Factors that Triggered the Collapse of Communism in Poland in 1989 Essay

Factors that Triggered the Collapse of Communism in Poland in 1989 - Essay Example The economy, politics, cultural and social lives were controlled by the state, which did not allow the establishment of free enterprise. Agriculture was conducted collectively. The system was fully totalitarian with the state controlling all aspects of life. The regime used propaganda to pressurize the people to accepting the policies concerning social issues such as marriage and child bearing. Under communism, it was not easy to divorce, and abortion was illegal. This was not welcome for to the people since they were denied a chance to make their own choice concerning private life. Social education in schools was controlled by the regime in order to ensure that the information that was offered in schools was in line with the communist policies regarding social life. Fees in the upper classes had been designed to reduce the number of children who could go for higher education since only some parents could afford it. The government ensured that important information about it was kept away from the public (Ka-Loc Chan K pp. 66-71). One of the major factors that led to the collapse of communism in Poland was the method which the regime used to govern. Intimidation and force were the common ways that were used on the people, and therefore communism could never get support from the majority. This was a political failure that caused the decline. This is because generally, a political party that lacks public support is politically weak. The failure was amplified by the fact that communism adopted an undemocratic ways of acquiring power and continued using them to enhance its stay in power. The labor strike of 1980 formed the beginning of anti-communism in Poland. This was facilitated by the formation of the trade union whose members were drawn the anti-communist leftists and from the Roman Catholic Church, as some of the members of the Solidarity (The Daily News - September 1981). The union became strong due to the support by rebellious