ABSTRACT
The collapse of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989 created a broad and daunting agenda for the new coalition governments in the region: the recreation of democratic politics; the construction of market economies; and a reorientation of foreign policy toward the West. These changes required a fundamental transformation of the social and economic systems of the countries and even a psychological reorientation for much of the population. In 1989, the peaceful revolutions could not be as ruthless or as thorough. The most important changes were in the political realm, and even these were limited primarily to the displacement of the communist party. The institutions of the government, the bureaucracy, and the economy largely remained in place. This chapter considers the rebuilding of the political and economic orders in the former communist states and their often difficult transitions toward political democracy and market economies. It presents summaries of the post communist political developments in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania.
