Page "Marxism–Leninism" Paragraph 76

Meanwhile the eastern European communist states politically deteriorated in response to the success of the Polish Solidarity movement and the possibility of Gorbachev-style political liberalization.

In 1989, revolts across Eastern Europe and China against Marxist-Leninist regimes.

In China, the government refused to negotiate with student protestors resulting in the Tianamen Square attacks that stopped the revolts by force.

The revolts culminated with the revolt in East Germany against the Stalinist regime of Erich Honecker and demands for the Berlin Wall to be torn down.

The event in East Germany developed into a popular mass revolt with sections of the Berlin Wall being torn down and East and West Berliners uniting.

Gorbachev's refusal to use Soviet forces based in East Germany to suppress the revolt was seen as a sign that the Cold War had ended.

Honecker was pressured to resign from office and the new government committed itself to reunification with West Germany.

The Stalinist regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu in Romania was forcefully overthrown in 1989 and Ceaușescu was executed.

The other Warsaw Pact regimes fell in 1989 with the exception of the Socialist People's Republic of Albania that continued until 1992.