But I think that's where we disagree. Those belief systems were certainly part of it. But much of it came down to American power-vs-Soviet power. Equally beliefs - in freedom-vs-autocracy - should be a part of it today, even as national power also plays a role.
-
-
Replying to @BeijingPalmer
Yeah, that does sound like the heart of our disagreement. You seem to place a different weight on the totalizing ideological content of the power struggle (and its ability to win over people in unexpected ways) than I do.
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @Pinboard
I mean, we propped up two Communist dictatorships in Europe throughout most of the Cold War as counterbalances to Moscow!
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @BeijingPalmer
Which ones do you mean? I'm assuming one is Yugoslavia; what's the other?
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
-
Replying to @BeijingPalmer
Really? They made poor Queen Elizabeth shake the guy's hand, and Nixon dropped by, but you think Ceaușescu would have done any worse without Western aid? Romania was always in good standing with the Warsaw Pact and COMECON
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @Pinboard
Romania's 1960s and 70s Western loans were really extensive - and having the terms change was one of the main factors in the eventual fall of the regime. (Brenda gave him a knighthood, even! The Foreign Office withdrew it *the day he was shot* which is a little funny)
2 replies 0 retweets 2 likes -
Replying to @BeijingPalmer
Western loans to Poland in the same era were a huge contributor to the Solidarity movement, too. Or rather, their abrupt termination was.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @Pinboard
true - I don't think Poland ever did any of the game-playing that Ceaucescu did to attract those loans though? He was very given to flirting with the West, to say the least.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @BeijingPalmer
I would enjoy learning more about those loans in general. My understanding is they were done not out of political motives, just capitalists and bankers doing their thing, but a side effect was to stifle dissent in the short term and help bring down the regimes in the long term.
2 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
A famous Polish dissident said "the depoliticization of sausage was the greatest achievemnt of the third republic", meaning post-89 Poland. He also said the blackest, most dispiriting time for democracy movement was the late 60's early 70's consumer boom, fueled by western loans.
-
-
Replying to @Pinboard
I've been semi-joking for some time that pork prices will eventually be seen as a bigger story than Hong Kong this year.
0 replies 0 retweets 2 likesThanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.