collapse of communism

Cultural  

1. A stunning series of events between 1989 and 1991 that led to the fall of communist regimes in eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Faced with massive popular opposition and the unwillingness of President Mikhail Gorbachev to send Soviet troops to their rescue, communist governments lost power, first in Poland, where the communists agreed to free elections that swept into power candidates endorsed by Solidarity in June 1989. Demands for reform spread across East Germany in the fall of 1989 and led to the end of the Berlin Wall (see also Berlin Wall) and the unification of East and West Germany. In November 1989 the communist government of Czechoslovakia resigned, and in December a violent revolution led to the overthrow and execution of Romania's communist boss, Nicolae Ceausescu. The Bulgarian parliament revoked the Communist party's monopoly on power in 1990, and in 1991 popular opposition forced the resignation of the communist cabinet in Albania. The failure of a communist-led coup d'état against Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union in August 1991 ended the party's control of the military and government.

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Example Sentences

Like many plots of land in Albania, the area is subject to property disputes dating back to the collapse of communism in the 1990s.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

He recounts marveling at the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism, which released Eastern Europe from bondage and allowed his own country to emerge from the shadow of the Soviet Union.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

Local media says the body has handed down only two convictions since the collapse of communism and the procedure that could see Glapinski end up there could take months.

From Reuters • Nov. 27, 2023

November 1989: The Berlin Wall falls as East Germany’s hard-line leadership opens its borders, a key moment in the collapse of communism in eastern Europe.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 31, 2022

The 15 former Soviet republics and the countries of Eastern Europe posted growth of 1.8%, reversing the long downturn that followed the collapse of communism.

From The 1998 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency