Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Three decades after the fall of the Wall, Central and Eastern Europeans have few regrets about discarding communism, but they say progress has been uneven

Special to the Forum Network

Thirty years ago, a stunning wave of political change swept across Europe, overthrowing regimes, tearing down walls and destroying an Iron Curtain that had divided Europe for decades. Communism was eventually discarded, and newly free publics embraced democracy and capitalism. The ensuing three decades have brought successes and disappointments alike, but as a new Pew Research Center survey shows, few in the former Eastern Bloc regret the historic upheaval of 1989.

Still, many believe progress has been uneven, and that some have benefited more than others from the enormous political, economic and social changes that have taken place. And when asked about the future, Europeans on both sides of the old East-West divide express strong concerns about their political and economic systems.

Read more at the Forum Network

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