Eastern Bloc Research Articles

Voluntary Geographies of Internationalism: The Contributions of a Radical Mexican Family to Global Pacifism, Feminism, and Anticolonialism

This article addresses geographies of internationalism, feminism, pacifism, and anticolonialism, by investigating the case of pacifist and feminist activist Clementina Batalla Torres de Bassols (1894–1987) and her son, geographer Ángel Bassols Batalla (1925–2012). Based in Mexico and involved in global conferencing on pacifism, women’s rights, and geography, this activist and scholarly family provided examples of voluntary commitment to internationalism as both an ethical stance and a political option. Although not extraneous to Cold War logics, as they explicitly sympathized with the Eastern Bloc between the 1950s and the 1980s, the Bassols Batallas acted independently from party logics, following their family history rooted in the independent socialist traditions of Cardenismo and of the Mexican Revolution. They voluntarily contributed to international circulation of ideas without seeking any leading role in the international associations with which they worked. This case allows for constructing ideas of voluntarism and individual agency as drivers for internationalism and informal diplomacy. Furthermore, although some aspects of their pacifism and feminism might seem outmoded, these scholars and activists fostered ideas of social and cultural struggles across plural axes through transnational, anticolonial, and multilingual engagement that can still inspire critical and decolonial geographies.

“Different New Music in Yugoslavia”: The Earliest Minimalist Manifestations

Some of Yugoslavia’s most radical musical manifestations unfolded during the 1970s and 1980s. Aided by postwar Yugoslav cultural programs, the iconic Student Cultural Center (SKC) in Belgrade – a student-managed “safe space” for free expression and creativity – opened its doors in 1971 and instantly became a magnet for experimental musicians throughout the Western and Eastern Blocs. A group of rebellious composers and performers – Opus 4 and the Ensemble for Different New Music made some of the largest strides in Yugoslav music history and defined a new era of avant-garde and a unique brand of minimalism, influenced by performance and conceptual art, Cage-style experimentalism, Fluxus, and the use of multimedia. This study briefly illustrates their robust vision that connected the East with the West in a fruitful exchange of ideas, despite the geo-political division of the world at the time.

Two Communist Esperantists: A Bulgarian-Japanese Dialogue

The Japanese Kurisu Kei (1910–2009) and the Bulgarian Nikola Aleksiev (1909–2002) never met. They were devoted to communism (for which they were imprisoned several times) and at the same time enthused about Esperanto. In 1933–34, Kurisu received a coded warning from a Soviet citizen (a veteran Communist and Esperantist) against Stalin’s terror regime. Kurisu put this experience aside for a long time. In the 1930s, he used Esperanto to spread Georgi Dimitrov's plea for an anti-fascist popular front in Japan. He became a renowned translator from Czech literature and maintained a worldwide correspondence. It was not until 1951 that he left the Japanese Communist Party. His Esperanto involvement contributed significantly to the departure from communist beliefs. In 1992, after the collapse of the Eastern bloc, he got in touch with Aleksiev, who had been a leading figure for the party in Bulgaria and for the Esperanto movement as well. Kurisu accused him of having unswervingly defended the imperialist policy of the Soviet Union. Aleksiev exercised some self-criticism. He admitted that communist rule had not been brought down by the class enemy , but by its own mistakes and crimes , and recalled an old taboo: the murder of Soviet Esperantists under Stalin.

A Critical Examination of the Role of Stakeholders in the Regulation of Competition among Business Enterprises in Cameroon

Competition law is a tool first employed by countries more than a hundred years ago, to address issues relating to restrictions on competition conducted by private firms. Competition law is still predominantly an instrument to resolve national problems while the dominance of market based economies in the last fifty years, particularly following the collapse of the eastern bloc, in combination with improvements in transport, communications and technology have progressively dismantled national borders and internationalized trade. Against this backdrop, the objective of this paper is to examine the role of stakeholders in the regulation of competition among business enterprises in Cameroon. In carrying out this research, the doctrinal method was engaged, drawing from primary and secondary sources of data. It is therefore, recommended inter alia that, business enterprises should strictly observe and adhere to the mechanisms put in place in ensuring fair competition so as to guarantee a much better level of stability and sustainability in doing business in Cameroon.

1989 in Poland (Up to the June Elections) in the Journalism of Le Monde

The article aims to show how one of the most influential centre-to-left French journal Le Monde assessed the political developments in Poland from the end of 1988 until the Solidarity victory in the June elections. The attitude of Le Monde towards the changes in the Soviet Union and its external empire is considered as well but it serves only as a contextual backdrop. The French newspaper observed the irreversible nature of the ongoing processes in the Soviet Union that marked a significant change in Gorbachev’s foreign policy approach. The political developments of all members of the Eastern Bloc were closely examined by the daily but the changing dynamics in the Polish People’s Republic directed most of the magazine’s focus towards the situation in that country. It may seem astonishing that the journal analysed the puzzling murders of Polish priests and scrutinised the reforms introduced by M. Rakowski in significant detail. However, these issues were considered intertwined with the progress of Poland’s political transformation. The agreements made at the Round Table and the results of the June elections were viewed as significant accomplishments. The Solidarity was commended for abstaining from abrupt actions that could threaten the agreement with the authorities. Le Monde opines that such actions could be hazardous owing to the present geopolitical situation and the likelihood of resistance within the party.

Chinese Funding: A Curse to Africa

The role of China in the liberation of Africa from colonial rule cannot be down played as I laid a foundation to Africa today. Most African countries were aided by China militarily and ideologically in the fight against Western colonial rule. Though some scholars would suggest that China`s contribution was as a result of the hostility that was there in the times of the cold war between the self-acclaimed democrats of the Western bloc and the Communist Eastern bloc. Philosophers like Marx Engel, Karl Marx, Lenin and Mao Zedong had a major influence on the liberation of Africa. The purpose of this paper is to show how the relationship that started as sincere has become a curse for the poor and unconnected Africans. In recent years the Chinese has overtaken the Briton hood Institutes of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank as the major lenders of loans to African States. Kwame Nkrumah warned us of the danger of Africa being recolonised in what he termed neo colonialism where the colonisers will come as investors. Neo colonialism is no longer a theory but has become a reality as will be exposed in this article using empirical, qualitative and quantitative research methods to show how a friendship with China has benefited the elite politicians at the cost of citizens affairs. Africa is endowed with natural resources yet it has the poorest population per Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. The paper will show how it is easy for a Chinese to own a business in Africa compared to the native Africans using the case of Shurugwi in Zimbabwe.

Silent Struggles: Exploring Apathy and Civic Passivity among Czech Citizens in Debt Enforcement

Abstract This research paper presents a novel contribution to the field by addressing an important and previously neglected issue: the impact of debt enforcement actions on the political views of Czech citizens. The study employs a qualitative research design and draws on data collected through interviews with individuals who have experienced debt enforcement. Specifically, the study focuses on how these individuals perceive state power and politics, revealing a concerning pattern of alienation from the state. Notably, most participants did not seek assistance or advice from state institutions when facing debt enforcement, exhibiting apathy, critical attitudes and civic passivity. These results are significant, as they introduce a potentially important explanatory variable in citizens’ political attitudes, with potential implications extending beyond the Czech Republic to other former Eastern Bloc countries.

Problem państw de facto w stosunkach międzynarodowych w okresie dekolonizacji w Afryce

THE PROBLEM OF DE FACTO STATES IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DURING THE DECOLONISATION IN AFRICA: THE CASE OF KATANGA AND SOUTH KASAI In modern history of Sub-Saharan Africa there have been several attempts of secession, most of which failed. Some of them were successful, such as Eritrea or South Sudan, others were close to success, such as Katanga in the Belgian Congo or Biafra in Nigeria, and some others never had any practical chances of success, such as Cabinda, aiming to separate from Angola, or South Kasai from Congo. The Republic of Congo, one of the largest countries in Sub Saharan Africa, was the first of the independent states in this region to experience civil war and separatism. This former Belgian colony gained independence on 30 June 1960 and was plunged into an internal conflict just two weeks later. The military rebellion and the chaos that arose in the country after the declaration of independence were used by politicians from the mineral-rich Katanga and South Kasai provinces. The conflict, taking place in the realities of the Cold War and decolonisation, became an element of a larger international game between the Western world, the Eastern bloc, and non-aligned countries. Katanga is the only example so far when the international community has made an effort towards ending secession of an unrecognised state and has tried to restore state unity using military force through the United Nations.

In the Service of the Eastern Bloc: Czechoslovak Intelligence and the Cyprus Conflict 1974–1989

ABSTRACT Even after the division of the island in 1974, the ‘Cyprus Issue’ remained a significant determinant in the relations between Greece and Turkey. In the context of the ongoing Cold War, the Eastern Bloc sought to exploit this situation, aiming to undermine the cohesion of NATO’s southeastern wing. The primary objective of this study is to assess how one of the socialist states, Czechoslovakia, attempted to influence the Cyprus conflict between 1974 and 1989 through its foreign intelligence services. The study illustrates this through the example of the Czechoslovak residency in Nicosia, showcasing Czechoslovakia’s intelligence methods in recruiting foreign collaborators, acquiring information, and conducting intelligence operations in one of the world’s most geopolitically exposed regions.

Inflation comovement in emerging economies: The facts and impact of global prices

The traditional notion that inflation is a domestic monetary phenomenon has been challenged by the existence of global inflationary factors that cause inflation comovement patterns. Understanding and estimating such comovement and its drivers is critical for effective policymaking. This study analyzes the temporal pattern and determining factors of inflation comovement of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, comparing it to other former Eastern Bloc economies that entered the European Union (EU), and to other groups of advanced economies. We use monthly data on 26 countries classified into four groups and examine headline, core, food and utilities inflation from December 2006 to October 2021. We find that inflation comovement increased over the study period for all inflation categories, except food inflation, for all groups of countries, with comovement in CIS countries being the lowest. Moreover, positive changes in global energy prices significantly impact CIS inflation comovement, but not negative changes.

Pride of the East: Motorcycle Speedway, Transnational Encounters and Provincial Heartlands

AbstractFor a century, speedway has operated on a transnational basis. Its riders, competitions and machinery regularly traverse national and continental borders. The imposition of the Cold War's Iron Curtain did little to impede its growth. This article focuses on one of speedway's far‐flung and diverse provincial heartlands to show how the sport generated frequent transnational and transsystemic interactions and forged deep relationships that often stood in contrast to the prevailing trends of international politics. As one of speedway's ‘entangled peripheries’, rural East Anglia owes a debt of gratitude to Australasian pioneers. From the 1950s—decades before imported talent became commonplace in football—the region welcomed Scandinavian and Eastern Bloc riders and hosted visiting clubs and national representations from across the continent. Later, East Anglia became a bridgehead for the successful assault of communist‐built machinery on the Western market. These bold endeavours were not without controversy, as British riders voiced objections to foreign men and machines deemed a threat to their livelihoods. The Cold War's end accelerated existing trends and also created exciting new opportunities for itinerant East Anglians abroad. Archival material, conversations with the sport's foreign trailblazers and fans, Swedish and Czechoslovak sources, photographs and official publications serve to demonstrate speedway's enduring ability to forge unexpected ties and give voice to regions at the so‐called margins of twentieth‐century history.

The arsenal of democracy? An examination of political regime types’ success in the global sporting arms race following the collapse of the iron curtain

ABSTRACT Over the years, international elite sport has developed into an ‘arms race’ with the success of national elite sport systems becoming a symbol of regime superiority. During the Cold War, the Eastern and Western Blocs battled for success in various sports disciplines. The former nations were dominating in terms of medals, symbolising the force of the socialist autocratic system. However, because of the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, Western liberal democracies had the opportunity to gain more strength. In this paper, we aim to test whether this has happened by analysing the association between political regime type and international sporting success at the Winter and Summer Olympic Games in the post-Cold War Period. We do this by deploying data on the political regime types to a set of regression models, finding that democratic nations have taken over the international sporting arms race at the Summer Olympic Games. For the Winter Games, our results indicate that less democratic countries (anocracies) are in the lead. Our results add to existing research by suggesting that political regime type still matters to international sporting success. Implications for stakeholders, sports managers, and politicians are that they must decide to what extent they want to be part of this game in the coming years.

“Raiders of the past”: Bulgarian state Security’s cultural historical intelligence in service of Regime’s quest for “socialist patriotism”

ABSTRACT The essential purpose of this article is to revisit the functions and role of the Bulgarian State Security’s Department XIV, also known as the Cultural Historical Intelligence Department (CHI or Kulturno istorichesko razuznavane). This analysis examines how the department served as a policy support tool for the regime’s pursuit of legitimacy in the late 1970s. It also explores how the department supported cultural nationalism while combatting ‘ideological subversion.’ This overview aims to add to a more nuanced understanding of the foreign intelligence apparatuses’ roles and functions in the former Eastern Bloc totalitarian states in the shadow of their Soviet counterpart. In this case, nuances are sought to improve understanding of Todor Zhivkov’s totalitarian regime’s inception and instrumentalization of CHI in the quest for internal and external credibility and prestige while attempting to trace a path to a unique form of national communism.

The Impact of Mental Models on the Transition from Communism to Capitalism. The Comparative Case Study of Azerbaijan and Poland

The purpose of the article. The breakdown of the so-called Eastern Bloc, the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and the demise of communism fueled transition processes in Central and Eastern Europe, Western Asia, and Central Asia. The great majority of transformation difficulties across different areas demonstrate that when pursuing the process of a structural change, it is important to take into account diverse sets of formal and informal institutions preserved in each country. Each country has a unique set of formal and informal institutions. These differences are easily observed between Poland and Azerbaijan. The aim of this paper is to compare and contrast the outcomes of Poland and Azerbaijan's transitions from communism to capitalism and to identify the primary factors driving these two different transformations. Methodology. The paper presents two complementary methods to compare the transitions from communism to capitalism in Poland and Azerbaijan. The first method involves secondary analysis, where existing data from reputable sources such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) database, the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI), and country reports are compiled to provide insights into economic, political, and social indicators. Additionally, a comparative case study approach is employed, using Geert Hofstede's six cultural dimensions framework to explore the cultural influences on transition outcomes. By integrating these methods, the study aims to offer a comprehensive analysis of the transformation processes in Poland and Azerbaijan. Results of the research. The results of the analysis presented in the paper support the hypothesis that the historically-shaped differences in mental models and strong ties to international protectors determined the paths of transformations in Poland and Azerbaijan. The primary similarities and contrasts in the mindset are justified by the colonial or imperial history of the nations.

Earnings assimilation of post‐reunification East German migrants in West Germany

AbstractWe investigate the wage assimilation of East Germans who migrated to West Germany after reunification (1990–99). We compare their wage assimilation to that of ethnic German immigrants from Eastern Bloc countries and international immigrants to West Germany who arrived at the same time. The analysis uses administrative as well as survey data. The results suggest that East Germans faced significant initial earnings disadvantages in West Germany, even conditional on age and education. However, these disadvantages were smaller than those of international immigrants, supporting the beneficial role of cultural similarity. The earnings gap relative to West German natives narrowed over time for all immigrants. These findings are robust to controlling for potentially endogenous return migration and labor force participation. Controls for fixed effects reveal that positive assimilation for East German and international immigrants was concentrated among highly educated immigrants.

EU-Osterweiterung – Bilanz und Perspektiven

Abstract May 1, 2024 marked the 20th anniversary of the EU’s eastward enlargement. At that time, ten new member states joined the European Union, seven of which belonged to the former Eastern bloc. The enlargement is a success story, as the new members have since achieved high growth rates, and this has driven the convergence process between old and new member states. In view of increasing geopolitical crises, including at the EU’s direct external borders, only a prosperous EU can remain an anchor of stability. The following questions arise: What impact has the enlargement had on the old and new EU member states? What lessons can be applied to future enlargements, for example with regard to (delayed) accessions to the internal market and the eurozone?

„In Vielfalt vereint“ – Die wirtschaftliche Lage in den Beitrittsländern nach 20 Jahren in der EU

Abstract Twenty years have passed since the largest enlargement of the European Union in history. During the eastern enlargement, 10 new member states entered the union, seven of which belonged to the former Eastern bloc. The new members have since experienced astonishing growth rates, closing the large gap between them and the rest of the EU. The GDP growth rates were consistently higher than those of the original members. Now, the EU must once again look east: the integration of the West Balkan countries would be a crucial step in the future development of the EU, not only economically, but also politically, provided the formal provisions of an accession are satisfied. A strong united Europe benefits all.

“A Revolution in Economic Thinking” – USAID and Privatization in Latin America and Eastern Europe (1981–1993)

Abstract: With Ronald Reagan’s ascent to power in January 1981, the conservatives were eager to promote neoliberalism to revitalize America at home and weaken the Communists and the New International Economic Order abroad. Surprisingly, the main vehicle of this ideological offensive was an agency long hated by the American conservatives, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Throughout the 1980s, the agency promoted neoliberal dogmas in developing countries, especially in Latin America which was considered as a testing ground for the neoliberal ideology. To achieve this goal, USAID promoted an important tenet of neoliberalism as a tool for economic development: privatization. At the same time, the agency established various collaborations with different types of actors in a “neoliberal nebula” in which it found an important place. At the end of the 1980s, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Eastern Bloc provided the reaganized agency its most important test: the promotion of free-market economy in the socialist countries. This article examines how USAID became part of the ideological offensive led by the Reagan administration through its transformation into a neoliberal actor seeking to promote privatization in developing countries. In the process, Latin America became a testing ground for these new policies, but also a blueprint for those that USAID would soon implement in the Eastern Bloc after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Socialist in content, national in form: Small-scale housing estates in Budapest between 1945 and 1960

Abstract In the second half of the 20th century, solving the housing crisis became a significant social issue and political task throughout Europe, particularly in the countries of the Eastern Bloc. Although due to its quantity, prefabricated large mass housing estates became overrepresented, dozens of smaller, experimental, and diverse mass housing forms also emerged. It is hypothesized, that these small housing estates, due to their scale and quality, are urban planning projects that were realized across political, economic, and architectural changes. To demonstrate their adaptability, this paper presents the small housing estates built in one of the capitals of the Eastern Bloc countries—Budapest—during the most turbulent one-and-a-half decades of the socialist era (1945–1960). The research consists of three main parts: (1) Hungarian politics and housing policy, (2) Budapest's urban policy, and (3) a brief presentation of the urban planning and architectural aspects of Budapest's small housing estates. The result of the research is the creation of a complete small housing estates portfolio, illustrated archive articles, archival plans, and photographs. It becomes evident that although the times from World War II to the consolidation of power saw vastly different political eras, directives, and ideals realized, along with various architectural styles and housing policies, the small housing estate as an urban planning product was able to adapt and survive. Moreover, it is a valuable architectural, housing, and urban planning imprint of the era, the only mass housing form realized in numerous examples in Budapest.

Italo-Soviet Architectural Exchanges and Postmodernism under Late Socialism

A global movement, architectural postmodernism cannot be reduced simply to the cultural logic of late capitalism, nor should its analysis be restricted, as in recent revisionist histories, to the geo- graphical confines of the Eastern Bloc. By revealing that the ideas, design strategies and images that make up postmodern architecture did not belong squarely to either side of the Cold War geopolitical divide, this paper argues that a full understanding of the movement requires an inquiry going beyond the scope of a single ideological context. The emergence of architectural postmodernism is to be located in the interstitial space between the 'capitalist West' and the 'socialist East'. Yet familiar narratives of knowledge transfer from the former to the latter are reductive and fail to capture historical reality in all its complexity and ambiguity. For instance, Aldo Rossi's work was known and may have been consciously replicated by Soviet architects. Less acknowledged is the fact that, in the Italian context, the rise of architectural postmodernism went hand in hand with the consolidation of a 'tradition of study of Soviet architecture'. Rossi was just one among many Italian architects —  such as Paolo Portoghesi, Carlo Aymonino or Vittorio Gregotti —  who, undertaking a critique of modernism, drew crucial inspiration from Soviet architecture, particularly Socialist Realist theory and practice.