ABSTRACT
Some Communist countries in Eastern Europe continued a pretense of democracy by including token representatives of non-Communist parties in the government. Mounting dissent, open and clandestine, has become a particularly disturbing factor in nearly all East European countries. The Catholic church, aided mainly by its better organization and international affiliation, has been more successful in resisting Communist antireligious measures than other churches. By periodic purges of the leadership and ranks, reissuance of party cards, and organizational changes, the Communist parties sought to strengthen their position. So powerful is the Catholic church in Eastern Europe that in the 1970s all the Communist governments, except that of Albania, have been obliged to seek accommodations with it. In every East European country one hears criticism of the government for its undemocratic practices, monopoly of power, violation of human rights, and economic exploitation.
