Eastern Europe

The purpose of this research is to examine the political and economic developments in Eastern Europe as revealed in the experiences of East Germany and Bulgaria. The evolution of each country's political and economic institutions will be charted through history from their feudal times into communism, and from communism into post-communism. Although the emphasis of this study is on political and economic development in East Germany and Bulgaria, attention will also be paid to their social and cultural evolution as well.

East Germany or, more officially, the German Democratic Republic, and Bulgaria have very different backgrounds and histories. For starters, East Germany has its roots in western culture while Bulgaria is purely easter

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tral Committee elected a Politburo of 19 full members and nine candidate members and a Secretariat of 12 members. It also reelected Erich Honecker as General Secretary of the Central Committee, the single most powerful position in the SED. Honecker had held this post since 1971 ("U.S. House..." 1990, pp. 1-5). The actual functioning of the party organization was controlled by the Politburo and the Secretariat, organs which were small, met frequently, and had overlapping memberships. Of course, the leading role was played by the General Secretary Honecker. A certain amount of group dynamics did exist in the higher echelons of the party, involving considerations of personality, relationships among party colleagues, positions on issues and ideological views. It is always difficult to see into the workings of "collective leadership" without actually being a part of it. Thus, ultimately the party and East Germany had been ruled by a closed party elite that operated according to unwritten rules. The party statute may have even obscured the real internal decisionmaking process of the SED ("U.S. House..." 1990, pp. 6-7). East Germany's Centrally Planned Economy East Germany's socialist economy was patterned after the Soviet m
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Some common words found in the essay are:
East Germany, Soviet Union, East German, Eastern Europe, Communist Party, Germany Bulgaria, Democratic Republic, Potsdam Agreement, West Germany, Stefano Treaty, east germany, soviet union, german democratic republic, democratic republic, german democratic, east german, world war, west germany, communist party, political economic, world war ii, war ii, east germany bulgaria, socialist unity party, east german economy,
Approximate Word count = 5185
Approximate Pages = 21 (250 words per page)