Democracy collapsing in eastern Europe?

RUSSIA - FEBRUARY 04: Yalta Conference. Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin (from left to right), February 4-11, 1945. (Photo by Roger Viollet/Getty Images)

When we talk about people with different opinions in democratic societies, we refer to people who can perhaps argue and disagree, but can do it in an acceptable manner and within the limits of laws and constitutions. But, as feared by some at the beginning of the 2008 economic crisis, the upheaval has given oxygen to the troglodytes among us, who used to be just a marginal minority: the extreme left and extreme right wing groups, which are only interested in scoring points by insulting and aggressing anybody who doesn’t yield to their primitive views. Both sides are very efficiently fuelled and manipulated by Putin and his henchmen.

As to developments in eastern Europe, let’s not forget where they come from: while western Europe was nursed back to health thanks to the Marshall plan, strong institutions, democratic political systems, free elections and a functioning free press, eastern Europe was bludgeoned into submission by Stalin’s troops, secret services, tanks and propaganda – this for two generations, 1945-1989. It’s not so surprising that the former communist east Germany has the highest percentage of nazis. What is really surprising is seeing neo-nazi groups appearing in eastern Europe, which suffered from nazi occupation infinitely more than western Europe.

Kaczyński’s ultra-catholic Poland, Orbàn’s Hungary, etc. are a symptom of post-communist societies which, after a successful stint with democracy, have regurgitated the badly digested leftovers of communist societies.

Let’s face it – eastern Europe didn’t choose to join the Soviet sphere of influence, it was gifted to Stalin in Yalta, by Churchill and Roosevelt – so we can only blame ourselves for the continuing consequences of that tragic mistake

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