Decommunization

. Before 2017, ulica Anny German in Poznań (Anna German Street) was named in honor of Julian Leński. Decommunization in former communist states is the process of purging former communist high officials and eliminating communist symbols. It is sometimes referred to as political cleansing. Although the term has been occasionally used during the Cold War, it is most commonly applied to the former countries of the Eastern Bloc, those countries that were considered being close to the Eastern Bloc and the Soviet Union to describe a number of legal and social changes during their periods of postcommunism during the post–Cold War era. In some states, decommunization includes bans on communist symbols. While sharing common traits, the processes of decommunization have run differently in different states.

. Before 2017, ulica Anny German in Poznań (Anna German Street) was named in honor of Julian Leński. ]] Decommunization in former communist states is the process of purging former communist high officials and eliminating communist symbols. It is sometimes referred to as political cleansing. Although the term has been occasionally used during the Cold War, it is most commonly applied to the former countries of the Eastern Bloc, those countries that were considered being close to the Eastern Bloc and the Soviet Union to describe a number of legal and social changes during their periods of postcommunism during the post–Cold War era. In some states, decommunization includes bans on communist symbols. While sharing common traits, the processes of decommunization have run differently in different states.

Responsible institutions

Bulgaria - The Institute for Study of Communist Crimes in Bulgaria Czechia – The Office of the Documentation and the Investigation of the Crimes of Communism Estonia – The Estonian International Commission for Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity Hungary – The Committee of National Remembrance Latvia – The Centre for the Documentation of the Consequences of Totalitarianism ( ) Lithuania – The Lithuanian Center for the Research of Genocide and Resistance Moldova – The Commission for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Moldova Poland – The Institute of National Remembrance — Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation Romania – The Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania Slovakia – The Institute of National Memory – Ústav pamäti národa (Sk) Ukraine – The Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance

Purging and prosecution of former communist officials

and his wife Elena were executed by firing squad for various atrocities]] Decommunization came to refer to government policies of limiting the participation of former communist officials in politics. This should not be confused with lustration which is the procedure of scrutinizing holders or candidates for public offices in terms being former informants of the communist secret police. According to a 1992 constitutional amendment in the Czech Republic, a person who publicly denies, puts in doubt, approves, or tries to justify Nazi or Communist genocide or other crimes of Nazis or Communists will be punished with a prison term of six months to three years. In 1992, Barbara Harff wrote that no Communist country or governing body had been convicted of genocide. In August 2007, Arnold Meri, an Estonian Red Army veteran and cousin of former Estonian president Lennart Meri, faced charges of genocide by Estonian authorities for participating in the deportations of Estonians in Hiiumaa during 1949. Meri denied the accusation, characterizing them as politically motivated defamation, stating: "I do not consider myself guilty of genocide." The trial was halted when Meri died on 27 March 2009 at the age of 89.

State leaders

Bulgaria – Todor Zhivkov was initially sentenced to seven years in prison, but transferred to house arrest for health reasons. He was later declared innocent by the Supreme Court of Bulgaria in 1996 and was released from house arrest shortly thereafter. He died as a free man one year later. Cambodia – Kang Kek Iew, Nuon Chea, and Khieu Samphan are Khmer Rouge leaders convicted by the UN-backed Khmer Rouge Tribunal. East Germany – Erich Honecker was arrested, but soon released and the proceedings against him were abandoned due to his ill health. He died in 1994¹. Several other members of the former East German government, such as Egon Krenz, were nonetheless convicted. Ethiopia – Mengistu Haile Mariam was sentenced to death but later commuted to life imprisonment after being found guilty in absentia. Poland – Wojciech Jaruzelski avoided most court appearances, citing poor health, and was never convicted. He died as a free man in 2014¹ and was buried with full military honors at the Powązki Military Cemetery, attended by the incumbent president of Poland, as well as two former presidents. Romania – Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena Ceaușescu were sentenced to death and executed by firing squad.

Elimination of communist symbols

Results

Communist parties outside of Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic states were not outlawed and their members were not prosecuted. Just a few places attempted to exclude even members of communist secret services from decision-making. In a number of countries, the communist party simply changed its name and continued to function. Stephen Holmes of the University of Chicago argued in 1996 that after a period of active decommunization, it was met with a near-universal failure. After the introduction of lustration, demand for scapegoats has become relatively low, and former communists have been elected for high governmental and other administrative positions. Holmes notes that the only real exception was former East Germany, where thousands of former Stasi informers have been fired from public positions. Holmes suggests the following reasons for the turnoff of decommunization: After 45–70 years of Communist state rule, nearly every family has members associated with the state. After the initial desire "to root out the reds" came a realization that massive punishment is wrong and finding only some guilty is hardly justice. The urgency of the current economic problems of postcommunism makes the crimes of the communist past "old news" for many citizens. Decommunization is believed to be a power game of elites. The difficulty of dislodging the social elite makes it require a totalitarian state to disenfranchise the "enemies of the people" quickly and efficiently and a desire for normalcy overcomes the desire for punitive justice. Very few people have a perfectly clean slate and so are available to fill the positions that require significant expertise.

See also

Anti-communism Bans on communist symbols Communist crimes in Polish legal system Lustration in Poland Decommunization in Ukraine Demolition of monuments to Vladimir Lenin in Ukraine Derussification Decommunization in Russia Denazification De-Leninization De-Stalinization De-Ba'athification De-Sinicization De-Sukarnoization Communist nostalgia Nostalgia for the Soviet Union Ostalgie Estonian International Commission for Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity Proclamation of Timișoara Golaniad Street name controversy Vergangenheitsbewältigung

Further reading

Kończal, Kornelia (2022), Persistent Legacies of Communism, or the Ongoing Purification of Public Space in post-1989 Poland, in: European Review 30 (4), p. 490–504.

References

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1371869101 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.