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Heritage of the Cold War

Heritage of the Cold War. Lecture 4. Main challenges of the 90’s . Political transformation and instability Economic decrease Lustration: juridical and moral evaluation of collaborates . Political transformation and instability.

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Heritage of the Cold War

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  1. Heritage of the Cold War Lecture 4

  2. Main challenges of the 90’s • Political transformation and instability • Economic decrease • Lustration: juridical and moral evaluation of collaborates

  3. Political transformation and instability • Almost all countries of CEE suffered from political instabilityin the early 90’s • Bulgaria: in October 1991 the socialist party lost second election to center-right Union of Democratic Forces. • Romania: government was forced to resign in the fall of 1991 (a year and a half after it took office) • Poland: new elections was held in 1993; former communists gained 64 percents of the seats in Parliament • Czechoslovakia: new elections in 1992; demands for separation of Slovakia; Slovakia and the Czech Republic went their separate ways after January 1, 1993

  4. Economic decrease • Shock therapy in Poland vs. gradual transformation in Hungary or Czechoslovakia: reform’s models were quite different although the outcome was rather similar • Poland: 1991 - GDP declined more than 7 percent; 1992 – GDP dropped by another 20 percent; unemployment in 1993 reached about 16 percent • Czechoslovakia: 1991 – GDP fell by 16 percent; 1992 – GDP dropped by 20 percent • Hungary: between 1989 and 1992 GDP decreased by 30 percent; unemployment at the end of 1993 was over 13 percent

  5. Lustration • Lustration: the examination of certain groups of people, especially politicians, public officials, and judges, to determine whether they had been members or collaborators of the secret police or held any other positions in the repressive apparatus of the totalitarian regime. • Lustration laws was enacted in Czechoslovakia in 1991, followed by Lithuania in the same year, Bulgaria in 1992, Hungary in 1994, Albania in 1995, and Poland in 1997 • Argument: Lustration laws may contribute to the consolidation of emerging democracy. Activities of former political and security networks during the absence of the law were associated with illegal activities, such as blackmail, subversive and criminal activities, mutual accusations, political scandals, and the abuse of power.

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