Twenty years ago the Berlin wall that divided Germany from freedom and communism came down. At a recent event at the Heritage Foundation, panelists reviewed the “pulse” of Europe twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. “Nearly two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, publics of former Iron Curtain countries generally look back approvingly at the collapse of communism,” according to “The Pulse of Europe 2009,” a study released by the Pew Global Attitudes Project in 2009. “Majorities of people in most former Soviet republics and Eastern European countries endorse the emergence of multiparty systems and a free market economy” stated the study.
However, the initial widespread enthusiasm about these changes has dimmed in most of the countries surveyed; in some, support for democracy and capitalism has diminished markedly. In many nations, majorities or pluralities say that most people were better off under communism, and there is a widespread view that the business class and political leadership have benefited from the changes more than ordinary people. Nonetheless, self-reported life satisfaction has risen significantly in these societies compared with nearly two decades ago when the Times Mirror Center first studied public opinion in the former Eastern bloc, said Richard Wike, associate director of the Pew Global Attitudes Study, at the event.
“The acceptance of- and appetite for- democracy is much less evident today among the publics of the former Soviet republics of Russia and Ukraine, who lived the longest under communism. In contrast, Eastern Europeans, especially the Czechs and those in the former East Germany, are more accepting of the economic and societal upheavals of the past two decades,” stated the study.
For instance, when asked if they approve of the change to democracy, ninety-one percent of East Germans approved it in 1991. Today that percentage has declined six points to 85%. The biggest drop in approval comes from the citizens of Bosnia and Ukraine. Seventy-six percent of Bosnians in 1991 approved of the change to democracy and seventy-two percent of Ukrainians supported the move. However, today that latter number stands at thirty percent.
“One of the most positive trends in Europe since the fall of the Wall is a decline in ethnic hostilities among the people of former communist countries. In a number of nations, fewer citizens feel they hold unfavorable views of ethnic minorities than did so in 1991. However, large percentages of citizens in former communist countries continue to have hostile views of minority groups and neighboring nationalities. The new poll also finds Western Europeans, in a number of examples, are at least as hostile toward minorities as are Eastern Europeans. Many in the West, especially Italy and Spain, hold hostile views of Muslims,” according to the study.
One might conclude that even though many people in Europe are happy that communism was destroyed and that the wall came down, many Europeans are skeptical about the alternatives. However, most Europeans rate that their lives are much better. In addition, three things have happened since the fall of communism. These three things are:
- There has been a rise in Russian nationalism;
- Most Europeans have positive views about NATO; and
- Ratings for the European Union are mostly positive.
Geoff Lewis is an intern at the American Journalism Center, a training program run by Accuracy in Media and Accuracy in Academia.
Twenty years ago the Berlin wall that divided Germany from freedom and communism came down. At a recent event at the Heritage Foundation, panelists reviewed the “pulse” of Europe twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. “Nearly two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, publics of former Iron Curtain countries generally look back approvingly at the collapse of communism,” according to “The Pulse of Europe 2009,” a study released by the Pew Global Attitudes Project in 2009. “Majorities of people in most former Soviet republics and Eastern European countries endorse the emergence of multiparty systems and a free market economy” stated the study.
However, the initial widespread enthusiasm about these changes has dimmed in most of the countries surveyed; in some, support for democracy and capitalism has diminished markedly. In many nations, majorities or pluralities say that most people were better off under communism, and there is a widespread view that the business class and political leadership have benefited from the changes more than ordinary people. Nonetheless, self-reported life satisfaction has risen significantly in these societies compared with nearly two decades ago when the Times Mirror Center first studied public opinion in the former Eastern bloc, said Richard Wike, associate director of the Pew Global Attitudes Study, at the event.
“The acceptance of- and appetite for- democracy is much less evident today among the publics of the former Soviet republics of Russia and Ukraine, who lived the longest under communism. In contrast, Eastern Europeans, especially the Czechs and those in the former East Germany, are more accepting of the economic and societal upheavals of the past two decades,” stated the study.
For instance, when asked if they approve of the change to democracy, ninety-one percent of East Germans approved it in 1991. Today that percentage has declined six points to 85%. The biggest drop in approval comes from the citizens of Bosnia and Ukraine. Seventy-six percent of Bosnians in 1991 approved of the change to democracy and seventy-two percent of Ukrainians supported the move. However, today that latter number stands at thirty percent.
“One of the most positive trends in Europe since the fall of the Wall is a decline in ethnic hostilities among the people of former communist countries. In a number of nations, fewer citizens feel they hold unfavorable views of ethnic minorities than did so in 1991. However, large percentages of citizens in former communist countries continue to have hostile views of minority groups and neighboring nationalities. The new poll also finds Western Europeans, in a number of examples, are at least as hostile toward minorities as are Eastern Europeans. Many in the West, especially Italy and Spain, hold hostile views of Muslims,” according to the study.
One might conclude that even though many people in Europe are happy that communism was destroyed and that the wall came down, many Europeans are skeptical about the alternatives. However, most Europeans rate that their lives are much better. In addition, three things have happened since the fall of communism. These three things are:
- There has been a rise in Russian nationalism;
- Most Europeans have positive views about NATO; and
- Ratings for the European Union are mostly positive.
Geoff Lewis is an intern at the American Journalism Center, a training program run by Accuracy in Media and Accuracy in Academia.
