Changes in the Soviet Union's domestic and foreign policies opened the door to dramatic, unanticipated developments in Central and Eastern Europe. Bulgaria and Yugoslavia also experienced major change. In the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania peoples' movements showed new vitality. Only Albania seemed to remain unchanged. With the collapse of the old, a new order is beginning to emerge.
Free elections signal the movement from one-party communist rule to pluralistic democracy.
Countries are working on alternatives to the highly-centralized economic systems of the previous regimes. Citizen organizations are forming to respond to social and economic questions, including those relating to the environment. Both the integration of Europe and the unification of Germany are being pursued. The United States and the Soviet Union are negotiating troop and armament reductions in Europe in a post-Cold War atmosphere. These developments present enormous, complex challenges that will test people's imagination, wisdom and patience.