After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992 and the termination of the Warsaw Treaty Organization, active processes began in Europe to comprehend the communist past and the results of the hegemony of the Soviet Union. Realizing that de-communizing is, among other things, investigating the crimes of the communist regimes, governments began to open archives, create commissions and special judicial bodies.
Traumatic experience of Eastern Europe
Most of the Eastern European states fell into the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union far from voluntary. And this fact inevitably influenced the attitude to everything that was introduced by the communist ideology. However, most countries of the socialist camp understood the problems of the Soviet heritage very superficially. For them, to decommunize is not so much finding the strength not to repeat the mistakes of the past as trying to shift the blame to external forces.
The population of countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Serbia, undoubtedly, has the right to some claims not only against their governments, but also to the Soviet Union, which by all available means, including military intervention, tried to keep under control independent states of central and eastern Europe.
Ukrainian revolution and decommunization
For a long time, the Ukrainian people and their government could not determine their attitude to the Soviet past. However, the government that replaced Viktor Yanukovych was more consistent in this regard. De-communized cities began to appear in Ukraine. This did not affect Crimea, since its inhabitants voted for reunification with Russia.
Monuments to the leader of the proletariat were given special attention. In Ukraine, what happened was what journalists called the "Lenin fall." Realizing that de-communizing is, inter alia, getting rid of any reminders of the Soviet past, the townspeople began to drop monuments to Lenin from pedestals. However, the matter was not limited to the collapse of the sculptures.
The country's Cabinet of Ministers adopted a package of laws that actually de-communized, which means it renamed entire cities that got their names in the Soviet period. Cities received new names, so Dnepropetrovsk turned into the Dnieper.
Disclosure of archives and parallels with denazification
Most proponents of decommunization believe that all countries where communist ideology was state should take measures to investigate crimes committed at that time. That is, in fact, follow the example of the German government and begin to persecute the Communists, prohibit all symbolism that recalls communism.
Some particularly radical proponents of this process believe that the state should be more deeply decommunized. The meaning of the word for them, in this case, also includes lustration, that is, legislative restrictions on the rights and freedoms of the supporters of the previous regime. However, not all politicians support tough measures along this difficult path.
Hungarian experience of decommunization
The inhabitants of Hungary, in their experience, were convinced not only of the cruelty of their own regime, but also had a good sense of the power of the Soviet Union, which crushed tanks from the uprising of civilians in 1956.
For the Hungarian government, to decommunize is not only to get rid of communist symbols on the facades of government buildings, but also completely prohibit the use of totalitarian, from the point of view of legislators, socialist paraphernalia.
And in this process, the Hungarian authorities simply equated communism with German Nazism, and the crimes of their own regime with the Holocaust. Now anyone who decides to challenge the fact of crimes or downplay their significance faces a prison term. The court may impose a sentence of one to three years.
A similar law was also adopted in Bulgaria, where one person was convicted under it. Sentenced to seven years in prison, he was released for health reasons a year later. Thus, the new government demonstrated its differences from its predecessors, deciding not to destroy a person in the dungeons. After all, it was unjustified cruelty that discredited communist ideology.
Decommunize - what does this word mean in Asia
Through the efforts of the Soviet Union, communist regimes were established not only in eastern Europe, but also in many Asian countries. Moreover, often the political struggle between different groups took on absolutely terrible outlines.
For example, in Cambodia, a special tribunal has been created to investigate the crimes of the Red Khemr regime with the participation of experts from the UN. The experience of communist government was so traumatic for the local population and the political elite that it was impossible to deal with it without the help of the international community. Indeed, in just four years, almost three million innocent citizens were killed in Cambodia.
The Cambodian regime was so bloodthirsty that not only representatives of the past political elite, but even Christians, Buddhists and ordinary intellectuals, who were recognized as harmful class elements, fell under repression.
It is not surprising, in this case, that after the fall of the communist regime, the new government first decided to simply rename its country in order to distance itself from the nightmare arranged by the totalitarian government. Since then, Cambodia became known as the Republic of Kampuchea.
The failed decommunization in Russia
Immediately after the Soviet Union ceased to exist, liberal-minded citizens decided to de-Stalinize and de-Sovietize, that is, get rid of the symbols of the communist regime and again, after Khrushchev, condemn Stalin.
In the wake of universal jubilation, a monument to Dzerzhinsky , perhaps the most odious representative of state security agencies, was demolished from Lubyanka Square . At the same time, the symbols of the Soviet regime were removed from some facades, but on the majority they were still preserved. Preserved and red stars on the towers of the Kremlin.
In most Russian cities, the basis of the ensemble of central squares, along with the city council building and the palace of culture, is still a monument to Lenin. This state of affairs does not suit all citizens, and quite often sculptural compositions with the leader of the proletariat become the object of attacks by the vandals, but after this the city authorities quickly update and paint the monuments, trying to rid them of the traces of attacks. Decommunized - the meaning of this word to the Russians is probably not yet fully understood. But it is worth remembering that time cannot be turned back.
Renaissance of the cult of Stalin
It quickly became clear that it was very difficult and long to decommunize, and in the absence of public consensus, it was almost impossible. Unfortunately, the consequence of the uncommunication of the country at the time, was the widespread revival of the Stalin cult. All new and new monuments are erected to him throughout the country, which is especially noticeable in the republics of the North Caucasus. However, there were no investigations into crimes committed during his sovereignty.