World History
The failure of Balkan Communism and the causes of the Revolutions of 1989. Steve Sowards of Michigan State University has this lecture up on the failure of communism in the Balkans. It is part of a larger Twenty-Five Lectures on Modern Balkans History.
Sowards cites fours causes for the failure of communism in this area:
1. Collapse due to economic failure.
2. Collapse due to the arms race.
3. Collapse due to "perestroika" in the Soviet Union.
4. Collapse due to the rise of alternatives to Communism.
From the site:
The Revolutions of 1989 that ended Soviet-style Communism in the East European socialist states from the Baltic to the Balkans, were both dramatic and largely unexpected. It will be many years before a full documentary record is available, or the evidence that is required for a complete, reliable picture of what happened. However, one can discuss the causes of 1989, and explore some interpretations. This lecture discusses four explanations. Many of the key events in those explanations are interrelated, and it makes some sense to treat them as four stages in a lengthy process.
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World History
The failure of Balkan Communism and the causes of the Revolutions of 1989
The failure of Balkan Communism and the causes of the Revolutions of 1989. Steve Sowards of Michigan State University has this lecture up on the failure of communism in the Balkans. It is part of a larger Twenty-Five Lectures on Modern Balkans History.
Sowards cites fours causes for the failure of communism in this area:
1. Collapse due to economic failure.
2. Collapse due to the arms race.
3. Collapse due to "perestroika" in the Soviet Union.
4. Collapse due to the rise of alternatives to Communism.
From the site:
The Revolutions of 1989 that ended Soviet-style Communism in the East European socialist states from the Baltic to the Balkans, were both dramatic and largely unexpected. It will be many years before a full documentary record is available, or the evidence that is required for a complete, reliable picture of what happened. However, one can discuss the causes of 1989, and explore some interpretations. This lecture discusses four explanations. Many of the key events in those explanations are interrelated, and it makes some sense to treat them as four stages in a lengthy process.
- Free European History Courses
Several universities are putting complete courses online for free now. Visitors can peruse course materials and watch lectures even if they do not get any academic credit for it. MIT is probably the best known for this but some other schools are as well...
- 8 Important Lessons Learned From '80s Cartoons
8 Important Lessons Learned from '80s Cartoons. Maybe this article is not history related but I think it is. What lessons did the cartoons from the '80s, (The Smurfs, G.I. Joe, He-Man, and The Transformers) teach children? Several cartoons seem...
- At Cold War's End: Us Intelligence On The Soviet Union And Eastern Europe, 1989-1991
At Cold War's End: US Intelligence on the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, 1989-1991 - A CIA document including links to full-text intelligence reports on events during the final years the Soviet Union and the Cold War. It also includes a brief historical...
- Encyclopedia Of 1848 Revolutions
Encyclopedia of 1848 Revolutions. Articles about the people and ideas motivating the 1848 European revolutions. Most articles have bibliographies. From the site: The 1848 Revolutions challenge the maxim that winners write history. But the very concept...
- Twenty-five Lectures On Modern Balkans History
Twenty-Five Lectures on Modern Balkans History. This site has a large number of essays dealing with the most problematic region of Europe. These were all written by Steven Sowards of Michigan State University. From the site: One can't understand...