ABSTRACT
During 1990 there were fundamental shifts in the composition and character of the East European regimes. These changes were accompanied by the flight from power of the Communist parties in virtually all of these nation states. Not all of these parties, however, withdrew in good form; and not all have survived or evolved into viable political movements in their respective nation states. From the perspective of these parties and societies, the transition has not been as easy as many had imagined. It has not been as smooth or conducted with as much good will as many had hoped; it has not been particularly well organized; and it has not been accompanied by a new and clear pragmatic orientation among the former Communist parties. Most importantly for an ideological party, however, the scope, scale, range, and intensity of the changes cannot be explained by Marxism, Leninism, or any form of national or eurocommunist philosophy.
