WIffiBYFREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1989, PAGE 7 PAGE SEVEN TEE RUSTING CURTAIN The last year bas sean phenomenal changes in the communist world. What was formerly viewed as a monolithic repressive system is coming apart at the seamns. Thought control and brutal subjegation still exist - as witnessed in the aftermath of the student demonstrations in China - but the principal trends are in the opposite direction. In Poland we have seen the legalization of the first independant trade union, the defeat of the communist party in semi-frea elections and the establishment of a goverrnent doxinated by non-communists. In Hungary, we have seen the posthumous rehabilitation of the leader of that country's government during the 1956 uprising, a man who was hung for treason at the time. We have seen the current government of Hungary open its borders for the escape of thousands of disaffected citizens of a fellow communist country, East Garrnany. In the Soviet Union, we have seen a radical trans- formation of the government. While not entirely democratic, it was elected in an open, competitive vote in a campaign which tolerated unprecedented criticism of the systemn. Dissent, including strikes, have been allowed and even orchestrated ta acèhieve rapid change. In Camnbodia, Vietnamese soldiers are going home, ending that particular phase of foreign advçnturism. Soviet troops have pulled out of Afganistan, Cuban troops have been pulled out of Angola and real progress towards major disarmament bas taken place between the superpowers for the first tuae since the Second World Wà r. Although the seeds of this revolution have been quietly growing in many parts of the communist world, its suddan flowering in the last year is due ta the detarniination, skillful manipulation and charisina of Mikhail Gorbachev. Without him, the revolution would still be under wraps. As it is, the atinosphere of dramatic change bas parmeated every east bloc country, aven those that wish it wasn't. The forces at work in Eastern Europe are driven partly by economics and partly by nationalism. Communism is finally coming ta grps with economic realities of bureaucratic centralism and also with the patent religlous and cultural forces thât it had simply driven underground. The proletariat revolution is finding that the govermnent of the people can't operate without the support of the people. It is the renawed interest and involvemnent of the people that is both the graatast hope for the Gorbachav ravolution and also its greatest threat. Europe is a continent of hundrads of nationalities and languages. Through most of history, thase duchies, kingdonis, principalities and city states havé warred with each othar. This situation of narrow political interests is described in the English language as baîkanigni, a metaphor refering to the situation in south central Europe before the First World War. Despite the fact that the map of the Balkan states was redrawn aftar the war, narrow nationalistic interests remnained a potent force. Neither Nazism. nor communism could break them. In Yugoslavia, a nation carvad from several of thesa nationalities, Slavs, Serbs, Croatians and Albanians continue to vie for poitical dominance to the detrimant of all the others. The sarne scenai is being playad out in the Soviet Union. The national pride of the Baltics, Ukrainians, Armanians, Georgians, etc. was suppressed but neyer killad by communism. Now with the exaniple of Poland and the freedoni te express their opinions, nationalist leaders are stapping from the shadows ta lead their people once more. The forces unleashed are highly divisive and Gorbachev has a delicate balancing act ahead cf him ta kaep the country -united while satisfying the ragions' aspirations for more control over their affaira. The situation is simply a profoundly more complicated version of the French-English tensions in this country. In both Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union the situation is complicated by resettiement. Done with the intention of assimilation, it bas simply increasad tensions. Lest we smugly think thase are situations paculiar ta communismn, thay arent. Aftar a thousand yaars the English have still net pacified Irish nationalism and latent rasentment still exists aniongst the Welsh and Scotch. At the other end of Europe, the Spanish continue ta, fight a guerilla war with the Basques. Comniunist countrias have achieved incredible économic t....... .............. .jR. J.7 GRAIN ELEVATOR AT MYRTLE STATION, C. 1910 The McKay Brothers of Toronto built this grain elevator on the north side of the, tracks opposite the station in the fail of 1887. For many years it was operated by H.H. Goode and Son, and was destroyed by fire early in 1968. wldtiy Ardaivm photo 10 YEARS AGO from the Wednesday, September 26, 1979 edition of the WHITBY FREE PRESS VvWhitby's water tank in Kinanien Park, built in 1948, is being demolished. *The Ontario Governrnent is providing $25,000 to develop a Whitby Harbor park. *Durhami Region Chairman Walter Beath opened the new Oshawa-Whitby works depot on Conlin Road between Thickson and Garrard Roads on September 19. *The sod was turned for construction of the Whitby Racquetball Club which will open on February 1, 1980. 25 YEARS AGO froni the Thursday, September 24, 1964 edition of the WMITBY WEEIKLY NEWS *Stokely Van Camp will add 40,000 sq.ft. of warehousing to its Brock St. canning factory. *The Town of Whitby is reducing the speed limit froni 50 to 30 miles per hour on -Rosland Road because of the number of accidents. " A park cannot be estabhished at Palmerston Avenue Public School until the drainage of Ash Creek is studied. 75 YEARS AGO frorn the Thursday, September 24, 1914 edition of the WHITBY GAZEllE AND CHRONICLE " Whitby automobile owners will petition the Ontario Govarnmant to, improve the Kingston Road (Hlighway 2) batwean Toronto and Oshawa. " Polling day for a by-law ta establish a hydro-alectric railway through Whitby will ha on October 19. " Uriah Jones is building a new bouse in Brook]in.