ABSTRACT
In the course of 1989, all the Soviet Union's European allies underwent a profound political transformation. The official line followed by the Soviet Union was based on the principle of 'free choice' and an associated 'demilitarization of relations'. The Soviet Union would have to be integrated into the competitive rivalry on the world market if it was to attain the higher level of economic performance on which it had set its sights. The countries of Eastern Europe have been faced with the need to follow the Soviet Union in its efforts to become competitive on the world markets. Even more so than Poland, the German Democratic Republic was a key element in Soviet control over Eastern Europe. The transition toward democracy and market economy first got under way in Hungary and Poland. The course of events in the land of the Magyars gave the Soviet leadership little ground for interference.
