ABSTRACT
SincetheendoftheSecondWorldWar,democraticstrivingshave surfacedagainandagaininthesocialistbloccountriesofeastern EuropewithintheSovietUnion'ssphereofinfluence.Theseefforts havealwaysbeenblockedorsuppressed,onlytoreappearsomewhere elseatalatermoment.Suchattemptstowingreaterdemocracyhave variedintheircharacterandformaccordingtothesocialstructures andpoliticaltraditionsofthecountryconcerned.However,inthe courseoftime,thedifferenceshavebecomelessmarkedandspecific factorshaveceasedtoplaysuchanimportantrole,withtheresultthat wearenowseeingaconvergenceofemphasisonpoliticaldemocratization,whichisviewedincreasinglyasasinequononofadeveloped socialistsociety.Thelatestdevelopmenttoconfirmthisbynow undeniabletrendistheestablishmentofdistinctlyanalogousgroups andevenmovementsinanumberofsocialistcountries.Allofthese groupsandmovementscallfortherestorationofdemocraticpracticesor,whereapplicable,theirinstitutionandgradualassertion withintheframeworkofthegivensocialorder,andemphasizethe needtoimplementandrespectinalienablehumanandcivilrights. Thesegroupsandmovementshavealreadybeensuccessfulinestablishingadegreeofcontinuitywhichshowshopefulsignsofbeingable tosurviveperiodsofincreasedpoliticalrigidityinindividualcountriesorevenonabloc-widescale.Althoughitisfartooearlytospeak ofthistrendassumingreallyinternationalproportions,thereis,none theless,awideningacceptanceofthevitalneedforco-operationand acommonplatform,atleastwithinthebloc.
