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Communist nostalgia

Summary

Communist nostalgia, also called communism nostalgia or socialist nostalgia, is the nostalgia in various post-communist states of Central and Eastern Europe and Russia for the prior communist states.[1][2][3]

Protest against Ukrainian decommunization policies in Donetsk, 2014. The red banner reads, "Our homeland USSR".
Soviet and GDR Memorabilia for sale in Berlin in 2006
Yugoslav symbols during a carnival in Ptuj, Slovenia, in 2013

Examples of such nostalgia can be observed in East Germany, Poland, the former Soviet Union, former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania,[4][5][6][7] the Czech Republic, Albania, and Slovakia.[8] Businesses have commercialized and commodified communist nostalgia in the form of communist chic and other commodities and products reminiscent of the former era.[8]

Insight edit

Dominik Bartmanski notes that after the anti-communist revolutions of 1989, the specific perspectives of the development remained unclear for some time, they were expressed in generic terms such as "return to Europe", "to Western values" and the like. This resulted in utopian expectations regarding capitalism and democracy. When confronted with the hardships of the transition, the "post-revolutionary utopianism" produced "post-revolutionary disenchantment".[3]

According to Kristen R. Ghodsee, a researcher on post-communist Eastern Europe:

"Only by examining how the quotidian aspects of daily life were affected by great social, political and economic changes can we make sense of the desire for this collectively imagined, more egalitarian past. Nobody wants to revive 20th century totalitarianism. But nostalgia for communism has become a common language through which ordinary men and women express disappointment with the shortcomings of parliamentary democracy and neoliberal capitalism today."[9]

Polling edit

Albania edit

A 2016 OSCE survey showed that 42% of Albanians said that communist leader Enver Hoxha had a positive impact, compared to 45% who said he had a negative impact. 35% of Albanians don't view the communist past of Albania as problematic, while 62% view it as at least somewhat problematic.[10]

Armenia edit

A 2013 Gallup survey showed that 66% of Armenians thought the dissolution of the USSR was harmful, the highest of any country surveyed, compared to 12% who thought it was beneficial.[11] Regret about dissolution later increased to 79% according to a 2017 Pew survey.[12]

Azerbaijan edit

A 2013 Gallup survey showed that 31% of Azerbaijanis thought the dissolution of the USSR was harmful, compared to 44% who thought it was beneficial.[11]

Belarus edit

A 2013 Gallup survey showed that 38% of Belarusians thought the dissolution of the USSR was harmful, compared to 26% who thought it was beneficial.[11] Regret about dissolution later increased to 54% according to a 2017 Pew survey.[12]

Bosnia and Herzegovina edit

In a 2016 Gallup survey, 77% of Bosnians said the breakup of Yugoslavia was harmful, compared to 6% who said it was beneficial.[13]

Bulgaria edit

In a 2019 survey, 45% of Bulgarians said that life was better under communist leader Todor Zhivkov, while 22% said life was worse. 74% agree with the popular cliché "They ruined this country".[14]

Croatia edit

In a 2016 Gallup survey, 23% of Croatians said the breakup of Yugoslavia was harmful, compared to 55% who said it was beneficial.

Czechia edit

In a 1991 survey, 15% of Czechs said the current regime was "much worse" or "a little worse" compared to the past communist regime, and 71% of Czechs said the current regime was "much better" or "a little better" compared to the past communist regimes. 2021 survey, 25% of Czechs said the current regime was "much worse" or "a little worse" compared to the past communist regime, and 59% of Czechs said the current regime was "much better" or "a little better" compared to the past communist regime.[15]

East Germany edit

In a 2009 survey, 49% of East Germans believed that "The GDR had more good sides than bad sides. There were some problems, but life was good there", while 8% believed that "The GDR had, for the most part, good sides. Life there was happier and better than in reunified Germany today", combining to a total of 57%.[16]

Georgia edit

A 2013 Gallup survey showed that 33% of Georgians thought the dissolution of the USSR was harmful, compared to 37% who thought it was beneficial.[11] Later, a 2017 survey showed that 47% of Georgians thought the dissolution was a good thing, compared to 38% who thought it was a bad thing.[17]

Hungary edit

A 2010 Pew poll found that 72% of Hungarians said that most people in their country were worse off economically than they had been under communism. Only 8% said that most people in Hungary were better off, and 16% said that things were about the same. The poll also found that 42% disapproved of the move away from communism.[18]

However, a 2019 Pew poll found that 70% of Hungarians approved of the shift to a market economy.[19]

Moldova edit

A 2013 Gallup survey showed that 42% of Moldovans thought the dissolution of the USSR was harmful, compared to 26% who thought it was beneficial.[11] Regret about dissolution later increased to 70% according to a 2017 Pew survey.[12]

Montenegro edit

In a 2016 Gallup survey, 65% of Montenegrins said the breakup of Yugoslavia was harmful, compared to 15% who said it was beneficial.[13]

North Macedonia edit

In a 2016 Gallup survey, 12% of Macedonians said the breakup of Yugoslavia was harmful, compared to 61% who said it was beneficial.[13]

Kazakhstan edit

A 2013 Gallup survey showed that 25% of Kazakhs thought the dissolution of the USSR was harmful, compared to 45% who thought it was beneficial.[11]

Kosovo edit

In a 2016 Gallup survey, 10% of Kosovans said the breakup of Yugoslavia was harmful, compared to 6% who said it was beneficial.[13]

Kyrgyzstan edit

A 2013 Gallup survey showed that 61% of Kyrgyz thought the dissolution of the USSR was harmful, compared to 16% who thought it was beneficial.[11]

Romania edit

A 2014 poll found that 44% of the respondents believed that living conditions had been better under communism. A 2010 poll conducted by the Romanian Institute for Evaluation and Strategy provided similar results. Of the 1,460 respondents, 54% claimed that they had experienced better living standards during communism, while 16% said that they had been worse.[20]

Russia edit

Polling data from the Levada Center since 1992 shows consistent rates of regret for the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, with the most recent poll in 2021 finding that 63% of Russians regret the dissolution, with only 28% saying they do not regret its dissolution. Regret was lowest in 2012, when only 49% of Russians said they regretted the dissolution. However, this was still higher than the percentage not regretting it of 36%. The most common reasons listed for regret are the end of the unified economic system, and them no longer being citizens of a superpower.[21]

Polling since the mid-1990s on the preferred political and economic system of Russians also shows nostalgia for the Soviet Union, with the most recent polling in 2021 showing 49% preferring the Soviet political system, compared to 18% preferring the current system, and 16% preferring Western democracy, as well as 62% saying they preferred a system of economic planning compared to 24% preferring a market capitalist economy.[22]

Date Percent Regretting Dissolution of the USSR Percent Not Regretting Dissolution of the USSR Source
March 1992 66% 23% [21]
March 1993 63% 23% [21]
August 1994 66% 19% [21]
March 1999 74% 16% [21]
December 2000 75% 19% [21]
December 2001 72% 21% [21]
December 2002 68% 25% [21]
December 2004 68% 26% [21]
November 2005 65% 25% [21]
November 2006 61% 30% [21]
November 2007 55% 36% [21]
November 2008 60% 30% [21]
November 2009 60% 28% [21]
November 2010 55% 30% [21]
November 2011 53% 32% [21]
December 2012 49% 36% [21]
December 2013 57% 30% [21]
November 2014 54% 28% [21]
November 2015 54% 37% [21]
March 2016 56% 28% [21]
November 2016 56% 28% [21]
November 2017 58% 26% [21]
November 2018 66% 25% [21]
November 2020 65% 26% [23]
November 2021 63% 28% [21]

Serbia edit

In a 2016 Gallup survey, 81% of Serbs said the breakup of Yugoslavia was harmful, compared to 4% who said it was beneficial.[13]

Slovakia edit

A 2018 poll in Slovakia found that 81% agreed that people helped each other more during communism, were more sympathetic and closer to each other. 79% asserted that people lived in a safer environment during socialism and that violent crimes were less frequent. Another 77% claimed that thanks to the planned economy, there was enough useful work for all and therefore no unemployment. However, the poll also noted that "Most of the respondents did not want to return to the communist-time economy and preferred a market or social market economy, but in the answers to specific questions they favoured a greater role of the state, with guarantees and social certainties".[24]

However, a 2019 Pew poll found that 71% of Slovakians approved of the shift to a market economy.[19]

Slovenia edit

In a 2014 Gallup survey, 45% of Kosovans said the breakup of Yugoslavia was harmful, compared to 41% who said it was beneficial.[13]

Tajikistan edit

A 2013 Gallup survey showed that 52% of Tajiks thought the dissolution of the USSR was harmful, compared to 27% who thought it was beneficial.[11]

Turkmenistan edit

A 2013 Gallup survey showed that only 8% of Turkmen thought the dissolution of the USSR was harmful, the lowest of any country surveyed, compared to 62% who thought it was beneficial.[11]

Ukraine edit

A 2013 Gallup survey showed that 56% of Ukrainians thought the dissolution of the USSR was harmful, while only 23% thought it was beneficial.[11] However, by 2020, a survey from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology showed that 34% of Ukrainians regretted the dissolution of the USSR, compared to 50% who do not regret it. Regret was highest in Eastern Ukraine where 49% of Ukrainians regretted it compared to 35% who did not, while it was lowest in Western Ukraine where only 15% regretted it compared to 69% who did not.[25]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Joakim Ekman, Jonas Linde, Communist nostalgia and the consolidation of democracy in Central and Eastern Europe,  Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics 21(3):354-374 · September 2005 doi:10.1080/13523270500183512
  2. ^ Prusik, Monika; Lewicka, Maria (2016). "Nostalgia for Communist Times and Autobiographical Memory: Negative Present or Positive Past?". Political Psychology. 37 (5): 677–693. doi:10.1111/pops.12330.
  3. ^ a b Bartmanski, Dominik, Successful icons of failed time: rethinking post-communist nostalgia, Acta sociologica, vol. 54. № 3. 2011, pp. 213—231, doi:10.1177/0001699311412625.
  4. ^ Anghel, Stefan Costin (June 3, 2014). "Would Romanians Vote for Ceaușescu If He Were Alive Today?". Vice. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  5. ^ Ghodsee, Kristen; Mead, Julia (2018). "What Has Socialism Ever Done For Women?" (PDF). Catalyst. 2 (2): 108. Retrieved January 19, 2019. A 2013 poll of 1,055 adult Romanians found that only a third reported that their lives were worse before 1989: 44 percent said their lives were better, and 16 percent said there was no change.
  6. ^ Maria Todorova, Zsuzsa Gille, Post-communist nostalgia, Berghahn Books, 2010 (ISBN 978-1-84545-671-9, hardcover), 2012 (ISBN 978-0-85745-643-4, paperback), 2013 (ISBN 978-0-85745-644-1)
  7. ^ Besliu, Raluca (April 13, 2014). "Communist nostalgia in Romania". openDemocracy. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Thanks for the memories". The Economist. June 9, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  9. ^ "Dr. Kristen Ghodsee, Bowdoin College - Nostalgia for Communism". November 2011. Archived from the original on 2020-11-11. Retrieved 2019-06-23. "Academic Minute", WAMC
  10. ^ Mejdini, Fatjona (December 21, 2016). "Albania Survey Shocks Victims of Communist Regime". Balkan Insight.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Inc, Gallup (2013-12-19). "Former Soviet Countries See More Harm From Breakup". Gallup.com. Retrieved 2024-02-04. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  12. ^ a b c Lipka, Michael; Sahgal, Neha. "9 key findings about religion and politics in Central and Eastern Europe". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Inc, Gallup (2017-05-18). "Many in Balkans Still See More Harm From Yugoslavia Breakup". Gallup.com. Retrieved 2024-02-04. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  14. ^ ""Съсипаха я тая държава", смятат 3 от 4 българи". Socialni.bg (in Bulgarian). 2019-11-18. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  15. ^ Gyárfášová, Ol'ga; Hartl, Jan (August 19, 2021). "DEMOKRATICKÉ HODNOTY SLOBODA, ROVNOSŤ, SPRAVODLIVOSŤ V UNIKÁTNOM POHĽADE ČECHOV A SLOVÁKOV" (PDF).
  16. ^ Bonstein, Julia (2009-07-03). "Homesick for a Dictatorship: Majority of Eastern Germans Feel Life Better under Communism". Der Spiegel. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  17. ^ "Caucasus Barometer 2021 Georgia". caucasusbarometer.org. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  18. ^ "Hungary: Better off Under Communism?". Pew Research Center. 28 April 2010.
  19. ^ a b Mitchell, Travis (2019-10-15). "European Public Opinion Three Decades After the Fall of Communism". Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  20. ^ Besliu, Raluca (13 April 2014). "Communist nostalgia in Romania". open Democracy.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "Ностальгия по СССР" (in Russian). 2021-12-24. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  22. ^ "Какой должна быть Россия в представлении россиян?" (in Russian). 2021-09-10. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  23. ^ "Структура и воспроизводство памяти о Советском Союзе" (in Russian). 2020-03-24. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  24. ^ "Poll: People are nostalgic about communism". The Slovak Spectator. 26 June 2018.
  25. ^ "Прес-релізи та звіти - Оцінка радянського минулого: травень 2020 року". kiis.com.ua. Retrieved 2024-02-04.

Further reading edit

  • Rebecca Mckee, Erica Richardson, Bayard Roberts, Christian Haerpfer and Martin Mckee, "Things Can Only Get Better? Changing Views of the Past, Present and Future in the Former Soviet Union", Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 65, No. 7, 2013, pp. 1466-1478, JSTOR 24534205
    From the abstract: "We report new analyses from eight former Soviet republics, and from two surveys, in 2001 and 2010, comparing attitudes to government in the Soviet period and at the time of the surveys, as well as expectations for the future. Everywhere, views of the past have become less positive and those of the present more positive. However, both the views in each survey and the change between each of them vary among countries and socio-demographic groups."

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