Share Your Memories Of 1989

The glorious 80s were ending in the USA, and I went back to visit my "old" country Czechoslovakia. It is called Czech Republic, but it will stay the former for me. Thats where I am from. The peaceful revolution resulted in certain beatings and violence, not seen on Us TV channels. Most individuals had a hard time paying for their new freedom. Meaning, prices shot up astronomically, but wages didnt. So standard of living didnt improve for those without means. Also people became more jaded as a result.
I think that politics may have changed hands, but the environmental issues which poluted the Eastern Europe nations still exist, there is access to everything and this means information, but this would have happened anyway with the internet, there is tourism, and real estate costs more, now they have homeless, something which didnt happen under communism.Like with all things - good and bad.What bothers me is that they embraced the english language as if it were their second and signs, even headlines in newspapers were in english. The Czech people coming from a history of oppresive regimes of German speakers, then Russian speakers, and 1989 - they had a chance to be themselves-

I was four and a half years old when the revolution started, but I will never forget the people's voice on the streets, screaming all at once "Down with the dictator!" I will never forget seeing on TV so many images of those dead or wounded on the streets of Bucharest, it was very powerful...

I remember a small Christmas tree in the living room, and the last time mos Gerila - the communist replacement of Santa Claus - came. I did not understand at the time what was happening, nor why; now, twenty years later, I realize that together with me, many other generations of Romanians and other citizens of the world, still try to understand what happened during those days...The road to freedom was cruel, the streets of Bucharest still remind of those who fought for our liberty, through the many crosses that are to be found at their corners.

Long live freedom in the world, and may we all learn to embrace our cultures, differences and uniqueness. Conferences, like the one held in D.C. this week, are needed more often, so that all of us can get a good understanding of where we come from and who we are. Thank you, RFE/RL, for being the Romanians' gate to hope in 1989!

Romania 1989

Mail was censored, phones tapped, people held in prisons without charge,
torture was legal. People lived in fear. These are the words of Miss Darnelle
about Romania. Sounds like Bush, Patriot Act, Guantanamo, Abu Ghoraib.
Has Radio Liberty ever reported about 40 Million poor people in the US? This is about the population of Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia.

It was dark, and it was cold! And it was a fear to speak about democracy. Is what I remember about the 80's. Like in a medieval town after the fall of darkness...

If I remember correctly, President Nicolae Ceausescu gave his last speech in the western Rumanian City of Timisoara where his outside audience rigidly lined up and ranked protested against his presence and booed him loudly. This was beginning of the end. He was quickly escorted off the balcony from which he was speaking and whisked off by Securitate and flown out of the city in an helicopter. Immediately after this incident, skirmishes between Rumanian army and the Securitate began. The incident was a popular news clip; it was repeatedly shown on American television.

On April 9, 1989 Russian troops violently dispersed tens of thousands demonstrators, killing 20 civilians, including women and children in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Resulting widespread criticism of Kremlin actions greatly contributed to collapse of communism in USSR and its disintegration.

On the 2nd anniversary of the tragic events, on April 9, 1991, Georgia declared restoration of independence.

On December 8, 1991, Soviet Union completely disintegrated with Russia declaring independence as well.

For Georgia, 1988 - 1995 were the years of greatest hardship and great expectations. Many of Georgian hopes have not realized yet. Nevertheless, vast majority of Georgians do not miss Soviet Union or Russian domination.

Today, more than ever, Georgians strive for freedom, democracy, and prosperity. This is exactly why Georgia is aspiring to NATO and EU membership.

Greetings,

Over twenty years have past and my memories are pristine clear of Romania’s dark and desperate years during the 1980s. It is very difficult to explain to the Western world of how repressed and oppressed a civilized European country like Romania was leading up to her revolution. I likened being there during that decade as being in the “twilight zone," but for Romanians, the horrors of their deprivation nightmare was all too real.
There is not enough space in my brief note to describe the food and electricity rations, the banning of any "news" from the Western world, albeit media, print and from "Western" peoples. It was illegal for Romanian citizens to have a Westerner in their home and it was expected for all Romanians to report
any conversation with Western people. Phones were tapped, mail was censored, in fact, every facet of a Romanian citizen's life was scrutinized by the State, which manifested itself in the Securitate (Secret Police). Romanians craved freedom. Romanians were willing to die to get it, hence the massive and detailed migration of "illegally" crossing the borders -- borders surrounded by mines, guard towers, ground microphones, machine guns, dogs, and even harpoon boats for those brave Romanians swimming the Danube -- to find freedom. People living in the relative ease of a free society have to ask themselves, "How bad is it when you are willing to crawl on you belly through a minefield?" Yes, it was that bad.
The entire Romanian society lived in perpetual fear, physical hunger and desperation. Parents didn't trust their children (potential informants), children didn't trust parents, and so on. Ceausescu's reign had reduced a proud
country into fearful, polarized groups of the "haves" and "have-nots" with dire punishment for those who had the courage to resist. Hence, there was no formal, unified resistance, such as in Poland. This is why Romania's liberty is a miracle and why her nascent democracy continues to be a miracle. Romanians reached a point of no return in Timisoara December 1989. Let the brave Romanian example resound to the world's tryants:
"You can only repress, oppress, suppress your peoples for a limited amount of time before they revolt, rise and slay their dragon tormentors."

Long live Romania’s liberty!
Darnelle Mason