world, The more Southeast you go, the more.
Mikko Toivonen, Finland

The events provoked by communism world-wide are demonstrating that the communist ideology is at least as dangerous as the fascist one. There are still people in the West who believe that the communism had good results. I ask these people: why did you not emigrate to URSS, DDR or Poland, in those years? Or now to China?
Daniela Paun, Romania

Communism is a zoo where you're granted junk food, a tight cage to live in, a master keeper to tell you what to do and punish you if you disobey. You cannot escape and you are shot down if you try. For many people this is what they long for. Many others though realise themselves as humans and prefer the woods of capitalism where you have to fight for yourself but eventually win if you have a mind capable of thinking and/or hands capable of making things work.
What generally happened in the former USSR and the Eastern bloc is that the zoo finally collapsed as it couldn't maintain itself, the inhabitants were forced into woods without any knowledge of how to survive. Lots of those were eager to learn. The others are still complaining.
Igor Lapayev, USA

Interesting how people use democracy and communism as though they were polar opposites. Democracy is a political model and communism is an economic one. I hear "formally" educated people, even "experts" making this false distinction all the time.
Interesting again to hear people refer to communism as the system of the former Soviet Union. The original communists have already pointed out in their own writings that to impose communism from an organised, revolutionary clique of miscreants (as was the case in Russia), would only defeat the purpose of the system--in theory. Communism still remains a largely theoretical system, as Capitalism largely remains a theoretical system. One may easily say the same of democracy and dictatorship. The lines are rarely ever clear.
We bat these words around as if we know what they mean. The fact of the matter is that we abuse these words all the time for the sake of rhetorical expediency. No nation on this earth is purely either capitalist or communist, as no nation on this earth is purely democratic. I doubt there ever will be such a nation. I wonder what history will prove...
Jay Schneider, United States

10 years ago we were told we were entering a new era, of peace and prosperity and freedom - communism was defeated by capitalism and the free market. But just as they were tearing down surveillance cameras and totalitarian machinery in the eastern bloc, in the West the politicians and media were screaming for more and more authoritarian measures. In the UK as elsewhere there now is no right to silence, no more innocent until proven guilty, cameras monitoring every movement, and new laws which prevent collective gathering and protest. There has been no peace dividend, spending on defence is greater than at anytime during the cold war, just as the world has become a much dangerous place with the likes of Clinton and Blair and Schroeder who launch wars to make themselves appear good. The cold war defeated the old communist world, but has mortally wounded that which we now?
DMC, Australia

The collapse of the Berlin War is not just the end of communism, but the end of something more global - the Cold War era. When I left Poland in 1986 I never had imagined that it would take only few years for the whole house of cards to collapse - Jaruzelski went down and so did De Clerk. Both sides lost their demons and the World is a happier place without them. We are not forced anymore to politicise our ordinary lives, to take sides in a game that we never chose to play. We are not made prisoners of our minds anymore, we have an opportunity to make personal choices, to be productive and to feel free.
Jacek, The Netherlands

When the Berlin Wall fell the countries of Eastern Europe threw the baby out with the bathwater; as well as a lot of positive things they developed large scale unemployment, homelessness, poverty, crime and corruption and wetern corporate power. Its no wonder many hanker after Communism.
Barry Tregear, England

It is very sad to read some of the comments of readers from Russia. They blame their poverty and situation on the "Vampire of the West." The level of corruption in Russia is such that investment needs bribes to be approved, aid does not even get through. Is the West or America as they say, to fault for this? There has been billions of hard earned dollars spent feeding their sorry butts, and still the power elite steal all they can, the Russian Mafia really rule that country. elite funnel it off. Communism will never go away when stupidity reigns supreme.
Collin, Canada

Yes, definitely a new era, a new development in the history of Eastern Europe and the entire world. It brought prosperity and happiness to some; poverty, demoralisation, and unhappiness to others. For some in the second party and in between the two radical sides, it is not clearly positive or negative: freedom might outweigh poverty, but it might not as well.
Andrej, Russia

I believe that there are always two sides to a story. The collapse of communism in Eastern Europe brought freedom into different realms and gave opportunities, of which people never could have thought before. It's easy to think this way when you observe ex-communist countries from a foreigner's perspective. If you experience a life-style of an ordinary person there, first, what you start thinking about, is how you're going to feed your family if you don't get paid for months. Then your priorities of all those freedoms and real life problems change quickly. I'm very glad the communism (the kind we have experienced) have collapsed, but I only wish the transition to the new system would not be so painful.
Lena Kutuzova, Russia

When the Wall came down, I lived in West-Berlin, a two minute walk away from the Wall, and I never doubted it, as I had grown up in northern Bavaria close to the German-German border. It was only after the fall of the Wall that I began to realize how grotesque it is to have a Wall separating two parts of a city. The same is true for the so called "German" question - it had never been a question for me. I was born more than a year after the erection of the Wall, so all this was normal: German-German border, Wall, two Germanys.

After the fall, I was very afraid that Deutschland would come back with all its horrific elements, and in a way it has, but it is much more important that the last ten years meant a liberation from ideologies as well for the majority of the people, so I am very very happy that the Wall came down and glad that I was in Berlin in those days. In fact, I still am in Berlin and wouldn't change it for any other place in the world.
Iris Hanika

It is surprising to hear how short the memory of some people is. They can remember only free medical care (if it can be called 'care') and affordable dinner at work. Freedom of speech , freedom as such, self-initiative are far more important. Corruption, empty shops, communal flats, censorship, hypocrisy etc., are all forgotten. Some peolple simply have Soviet mentality - they avoid any responsibility and slill expect the state to provide everything.
Ugis Zeltins, Latvia

I came late to the programme but i wonder if anyone mentioned that as this very moment in history our unreconstructed communist party is apparently the most popular party in the country. This is largely in the nature of a protest vote but is nevertheless a clear indication of popular disillusionment with the very unequally distributed benefits of capitalism. A couple of your speakers noted the Czechs' freedom to travel etc. equally important would be to point out pockets of unemployment touching 18% in the areas where the old heavy industry has collapsed. The end of the cold war was an appalling loss of an extraordinary opportunity. if the west had given help in a similar manner to the marshall plan at the end of the second world war the prospects for the whole world would have changed immeasurably for the better. instead the west sought to make the greatest profit that it could out of the situation, buying assets at fire-sale prices.
Michael Pober

Your question, referring, as it does, to 'Communism' has led to a lot of side-tracking replies about the various merits of broadly 'communist' and 'capitalist' systems. These streotypes simply will not do. The other part of your leading statement, which is the more interesting, refers to whether or not we are in a 'New Era'. Whilst it is undeniable that the events of 10 years ago were stunning in their rapidity and in their bloodlessness, I would say that they hardly ushered in a 'New Era'. The global situation has not changed. Big Money ruled the former capitalist and communist worlds...and Big Money still does. 1989 happened because the Masses were sick of their lack of opportunity under communist state control. It would only be a new era if the Masses weilded genuine control over their destinies today. Apart from being consumers, we, the Masses, are of no real interest to Big Money. Questions such as common will, social care and basic acceptable living standards remain as low on the agenda as they were before 1989. New Era? No.
Keith Lawson, Cyprus

Over the next few days in Moldova a motion is being debated in the Parliament to see whether the current reforming democratic government will be dismissed or not. If the motion is accepted it seems likely that the communists will regain power in the parliament and form a new government. In 10 years what has changed? People have been allowed to think for themselves again!! Yes life is difficult and in many cases people are struggling more, but now they can think and talk freely - surely a great prize!! Lust for money and power, unfortunately, has re-captured much of that free-ground already - but it hasn't yet stolen it altogether...
James Ganpatsingh, Moldova

The Russians have been devoting entirely too much time, energy, and money for the production of military weapons. To be exported to India, and a number of other countries as Iran, and North Korea. Instead of taking the opportunity to build a truly good capitalist economy they have focused on military preparations. This whole business of them not having any money is 'balderdash'. If, Russia was at a 'cross roads' ten years ago, - they, are on a definitive path now. I think it is naive to expect them to become 'friendly' for anything other than what they can fleece from the West. They are antagonistic and they are quite deceptive.
Colin Farmer, Sydney

Your comments during the programme

The balance between justice and order is all important. Bismark is supposed to have said : 'Order and injustice is much better than justice and disorder.' When injustice takes hold it becomes the major driving force for the state and order increases. The balance become more and more towards injustice, just to keep the system going. When justice is the main objective disorder increases. When libery and justice is suddenly given to people who have suffered under injustice and cruelty for years disorder will increase. Unless the balance is improved in the former Eastern Block countries, including Russia, there will be a drift back to injustice and order.
Hodges, Fareham, Hampshire

Monika Skladowski: "The best thing that happened to Poland"

I think it's the best thing that happened to Poland, not after the war, but this century. I would say that we have benefited a lot. We created a democratic state with a market economic and the young generation have a good chance to shape their own lives.
Monika Skladowski, Poland

I am a Polish student studying in Holland. When I see the things that changed in Poland are incredible. The goods and services that are available now to every single person are incredible. But still there are many things that should be changed. The only problem is that people's mentality didn't change, they still have they same way of thinking about many things (at this moment i am talking about people over 50 years old) they are the population that 15 years ago started fighting for the independence, they got the independence now but they cannot do anything with it, because they aren't educated enough.
Pawel Sasim, Holland

There's a subtle and, in my opinion, incorrect implication in the question, "Are people in the former communist bloc bloc better or worse off now than they were before the fall?" The implication is that if they're worse off, there was something bad about bringing down communism. Well, countless people in Ukraine, Russia, etc. are much, MUCH worse off than they were before the fall of communism. But that's not because a good system was thrown out. It's because THIS is what that system led them to, ultimately. The poverty and misery in this part of the world is the legacy of communism - one that will take a long time to be delivered of.
Ken Sears

You must understand that the fall of the Berlin Wall was not the turning point in a new democratic era, rather, it was Poland's efforts that first started to open people's eyes.
Mariusz, Boston, Massachusetts

The most unique experience in the days after the 9th was the loss of power of the east German authorities. For once Germans laughed into the faces of officials thus transforming them into harmless clowns! Unfortunately we lost this valuable form of handling authorities.I will never forget the helplessness of the soldiers while half of Berlin was walking on top of the wall! Great!
Heiko Schaefer, till 1996 a West Berlin resident

Rik Zednick: "We can say what we want"

I run an English newspaper here and the fact is that we are basically allowed to say and write what we want, and that's true of all the Slovak media.
Rick Zednik, Slovakia

The end of communist rule reveals a post-prison mentality; in the communist prison all was provided for and life was dismal but predictable; the jailers were hated but long respected. The jailers gave up and the gates were opened, and generations hanker for the old certainties rather than build new lives. But the jailers didn't vanish; they fill offices high and low, demand paybacks and bribes for their "services", and succeed in transferring the blame to the evil new ogre: capitalism.
Patrick Rioux, Frankfurt, Germany

When the wall came down, I was a voluntary teacher in Zimbabwe. Me and my colleagues were actually looking very much the other way: South, where momentous change was happening in South Africa. I have stayed involved in matters African, which is not what one can say about the rest of Europe. Having come back I found a self-obsessed, increasingly xenophobic and inward-looking society. Europe - and the US for that matter - has also abrogated its historical responsibilities that rose out of the Cold War. You can sum this last up in one word: Angola, the Cold War orphan.
Bram Posthumus, Amsterdam, Holland

Being a German born in 46, living in East Germany until 57, than in the West (mainly in West Berlin) until 88 and than living in Botswana since than, I missed the biggest event in Germany for many years. We are in Germany every two years or so and it sad to see, that despite the great improvement in the East, the people have a tendency to complain up to the point, that they wish Honecker back. Frankly, they are either stupid or have a very short memory - or both. But of course the picture in former East Germany and the other countries is different. The former DDR got - and still get - much help.
Burghard Gebauer

Johnstone Macau: "We were very excited at the collapse of the Berlin wall"

We were very excited at the collapse of the Berlin wall. It was very very relevant. Before the collapse of the Berlin wall, Kenya was a one party state there was no democracy in the country there was only one party, there was no multi-party democracy in the country. Changes came as a result of countries that were practising democracy.
Johnstone Macau, Kenya

I lived in Berlin at that time and stood on top of the wall. The worst thing after the fall of the wall was, beside poverty and corruption and all those things in eastern Europe the cut off of BBC's German program. I loved it so much, when I lived in Berlin. But now it's gone.
Reinhard Koch, Germany

The world is not safer now than it was before the soviet block fell apart. And I don't believe it would be safer.

As for me, the main problem we face now is not political or economical influence of only one country. The cultural influence is much more important. Unfortunately, American culture is very aggressive. And I think that European culture or Russian one is more creative and deeper when Amercan one is quite simple, it is too simple.

Life in the 16th century wasn't safe and comfortable, the world was unstable but the masterpieces made in that time will endure much longer than any Hollywood movie.
Ignat Fialkovsky, Russia

Thomas Lackner: "There was more to it"

We didn't know what was happening. Intellectuals in big capitals, like Prague and Berlin, they were aware what was happening. Let's not be that na_, there was more to it. The police and the army were so strong. If the communist commanders gave the orders then they would fight the protesters and they would suppress all the rallies in countries that were not that flamboyant or not that intellectual, like the Czech Republic or Hungary or Poland where speech was already loosened and everything was already a little bit more liberal, but more hardline countries like Romania or Bulgaria. There was more to it.
Thomas Lackner

What surprised me most about the collapse of Communism as symbolised by the fall of the Berlin Wall is the total lack of philosophical debate that one might have expected from the so-called political intellectuals. One of the French "new philosophers" summed it up quite well when he said "God is dead, Marx is dead and I don't feel very well".
Michel Bulens, Brussels, Belgium

Your comments before we went ON AIR

Many people in China don't like communism. We don't know if China is still a communist country. However, when the west continues to blame on communism for whatever happens in China, people start to wonder if communism is that bad. In China, people don't think the One Child policy, the Tibet policy or the policy towards Taiwan are any kind of communism. For example, when a Chinese see the movies like Seven Year in Tibet, he will only say, it was not the communists who annexed Tibet. The nationalist government of the Republic of China (now in Taiwan) always claimed Tibet as part of China. Even today's Taiwanese government of Taiwan has a Tibet commission. So, if the west continue to mix those sensible issue with communism, it will only benefit the Chinese Communist Party. They will tell the Chinese people that the west is not anti-communist. They are just anti-China. As long as China remains communist, no one can claim Communism is over.
B Zhang, China

I studied economics in the late 1980's, an epoque steeped intellectually in neo-liberalism. The economic dynamism brought about by the policies of Reagan and Thatcher were hailed as the definitive proof that the "Chicago School" of economic theory had had the last word. If markets were given free reign an economy would tend naturally toward stability.

While in graduate school in the United States in the early 1990's, I participated in the drafting of several key economic reform programs for the "Newly Independent States", to be implemented under the guidance of western consulting agencies.

Eager to implement the economic blueprints we had dreamed up in a few hectic months, I moved to Kiev, where I was involved in privatization and venture capital. Like the sorcerer's apprentice, I began to realize that things were not quite in control. Factors such as the weakness of the judiciary branch of government, the lack of trust and absence of 'spontaneous civic obedience' were not present in our clever mathematical models.

In my opinion, the disappointing results of most of the western sponsored technical assistance programs was rooted in the intellectual hubris of the economists who designed them. For many of us the past 10 years have been an intellectual coming of age. We are more modest and less certain today.
Irene Schmid, Austria

I am 26-years-old. That makes me one of those people for whom the events of the last ten years have cut right through the most important years of my life, in terms of education, relationships and the development of a view of the world.

As a 16-year-old, I passionately believed that the collapse of the Communist regimes in eastern Europe represented the liberation of those European peoples which had paid the price of World War II for longer than anyone else. And I believe that ten years on, very few of the citizens of those countries most closely tied to the former USSR would go back to the Communist era, whatever the uncertainties of their brave new world.

However, what concerns me most is the fact that, as a continent, Europe has not reacted to the challenges and opportunities of 1989 with anything like the imagination and vision of which it should be capable.

Europe must begin to learn its lessons if the opportunities of 1989 are not to be lost. I am suggesting, however, that an EU which leaves political asylum as the only valid entry route for thousands is doing itself a disservice. I am saying clearly that we must as a continent work for human rights in eastern Europe and tie economic assistance to clear progress in that area. And finally, I am calling for concerted action and the investment of massive resources in building a Europe which sees its diversity as its real opportunity in a world where talents, experience and education will more than ever become transferable commodities on a global scale. I believed that ten years ago. My hopes live on.
Barry Hennessy, Dublin, Ireland

Communism never really existed in Europe - except for a brief period during Lenin's time. However the appalling conditions of many people living in post-soviet countries is not a good testament to the promise of capitalism. Perhaps the middle road - with elements of a directed economy and strong social programs and some capitalist freedom - in addition to significant redistribution taxes on western Europeans - would help to bring our neighbours in eastern Europe to an equal living standard. This idea could also help to bring central and south Americans to an equal standard of living to north Americans.
Rene Kardol, Netherlands

History repeats itself. Recently, the BBC reported: "The United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR says many of the (Chechnyan) refugees will spend the winter in tents in neighboring regions. It said it was sending supplies and equipment to the refugees, who include 400 babies born in makeshift camps." When I was born, my parents were Estonian "displaced persons" in the British Zone of postwar Germany. Back then, we Estonian refugees were helped by the United Nations Relief Agency.

After the fall of the Berlin wall, during the week that the Yeltsin stood atop a tank in Moscow as the Duma was being shelled, the Baltic countries - annexed, occupied and diverted from their normal path of development by the USSR ten years before my birth - availed themselves of the opportunity to reclaim their independence. That very week I returned to live in the country that by all rights I should have been born in, and where I should have grown to adulthood. The events that took place in the middle of this century - by that I also mean a decision that the Western countries took to ally themselves with one dictator against another - have had a profound effect on the fate of my country, my people and my personal life. The fact that the Western fringe of the former Soviet bloc was able to shake off its dependency is an enormous achievement. The going has been rough and the euphoria of seeing the wall go down has been replaced by hard work, and a moral hangover, and the realization that serious problems will linger.

Russia herself is in chaos, and in many of her politicians, the old heavy-handed mentality lives on. Democracy has not firmly taken root in Russia. I wish progressive Russians God speed in their endeavors. Until these questions are resolved, Russia remains a latent time bomb. Although present-day Estonia is a mutation of what could and should have been, one fringe benefit of having lived in this period is having had a ringside seat in many dramatic shifts, through times of tragedy and times of laughter. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. God writes epic film scripts.
Juri Estam, Estonia

I believe that collapse of communism is the best thing which happped to the postwar Europe. Of course the situation in Russia is still very difficult and the approach of Western democracies to this problem should be very different. However people in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia or Hungary have benefited a lot. Of course, for older people it is too late. However, younger generations have at last a change to shape their own lives. We are allowed to travel freely, open our won business enterprises and express our own opinions. Political prisoners, opression, central planning, rationed food is a thing of the past. This discussion shows once more that some people from Western Europe cannot understand how much we suffered under the communist regime.
Monika Skladowska, Poland

Was it not the political analyst Fukiyama who claimed that the fall of the Berlin Wall would signify the end of history? Yet what has changed? Form the war in the Balkans to the Asian Economic crisis the world is still the vastly undemocratic and unfair place. All the fall of communism has proven is that the same people who exploited Russia's population are still the exploiters today, only now they are "friendly" to the west. It shows that it will be necessary for people to take power into their OWN hands for things to really change.
David, Australia

I think the end of the Communist Bloc has meant the opposite of what we'd hoped to achieve. How many "wars" in ex-communist countries have, and are still taking place? The death, destruction, corruption and downright immoral attitudes in these countries is testament to how democracy has failed. Now the EU is being swamped with so-called "refugees" and "asylum-seekers". These people are mostly Economic Migrants in search of the life that their own home grown democracy hasn't provided them with.
Stephen, Dublin, EIRE

Communism is dead in all but a few countries like Cuba. China is no longer communist, it is a capitalist dictatorship. George Orwell was spot on in Animal Farm - "All animal are equal, but some are more equal in that others". This is the truth of communism (and human nature in fact), where did the Soviet leaders live? - not in communal apartments that is for sure. The class system was in full working order in the USSR if you were not a Party member you were nothing.

Is Russia any better off no there is no communism - no, the Russian people are being abused by their leaders as they always have been. Sadly it will take a very long time for Russia to heal itself as it has never known a liberal society unlike Eastern Germany, Poland, I wish them the best of luck.
A Smyth, UK

The fall of communism seems to provide a seemingly inexhaustible explanatory asset to a wide range of political, economic and social actors of this decade. Some call it the End of History, others capitalistic imperialism while few reserve a thought to solving the underlying problems in our post-bi-polar societies. An end or a beginning?
Sven Eriskat, Belgium

I think that the fall of the Berlin was an unprecedented victory for the human spirit, for freedom, for democracy, for God and for basic goodness. I think that some of the countries of Eastern Europe have realised the hopes of the Velvet Revolution of 1989. Freedom, democracy and Capitalism are here to stay in Eastern Europe. However, the promise of reform could have been better fulfilled had Margaret Thatcher not been thrown out of power when she was. At the end of the Cold War, she was the only Western leader with any idea of how to go about building a peaceful New World order.

She pressed hard for the West to provide aid to the new democracies of Eastern Europe and Russia-aid in the form of technical assistance and providing resources. Had Margaret Thatcher been allowed to remain as Prime Minister a few more years, the hopes and promise of 1989 would be better realised and sooner.
Jeff, U.S.A.

The destruction of the Berlin wall was a very powerful archetype that emotionally impacted the whole world with the strong signal that democracy and the desire of the human spirit to be free has and will prevail until all people are free.
Tess Guild, USA

What has the fall of communism meant to people in Russia? Mafia gangs running riot. Nuclear weapons for sale. Child prostitutes. Still no food for the masses. No jobs. For years we were told how bad communism was but having the two opposites balanced the political structure of the world. It is clear that the west couldn't care less about the people of the eastern block countries but wanted to beat communism so that western firms could go in and find new markets and exploit those countries.
Anyone knows that capitalism benefits only the top few percent of society. The way forward is a middle road way with free market economy backed up with socialist ideas and a more even spread of wealth. No I'm not a communist I think income tax is immoral but there must be a way not to penalise people for making money and yet support the people who need it
Vishal Vashisht, UK

The west has moved in like a vampire and sucked the life out of the former communist states. Vulnerable and fragile, they were all too easily sold a bill of goods by the advisers from the halls of western multi-national capitalism. My hope when the wall fell, and Russia broke free, was that a new, third way of existing might emerge. One that echoed the heroic hope of a humane and caring society based on democracy wedded to a progressive capitalist ideology.
How, I was sure they would ask, could a BETTER way be forged? Instead, the east was so dysfunctional and starved for our materialist icons that the wolves of capitalism were easily let loose on the broken body of Russia and the eastern block.
Leonard Turton, Canada

The eastern block countries were state capitalist and not communist. If the so called 'communist' countries were based on socialism then why did no workers defend the system when it was challenged. If a workers state had actually existed then the workers would have fought to preserve their power.
Steven Tweddell, England

The "free" world should come up with sort of Marshall's plan for moral and industrial recovery. There we too many words and only words. Politicians with inflated ego will catch up, but it will be too late. Sorry, but western Europe started to build new walls in the early 90's. Tell me, how many students got scholarships etc. Presently, there is only single focus. New markets. New KGB could be knocking on your door very soon.
Andrew, Canada

Communism never existed in Russia except for a brief period during the time of Lenin. Later on Stalin took over who was a dictator and a murderer, likes of which are still in power in Russia. In reality nothing changed in Russian system. Colour of the flag does not make much difference. Look what Russians are doing in Chechnya.
Askar Mohammad, Canada

I do not believe the fall of the Berlin Wall was a triumph of peoples' power, but rather the triumph of President Ronald Reagan's commitment to keep America's military strong. It was also a victory brought about simply by the power of the all mighty dollar. The USA had a military objective to create a missile defence system; and moreover, we had and have the tax dollars to build it. Russia couldn't compete with that.
Furthermore, President Reagan held his ground in not giving in to the world-wide liberal agenda of peace by giving up our nuclear missiles and sharing all of our technology; thus, making the USA vulnerable to those countries who hate our political strength...yet are constantly lusting for our money. Communism hasn't fallen. As I read in another comment, true communism has never really existed.
Susan, USA

Western propaganda machinery treats communism as a synonym for Stalinist terror and moist excesses. The democratically elected communist governments in Kerala, (in the south western corner of India), since the l950's can boast of a few achievements the people of Kerala are proud of, such as:
- virtual universal literacy;
- the best quality of living index in India;
- equality of sexes (the first woman judge of the Kerala High Court, Justice Mrs K R Gowri was appointed in the late l950's)
The acceptable face of communism in Kerala is in stark contrast to the unpleasant practices of the unacceptable face of exploitative capitalism in the west.
Mohansingh, India

Russia has seen a distinct fall in life expectancy since the communist era ended. This is the first decrease in Russian public health for over a century. The country has also seen waves of corruption in every level of government and business. This has all occurred under a 'democratic' administration. Communism must have had some good qualities in order to sustain high public health standards for the majority. I think the fall of communism has had one benefit. It allows us to see the real global enemy that has previously been able to obscure itself with anti communist 'clap trap'. This enemy is of course the United States government.
Benji, UK

Unfortunately there are still a large number of people in the world who still support Communism, even here in Britain there are still some hard-line socialists in the government such as Arthur Scargill, and many countries still have communist party members in France and Italy that are represented in parliament. I find this quite frightening!
Andrew, Wales

Check it out: Jiang Zemin wears a Mao suit, and China slowly is sliding back to central planning. In Russia the Communists are poised for big gains, as is Primakov's party with Communist economic policies. Communists are in power in Belorussia, and are poised to win or make big gains in Ukraine. The minor's strike in Romania has shown working class unrest there and disillusionment with "Western reforms", Yugoslavia is still under the rule of Milosevic whose policies are definitely Communist. Italy is in the grip of Communists right now, France is experiencing massive social unrest and an increasing left-ward stance in its policies. Macedonia is also poised to elect a Communist leader. And if you colour in these countries red on a map you would see an unbroken chain of communist influenced countries from Hong Kong to the English Channel stretching across the Eurasian landmass. Now you can also through in Lybian socialism, Cuban communism, Vietnamese Communism, and the FARC liberated regions, as well as the Congolese government of Laurent Kabila, and the "African Socialism of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe and you will clearly see that much of the world is still read! Communism dead? I THINK NOT!!!
Kole, Yugoslavia

There is not any kind of democracy in Russia now. Power is in rich and bloody hands of dishonest people. Most of those people received money regularly from the west. Now we must pay their debts. After Belgrade bombardments many people in Russia have understood that "western democracy and justice" is only illusion too. The power of the strongest now rules the world.
I think that we all will see new "cold war" soon. Last cold war ordinary USSR people don't trust USSR government, but now we understand, that western governments is liars too. So we don't trust any authority. But the disappointment in "western democracy" is so big that we all must pray to put it into cold, not real "hot" war.
Alex, Russia

The collapse of the wall was, to me, a little more expected than the collapse of the Soviet Union. At least Germans are all Germans. If we could all follow the example of Chechs & Slovaks, the world would be a better place to live.
It is so hard to have freedom without a constitution to check government power (just ask any honest gun owner in England or Australia) we'll just have to wait & see.
Dave Hald, USA

One is not sure that Communism is dead. The world will condemn, and bomb to the Stone Age, a Serbian administration that mistreats its 'breakaway republic' yet has no words of chastisement for a country that seems bent on crushing a Chechen movement. If Communism is dead, for what does the world wait?
Iain Forrest, US

The fall of Communism has given freedom to the countries of Eastern Europe they deserve, no one should live in a totalitarian state. Unfortunately the work of Marx has been devalued in the eyes of the public which is tragedy, after all doesn't 'From each according to his ability, to each according to his need' seem an excellent suggestion. And for the Americans reading Socialism is a very different beast from the 'Communism' of Eastern Europe.
Neil, England

We do not need any "Berlin walls" anymore. Communism is in the past now. Look at the life, at the real life. Democracy is the need of our everyday life. Uzbekistan is now free! It is looking toward the democracy! But never forget, e.g. democracy for Europe is not the same as democracy for Uzbekistan as the cultures are very different.
Jassur, Uzbekistan

Communism is alive and well in China and Cuba, the goals of the communist (world domination) have not changed. As to the people in East Europe, of course they are better off.
Richard T. Ketchum, USA

The fall of communism? Last I checked, communism was alive and thriving in all the world's hemispheres.
Mike, USA

The end of Communism opened the doors for unprecedented corruption and lack of authority throughout Eastern Europe and especially the former Soviet space. Combined with the poverty and misery of the people, this is a recipe for trouble for the next several decades. Let's hope there won't be a military unrest in any part of Russia proper.
Daniel Kalantar, USA

The defeat of the Soviet Union resulted in the biggest thieving spree of all time, and the worst ever economic disaster. Even Hitler did less damage than Yeltsin to Russia's economy. Health, job security, education, pensions, have all collapsed. Millions of people have died prematurely.
The economy has shrunk by two thirds, and wages have fallen even further... when they are paid at all. Mass media and the state apparatus are controlled by Mafiosi, and the half-dead dictator Yeltsin still exercises the powers he seized in a coup (never mentioned by right-wing media) and "legitimised" with a blatantly fraudulent referendum. It's amazing that even capitalist propaganda outfits like the BBC can characterise this as "democracy" and "progress" without an attack of conscience.
Brendan Aotearoa/New Zealand

Communism is a tool for the privileged to control the wealth of a nation. Common sense tells you that if a system works, you don't have to build walls around your country to keep your countrymen in. Throughout history, communism has been the cause of poverty and despair, not the solution. The fall of communism has been the renaissance that Eastern Europeans have craved. While the pensioners in Eastern Europe have suffered, at least the younger generation will have a chance to shape their countries instead of resigning themselves to stagnation under totalitarian rule.
Kevin Jones, USA

Communist doctrine has gone from Europe, and good riddance. Now, if we could only have a little less worship of capitalist doctrine, the world could be a rosy place.
Graham Bell, Brazil

The fall of communism was inevitable because it is based upon theory that is inimical to human motivation. Communism requires a hive mentality that does not square with what humankind's instincts are. No one should be made to work serving another for less than he or she is worth. Collectivism in all its forms necessarily must reshape worth (value) as it sees fit, and that will always lead to its downfall. Instead, systems that promote and support liberty and make use of "the unseen hand" of competition to set value are naturally superior in that they make use of our inherent instincts. Communism was, and where it remains, is the evil empire whose demise is happily noted.
Joe Guyton, USA

Whilst the Communism that was practised undeniably failed the people, the cruel world of global capitalism is far from the utopia that it promises to be.
WGS, England

I can still remember vividly, in June 1991, just before I graduated from a University, in the Southern part of Russia, the dean of our faculty then, Evgenni Degtieyevich, summoned us to his office (as if he knew what would eventually happen) and this is his final statement: "You can forget everything, but remember, Russia is Russia".
Tajudeen Isiaka, Nigeria

Communism is a way of life. It has more good aspects than bad. May be that is why the western world were afraid that it might catch on and spoil their domination. The so-called western democracy does not exist in the true sense of freedom therefore it forces other Countries and culture to conform to rules and regulations which they set. If the countries do not comply then they are torn apart with military or economic restrictions. At least under Communism (which a majority of people do not understand as they have been brainwashed with negative attributes) all people were given free homes, healthcare, education and jobs for life.
Mike Still, UK

The fall of Communism meant that I could freely drive to Hungary this Summer and watch a total eclipse in a cloudless sky. Something I couldn't have done if I'd gone to Cornwall. This one little fact has brought home to me how much the events of ten years ago meant.
Mark Verth, UK

One unfortunate side effect of the end of the Communist era has been that the British press, without any "commies" or "reds" to hate anymore has turned on it's own country and started rubbish it.
Nancy Ippel, UK

The peoples of Eastern Europe have had to overcome massive difficulties after the fall of Communism. They still need our help and encouragement if they are to throw off the final shackles.
H Juggs, Netherlands

I do not believe that 'Communism' has truly fallen in Russia. It still is ingrained in much of the thinking of the people. You see it in the attempt to manage the news, you see it in the manner in which young men are kidnapped in subways and sent off to military training without even being allowed to call their parents until they have completed 'boot camp'. You see it in the emphasis of their economy on the sale of Russian military weapons and hardware to third world powers.
You see it in the actions of their aircraft flying into U.S. air space. You see it in the fact that they have not been able to make capitalism really work. And, you see it in the Duma which is loaded with Communist representatives. But, perhaps, in time they will surprise us in a positive way. But, I don't believe the Russians will ever be able to exist without 'Communism' as a part of their political thinking.
Dave Adams, USA

Communism is truth. Communism never fell down. Only those who tried to bring communism fell down. The "democracy" is rubbish. It can't do anything to the poor people. Capitalism is for capitalists not for poor. Democracy is chocolate to innocent people. See problems in democratic country. Who is democratic country in this world? America!
Jim Smith, Nepal

In my opinion it is VERY good that communism has collapsed, however this does not necessarily mean I think everything is now roses. Human psychology does not change by bringing down a wall. What has produced all kinds of fanaticism is still alive and well and at work. It is paramount to be aware of the very real possibility for new Hitlers, Stalins, to come to power in any country world-wide.
This danger is even greater in big nations (especially the USA), as their fall into 'dark claws' could comparatively and within days turn the visions from Orwell's "1984" into Disneyland.
Dan, Australia

Manifestly, Maoism was amoral, and I fancy that the World is ameliorated without Marxism/Maoism. I feel sheltered, not having to use my school-desk as a bomb-shelter, to defer the threat of nuclear missiles/bombs, like in the 1950s/1960s! I fancy that the nefarious activities of the KGB are interesting, but illegal!!!
Peter Crawford-Bolton (17), UK/US

I was glad to see the downfall of the repressive communist regimes they were very repressive. However, I think their downfall has inadvertently lead to the legitimisation of a capitalist corporate agenda. Now big multinationals are taking over the roles of government, directing funds away from areas of social good to areas that benefit the corporate world. With their control of the media, corporate sponsorship of academia etc theirs is the only voice.
Tom, Australia

On the streets of Moscow old ladies now kneel for hours, begging for pennies. Organised crime dominate everything from retail to politics. The army continues to brutally repress Chechnya, hundreds of thousands already dead. The rouble is as stable and reliable as a Microsoft operating system.
An inebriate rules with a disregard for democracy, fascist loonies lie waiting in the wings to surf the democratic tide of popular discontent. Russia and the Russian people are humiliated and resentful. The West is beside itself with glee. It has won the cold war.
John, UK

Fall of communism? I hardly think so, Weak communist nations gave way to western wishes. It does not mean, however, that communism is gone for good. Right now communism is dormant, but it will rise up again, and probably stronger than before. History repeats it self.
J. Christian, UK

To truly experience democracy you must have it run by those who believe in it and the populace must be allowed to actually participate. A good thing might be to practice rule of law as well. The fall of communism may begin a new era when it happens.
John, USA

I wonder if it fell, or if the KGB gangsters have merely gone through a strategic corporate reorganisation.
Patrick, USA

It still amazes me that people still see the old USSR as the evil empire. At the moment it seems that the poor have got poorer and rich have changed places. Since the fall of communism the number and intensity of armed conflicts has increased. The Kuwait war was created to stop the Arab nations gaining control of there own oil resources (if not why was the West bank rolling the Iran Iraq war), many of the problems in Yugoslavia were created by Western countries give the nod towards independence before the time was right.
The interesting slant the media gives to reporting also helps shape our image of the ex-communist countries, much of what we were told during both of the Balkan wars has been shown to be untrue, even the media has admitted this.
Jon, England

The genie is out of the bottle and will not go back! The fall of communism, especially in the former USSR now means instability and strife for the average Russian. Socialism is the best medicine for the former USSR. The West German example of democracy is the best model Russian can follow. After so much control for so long, with few choices they now have freedom with too many choices which can bewilder anyone. The government, with better leadership will have to crack down on the rampant crime before stability will return. Unbridled capitalism IS NOT the answer for any society.
Tom Vannini, USA

The idea that the current world situation will continue for the foreseeable future is dangerous. Russia, China and India are looking at setting up a balancing power to the US and Nato. If this does come to fruition we may see an end to this extremely unstable period. Towards the end of Communism in the USSR peoples live were improving and more political freedom was evident. At the moment the West's main aim seems to be to marginalise the Russians and strip them of influence in Eastern Europe.
Jon, England

The fall of Communism has been great. Here in Germany life is so much easier. Democracy is wonderful.
Erika , Germany

Most certainly the fall of the communist regimes has brought improvements -- improvements which I hardly expected would occur in my lifetime. Let the apologists of the old system consider the facts, which speak louder than words. Poland is now a functioning democracy with a more open economy, so are the Czech Republic and Hungary; all these countries are now in line for EU membership. On the other Central and Eastern European countries' progress is slower, but nonetheless measurable.

All Central and Eastern European countries (with the exception only of former Soviet republics Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia) have signed up to international human rights standards -- and, indeed, are subject to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights in the same way as countries such as the UK or the Netherlands. Serious problems continue to exist in those countries where the old political elite has been imperfectly replaced or where the political will and courage to institute economic reforms was insufficient. But this illustrates, rather than detracts from, the elementary fact that the Communist regimes were living on borrowed time and borrowed money.
Peter, Netherlands

I'm always interested to see the claim that Communism is something other than the system that collapsed ten years ago. The snag is that in every country where Communists took over, they gained complete control of their countries, and they could do whatever they wanted, with no-one to stop them, and what they did in every case was to set up a cruel and exploitative tyranny. If they wanted to set up a different system, then why didn't they? There was no-one preventing them.

The truth is that when the USSR and its empire still existed, everyone including the people who ran it, and their supporters in the West, achnowledged that this was Communism and it is only since the thing collapsed that we have heard the claim that it wasn't.
Jon Livesey, USA

Yes, Germans in the East no longer have to scale a wall to enter freedom's territory. Arbitrary arrests, the Gulag, collectivisation and official atheism are things of the past.

No matter what, people are freer to do whatever they want, or not do anything at all. And that is whatfreedom is all about. Freedom has not made people poor for the first time!
Kofi Ellison, USA via Asuonwun, Ghana

No matter if someone is a communist or not, he can realise that the existence of one single power is not good for the stability of the world. The attempt of the USA to ''conquer'' the world is obvious. Unfortunately fear or self interests prevent many from criticising the USA's policy.

Just yesterday a UN inspector announced that the Albanian victims during the Kosovo crisis (published in the Sunday Times) were no more than 2.000 (mostly KLA fighters) far from the 100.000 estimated during the Kosovo crisis. So far I have not seen it published on the BBC's news for example. Even during the crisis, important thinkers (like Noam Chomsky) who opposed the Nato action had no space in western newspapers or mass media.

I am not a communist myself but I have to admit that ethnical and religious differences had no place in the communist countries, it was the western policy that provoked those tensions (after the collapse of communism) not because they care about the ''poor'' minorities but just to achieve their imperialistic plans. I am very worried that this is not obvious to the majority of western citizens
Defkalion Tsagarakis, Greece

Communism has not failed anywhere, as communism as yet to be truly put into practice. The regimes that espoused the communist ideal, in reality never did anything of the sort. When it had a chance to prove itself in Russia, when millions were starving and discontentment was at it's highest, it was hijacked by those with other more insidious ambitions. Remember that it is impossible to spread communism with a gun or by force. It's very nature is one of the voluntary compliance of the masses. It is long past the time for it to be looked at by the western media without a prejudice eye and the need to use fear, if America was scared of the power of a nuclear Russia that is one thing, but to put it down to communism? No, I don't believe so.
Chris C, UK

We promised them peace, stability, freedom and democracy. These things might have been promised but they were never delivered. It is quite obvious now that the West was not interested in people's lives, only in defeating communism. The Western powers never followed up the fall of communism with anything more than rhetoric. Consequently now many Ukrainians want a return to at least socialism (as was shown by yesterdays Presidential election results), many East and West Berliners want the Wall back, Belarus want closer ties with Russia, and who knows who will be the next Russian President. For many in these nations communism meant some stability, income, health-care and education, all the things they don't have now.
Neil, Scotland