A European success story? Central Europe from democratic revolutions to EU accession (1989-2004)

1989 represents a turning point in history, both for Central Europe and the whole European continent. In East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia or Hungary, democratic opposition managed in a short period to peacefully oust communist elites that had been ruling their countries for several decades. Hence, between 1989 and 1991 the new political elites were able to reunify successfully with a democratic neighbour (Germany) or build the democratic foundations of their states (Czechia, Poland, Hungary). The German reunification in 1990 itself can be considered as the preliminary step of the integration of Central Europe with the rest of the continent. Meanwhile, the democratic and economic transitions of the 1990s constituted necessary preconditions for Central European countries to achieve their accession to the Euro-Atlantic organizations such as the European Union and NATO. The transition was sometimes painful but successful, as 2004 became the symbol of unity of the European continent with the biggest ever European Union enlargement. Germany played a particularly important role in that process as the most significant advocate of the accession of Central European countries to the EU.