View source for Decommunization

{{Short description|Process of purging former communist high officials and eliminating communist symbols}}
{{Distinguish|Lustration}}
{{more citations needed|date=August 2017}}
[[File:Ulica A. German w Poznaniu.jpg|thumb|One of the manifestations of decommunization has been [[Street name controversy|renaming streets]]. Before 2017, ulica Anny German in [[Poznań]] ([[Anna German]] Street) was named in honor of [[Julian Leszczyński|Julian Leński]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://radiopoznan.fm/informacje/pozostale/german-zastapi-dzialacza-komunistycznego|title=German zastąpi działacza komunistycznego|work=radiopoznan.fm|access-date=2018-05-18|language=pl}}</ref>]]
{{EngvarB|date=August 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
'''Decommunization''' in former [[communist state]]s is the process of purging former communist high officials and eliminating communist symbols. 

It is sometimes referred to as political cleansing.<ref>Jennifer A. Yoder (1999) "From East Germans to Germans?: The New Postcommunist Elites", {{ISBN|0-8223-2372-9}},, pp. 95–97</ref> Although the term has been occasionally used during the [[Cold War]],<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tqOyAAAAIAAJ |title=The Current Digest of the Soviet Press |date=1968 |publisher=American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies |language=en}}</ref> it is most commonly applied to the former countries of the [[Eastern Bloc]], those countries that were considered being close to the Eastern Bloc and the [[Soviet Union]] to describe a number of legal and social changes during their periods of [[postcommunism]] during the [[post–Cold War era]].

In some states, decommunization includes [[bans on communist symbols]]. While sharing common traits, the processes of decommunization have run differently in different states.<ref name="Lithuanian ban on Soviet symbols">{{citation|title = Lithuanian ban on Soviet symbols|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7459976.stm|work = BBC News|date = 17 Jun 2008|access-date = 3 Jun 2016}}</ref><ref name="bbc32267075">{{cite news|url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32267075 |first= Vitaly |last= Shevchenko |title= Goodbye, Lenin: Ukraine moves to ban communist symbols |work= [[BBC News]] |date=14 April 2015 |access-date= 3 Jun 2016}}</ref>

==Responsible institutions==
* [[Czech Republic|Czechia]] – The [[Office of the Documentation and the Investigation of the Crimes of Communism]]
* [[Estonia]] – The [[Estonian International Commission for Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity]]
* [[Germany]] – The [[Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records]] (BStU)
* [[Hungary]] – The [[Committee of National Remembrance]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Greetings |url=https://neb.hu/en/greetings |website=The Committee of National Remembrance |access-date=27 March 2020 |last1=Bizottsága |first1=Nemzeti Emlékezet }}</ref>
* [[Latvia]] – The [[Centre for the Documentation of the Consequences of Totalitarianism]] ({{Hover title|TSDC|Totalitārisma seku dokumentēšanas centrs}})<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Centre for the Documentation of the Consequences of Totalitarianism |url=https://www.sab.gov.lv/en/totalitarianism/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Satversmes aizsardzības birojs}}</ref>
* [[Lithuania]] – The [[Lithuanian Center for the Research of Genocide and Resistance]]
* [[Moldova]] – The [[Commission for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Moldova]]
* [[Poland]] – The [[Institute of National Remembrance|Institute of National Remembrance — Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation]]
* [[Romania]] – The [[Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania]]
* [[Slovakia]] – The [[National Memory Institute (Slovakia)|Institute of National Memory]] – Ústav pamäti národa (Sk)
* [[Ukraine]] – The [[Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance]]
* [[Bulgaria]] - The [[Institute for Study of Communist Crimes in Bulgaria]]

== Purging and prosecution of former communist officials==
[[File:Nicolae Ceaușescu.jpg|thumb|Romanian communist leader [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]] and his wife [[Elena Ceaușescu|Elena]] were [[Trial and execution of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu|executed by firing squad]] for various atrocities]]
Decommunization came to refer to government policies of limiting the participation of former communist officials in politics. This should not be confused with [[lustration]] which is the procedure of scrutinizing holders or candidates for public offices in terms being former  informants of the communist [[secret police]].

According to a 1992 constitutional amendment in the Czech Republic, a person who publicly denies, puts in doubt, approves, or tries to justify Nazi or Communist genocide or other crimes of Nazis or Communists will be punished with a prison term of six months to three years.<ref>Whine, Michael (27 April 2008). "Expanding Holocaust Denial and Legislation". ''Jewish Political Studies Review''. Jerusalem: Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. '''20''' (1/2): 57–77. {{JSTOR|25834777}}.</ref> In 1992, [[Barbara Harff]] wrote that no Communist country or governing body had been convicted of [[genocide]].<ref>Harff, Barbara (1992). "Recognizing Genocides and Politicides". In Fein, Helen (ed.). ''Genocide Watch''. '''27'''. pp. 37–38.</ref>

In August 2007, [[Arnold Meri]], an Estonian [[Red Army]] veteran and cousin of former Estonian president [[Lennart Meri]], faced charges of genocide by Estonian authorities for participating in the [[Soviet deportations from Estonia|deportations of Estonians]] in [[Hiiumaa]] during 1949.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090402154538/http://www.balticguide.ee/index.php/a641 "Entisen presidentin serkkua syytetään neuvostoajan kyydityksistä"] (in Finnish) ["Former President's cousin accused of Soviet-era raids"]. Baltic Guide. Archived from [https://web.archive.org/web/20090402154538/https://www.balticguide.ee/index.php/a641 the original] on 2 April 2009.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110607181514/http://www.b92.net/eng/news/globe-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=08&dd=23&nav_category=117&version=print "Estonian charged with Communist genocide"]. ''International Herald Tribune''. 23 August 2007. Archived from [https://www.b92.net/eng/news/globe-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=08&dd=23&nav_category=117&version=print the original] on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2020.</ref> Meri denied the accusation, characterizing them as politically motivated defamation, stating: "I do not consider myself guilty of genocide." The trial was halted when Meri died on 27 March 2009 at the age of 89.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7978111.stm "Estonian war figure laid to rest"]. BBC News. 2 April 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2020.</ref>

===State leaders===
* [[Bulgaria]] – [[Todor Zhivkov]] was initially sentenced to seven years in prison, but transferred to [[house arrest]] for health reasons. He was later declared innocent by the [[Supreme Court of Bulgaria]] in 1996 and was released from house arrest shortly thereafter. He died as a free man one year later.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/146406.stm|title=BBC News {{!}} Europe {{!}} Bulgaria's ex-communist leader dies|website=news.bbc.co.uk|access-date=2019-10-16}}</ref>
* [[Cambodia]] – [[Kang Kek Iew]], [[Nuon Chea]], and [[Khieu Samphan]] are [[Khmer Rouge]] leaders convicted by the [[United Nations|UN]]-backed [[Khmer Rouge Tribunal]].
* [[East Germany]] – [[Erich Honecker]] was arrested, but soon released and the proceedings against him were abandoned due to his ill health. He died in 1994. Several other members of the former East German government, such as [[Egon Krenz]], were nonetheless convicted.
* [[Ethiopia]] – [[Mengistu Haile Mariam]] was sentenced to death but later commuted to life imprisonment after being found guilty in absentia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/world/ethiopias-ex-ruler-mengistu-sentenced-to-life-idUSL1153568/|title=Ethiopia's ex-ruler Mengistu sentenced to life
|website=Reuters|access-date=2024-09-06}}</ref>
* [[Poland]] – [[Wojciech Jaruzelski]] avoided most court appearances, citing poor health, and was never convicted. He died as a free man in 2014 and was buried with full military honors at the [[Powązki Military Cemetery]], attended by the incumbent president of Poland, as well as two former presidents.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archiwum.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/172373,Three-presidents-to-attend-Jaruzelski-funeral|title=Three presidents to attend Jaruzelski funeral|website=Polskie Radio dla Zagranicy|access-date=2019-10-16}}</ref>
* [[Romania]] – [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]] and his wife, [[Elena Ceaușescu]] were [[Trial and execution of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu|sentenced to death and executed by firing squad]].

==Elimination of communist symbols==
=== Ukraine ===
{{main|Decommunization in Ukraine}}
[[File:Statue of Lenin in Kharkiv (Freedom Square) after destruction1 29.09.2014.jpg|thumb|The plinth of the [[Statue of Lenin in Kharkiv]] after its destruction]]
The process of decommunization and de-[[sovietization]] in Ukraine started soon after [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] in the early 1990s, led by President [[Leonid Kravchuk]], a former high-ranking party official.<ref>Khotin, Rostyslav (26 November 2009). [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8380433.stm "Ukraine tears down controversial statue"]. BBC Ukrainian Service. BBC News. Retrieved 6 February 2020.</ref> In April 2015, a formal decommunization process started in [[Ukraine]] after [[Ukrainian decommunization laws|laws were approved]] which outlawed [[communist symbol]]s, among other things.<ref name="ectniiU">{{cite magazine|url= https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/ukraine/2015-04-28/kievs-purge |title= Decommunizing Ukraine |first= Alexander J. |last= Motyl |author-link= Alexander J. Motyl |magazine= [[Foreign Affairs]] |date= 28 April 2015 |access-date= 19 May 2015}}</ref> On 15 May 2015, President [[Petro Poroshenko]] signed a set of laws that started a six-month period for the removal of communist monuments (excluding [[World War II]] monuments) and renaming of public places named after communist-related themes.<ref>[http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/05/15/7068057/ Poroshenko signed the laws about decomunization]. [[Ukrayinska Pravda]]. 15 May 2015<br>[http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/265988.html Poroshenko signs laws on denouncing Communist, Nazi regimes], [[Interfax-Ukraine]]. 15 May 2015</ref><ref name="bbc32267075"/> At the time, this meant that 22 cities and 44 villages would need to be renamed.<ref>{{in lang|uk}} [http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/06/4/7070191 In Ukraine rename 22 cities and 44 villages], [[Ukrayinska Pravda]] (4 June 2015)</ref><ref name="depo.ua new names Ukraine">{{in lang|uk}} [http://poltava.depo.ua/ukr/poltava/komsomolsk-u-bud-yakomu-vipadku-pereymenuyut-01102015183700 Komsomolsk in any case be renamed], [[depo.ua]] (1 October 2015)</ref> In 2016, 51,493 streets and 987 cities and villages were renamed, and 1,320 [[List of statues of Vladimir Lenin|Lenin monuments]] and 1,069 monuments to other communist figures were removed.<ref name="rdiU16">[https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-society_and_culture/2147127-decommunization-reform-25-districts-and-987-populated-areas-in-ukraine-renamed-in-2016.html Decommunization reform: 25 districts and 987 populated areas in Ukraine renamed in 2016], [[Ukrinform]] (27 December 2016)</ref>

=== Poland ===
Since 1989, Poland has taken down hundreds of Soviet monuments due to the negative reputation the Soviet Union has in Poland.<ref name="dw20160413">{{Cite web|last=Sieradzka|first=Monika|title=Poland plans to tear down hundreds of Soviet memorials|date=13 April 2016|url=https://www.dw.com/en/poland-plans-to-tear-down-hundreds-of-soviet-memorials/a-19185159|access-date=2021-03-19|website=Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com)|language=en-GB}}</ref> Although some Poles see the memorials as justified in honouring those who died fighting against Nazi Germany, others seek the removal of Soviet memorials because of the decades of totalitarianism that resulted from Soviet occupation, and also because of the 1939 [[Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact|Nazi-Soviet pact]] and the [[Katyn massacre]].<ref name="theguardian20180713">{{Cite web|date=13 July 2018|title=Poles apart: the bitter conflict over a nation's communist history|url=http://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/jul/13/poles-apart-the-bitter-conflict-over-a-nations-history-poland-monuments-communism-soviet-union|access-date=2021-03-19|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref> Historian [[Łukasz Kamiński|Lukasz Kaminski]] of the [[Institute of National Remembrance]] said, "Memorials in city centers and villages can send the wrong historical signal... What do you think we got, when the Soviets liberated Poland from Hitler, if not a new yoke?"<ref name="dw20160413" />

In the 2010s, Poland continued to demolish remaining Soviet monuments, some of which have been relocated to museums.<ref name="themoscowtimes20160331">{{cite web|website=[[The Moscow Times]]|title=Poland Set to Demolish 500 Soviet Monuments|url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2016/03/31/poland-set-to-demolish-500-soviet-monuments-a52341|date=31 March 2016|accessdate=19 March 2021}}</ref> The removals have attracted criticism from [[Russian Foreign Minister]] [[Sergey Lavrov]], who has lashed out at Warsaw officials for opposing the monuments,<ref name="themoscowtimes20160331" /> as has [[Maria Zakharova]], a spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry.<ref name="theguardian20180713" />

=== Finland ===
Since the collapse of the USSR there was active debate regarding the fate of the Soviet symbols that were received as gifts. For example, the [[World peace (sculpture)|World peace sculpture]], gifted to Finland by the USSR in 1990, has been vandalized several times during its existence. Since Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022 the discussion of removing these symbols started to heat. Statues of Lenin were removed from [[Turku]] and [[Kotka]] supposedly as "a gesture of solidarity" for Ukraine. The World Peace sculpture was also removed from [[Helsinki]] (the official reason was that it needed to be relocated due to roadworks). The name of [[Lenin Park]] will be changed to in the future. The critics have considered the latest moves as harmful since by these actions history will be erased. It can also be asked if the erasure can be logically argued as [[Lenin]] and [[Putin]] represent different ideologies. There has been some criticism (from the political right-wing) regarding the history of the elderly Social Democrats who some accuse of spying for the [[Stasi]]. The so-called [[Tiitinen list]] has been discussed and the right-wing has demanded it to be declassified.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://yle.fi/a/3-12648739|title=Kotka removes Finland's last remaining Lenin statue|website=Yle|date=4 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.err.ee/1608678769/helsinki-removes-monument-gifted-by-soviet-union|title=Helsinki removes monument gifted by Soviet Union|website=ERR|date=8 August 2022}}</ref>

=== Czech Republic ===
In April 2020, a statue of Soviet Marshal [[Ivan Konev]] was removed from [[Prague]], which prompted criminal investigation by Russian authorities who considered it an insult. The Mayor of Prague's [[Prague 6|sixth municipal district]], Ondřej Kolář, announced on [[Prima televize]] that he would be under police protection after a Russian man made attempts on his life. Prime Minister [[Andrej Babiš]] condemned that as foreign interference, while [[Kremlin Press Secretary]] [[Dmitry Peskov]] dismissed allegations of Russian involvement as "another hoax".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-czech-russia-threat/prague-district-mayor-says-he-is-under-police-protection-against-russian-threat-idUKKCN22A3GA?il=0|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807082342/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-czech-russia-threat/prague-district-mayor-says-he-is-under-police-protection-against-russian-threat-idUKKCN22A3GA?il=0|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 August 2020|title=Prague district mayor says he is under police protection against Russian threat|website=Reuters|date=29 April 2020}}</ref>

=== Bulgaria ===
In December 2023, the [[Monument to the Soviet Army, Sofia|Monument to the Soviet Army]] in downtown [[Sofia]] was partially dismantled and set to be put in the [[Museum of Socialist Art]]. As of March 2024, it has yet to be put in the museum or replaced with a new monument.

=== Kyrgyzstan ===
On 7 June 2025, [[Kyrgyzstan|Kyrgyz]] authorities took down a statue of [[Lenin]] in the second largest city of [[Osh, Kyrgyzstan|Osh]], which is also the tallest Lenin statue in [[Central Asia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Central Asia's tallest Lenin statue taken down |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=7 June 2025 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c201yy6gknpo |archive-date=7 June 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250607173136/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c201yy6gknpo }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kyrgyzstan Dismantles Central Asia's Tallest Lenin Statue |publisher=[[Moscow Times]] |date=7 June 2025 |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/06/07/kyrgyzstan-dismantles-central-asias-tallest-lenin-statue-a89374 |archive-date=7 June 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250607222525/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/06/07/kyrgyzstan-dismantles-central-asias-tallest-lenin-statue-a89374 }}</ref>

==Results==
Communist parties outside of Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic states were not outlawed and their members were not prosecuted. Just a few places attempted to exclude even members of communist secret services from decision-making. In a number of countries, the communist party simply changed its name and continued to function.<ref>[http://www.icer.it/docs/wp2000/Pejovich162000.pdf After socialism: where hope for individual liberty lies]. Svetozar Pejovich.</ref>

[[Stephen Holmes (academic)|Stephen Holmes]] of the [[University of Chicago]] argued in 1996 that after a period of active decommunization, it was met with a near-universal failure. After the introduction of lustration, demand for scapegoats has become relatively low, and former communists have been elected for high governmental and other administrative positions. Holmes notes that the only real exception was former [[East Germany]], where thousands of former [[Stasi]] informers have been fired from public positions.<ref name=mandelbaum>Michael Mandelbaum (Ed., 1996) "Post-Communism: Four Perspectives", ''Council on Foreign Relations'' {{ISBN|0876091869}}</ref>

Holmes suggests the following reasons for the turnoff of decommunization:<ref name=mandelbaum/>
*After 45–70 years of [[Communist state]] rule, nearly every family has members associated with the state. After the initial desire "to root out the reds" came a realization that massive punishment is wrong and finding only some guilty is hardly justice.
*The urgency of the current economic problems of postcommunism makes the crimes of the communist past "old news" for many citizens.
*Decommunization is believed to be a power game of elites.
*The difficulty of dislodging the social elite makes it require a [[totalitarian state]] to disenfranchise the "[[enemies of the people]]" quickly and efficiently and a desire for normalcy overcomes the desire for punitive justice.
*Very few people have a perfectly clean slate and so are available to fill the positions that require significant expertise.

== Similar concepts ==
Decommunization has been compared to [[denazification]] in [[Aftermath of World War II|post-World War II]] Europe, and the [[de-Ba'athification]] in post-[[Saddam Hussein]] [[Iraq]].<ref name=autogenerated1>[http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/lustration Eric Brahm, "Lustration"], Beyond Intractability.org, June 2004, 8 Sep 2009</ref>

==See also==
*[[Anti-communism]]
*[[Bans on communist symbols]]
*[[Communist crimes in Polish legal system]]
*[[Lustration in Poland]]
*[[Decommunization in Ukraine]]
*[[Demolition of monuments to Vladimir Lenin in Ukraine]]
*[[Derussification]]
*[[Decommunization in Russia]]
*[[Denazification]]
*[[De-Leninization]]
*[[De-Stalinization]]
*[[De-Ba'athification]]
*[[De-Sinicization]]
*[[Communist nostalgia]]
*[[Nostalgia for the Soviet Union]]
*[[Ostalgie]]
*[[Estonian International Commission for Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity]]
*[[Proclamation of Timișoara]]
*[[Golaniad]]
*[[Street name controversy]]
*''[[Vergangenheitsbewältigung]]''

==Further reading==
* Kończal, Kornelia (2022), ''Persistent Legacies of Communism, or the Ongoing Purification of Public Space in post-1989 Poland'', in: European Review 30 (4), p. 490–504. 
==References==
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Decommunization_in_Europe}}
{{Fall of Communism}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Decommunization| ]]
[[Category:Political and cultural purges| ]]