ABSTRACT

The revolution of 1989 also shook the ideological fronts. Many (Beck, Fest, Ruffin) assert and lament the new uncertainty that has broken out in Western democracies with the disappearance of the common enemy to the east. Yet perhaps such uncertainty also entails a chance to eliminate old prejudices and discuss new themes that had previously been closed up firmly in ideological drawers. In this hope, I wrote an article entitled ‘Aprioren der Totalitarismustheorie’1 in 1991, an article considering whether this theory or approach might contribute to the explanation of the collapse and further development of the states that had been governed by Communists in central and eastern Europe. I would like to pick up on these ideas again today and to continue with a glance at the events of the past three years.