Fall of Communism From Different Perspectives

When a major event takes place in history it is not surprising that many interpretations of these events will arise. As humans we tend to have different feelings and therefore different interpretations, especially on events that impact our lives and society. The fact that our judgments are different does not entail that either of our interpretations are wrong. Rather, it means that our different judgments can be combined in order to gain a new form of knowledge that envelops various points of view. This is the case with the interpretations of the groundbreaking fall of Communism that took place in eastern European countries in the late 20th century. The book The Magic Lantern is Timothy Garton Ash’s interpretation of the Revolutions of 1989 that took place in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin and Prague. Bonnie G. Smith offers a similar but distinct contemporary interpretation of the Revolutions of 1989 in her book Europe in the Contemporary World. Lastly, John K. Glenn’s “Competing Challengers and Contested Outcomes to State Breakdown” offers his opinion about the events that led to a democratic Czechoslovakia.

In Ash’s account of the fall of communism in Warsaw, Poland he focuses on the behind the scenes propositions and decisions that were pondered by organizations such as Poland’s Solidarity group. Ash had close relationships with the leaders of the Solidarity group. In describing their actions, he calls them his “friends” on numerous occasions and even describes instances when he spent times with individuals such as Jacek Kuron, who was the co-founder of the Worker’s Defense Committee. Ash reports that he “…had a drink with Jacek Kuron, who passed the time before his results came in by giving a hilarious account on his first trip t...

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...at are not influenced by personal beliefs or feelings. Above all the combination of their work allows us to absorb information that envelops all their points of view which makes for a better understanding of the Revolutions of 1989. I dare say that ultimately that was the main goal of Timothy Garton Ash, Bonnie G. Smith and John K.Glenn.

Works Cited

• Garton, Ash Timothy. The Magic Lantern: the Revolution of '89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, and Prague. New York: Random House, 1990. Print.

• Smith, Bonnie G. Europe in the Contemporary World, 1900 to the Present: a Narrative History with Documents. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin's, 2007. Print.

• Glenn, John K. "Competing Challengers and Contested Outcomes to State Breakdown: The Velvet Revolution." Social Forces 78.1 (1999): 187-211. JSTOR. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. .