There was no peace movement in the east. There were no labour unions in the east. There were no intellectuals in the east. There was no environmental movement in the east. There were no artists and students in the east. The overthrow of the communist states in Central and Eastern Europe was not a victory of the people over an oppressive one-party rule.

Capitalism won.

Well said.

The frightening thing is that both the liberal and conservative-nationalist narratives in Central Europe deny that history, too. And if it comes up, "there was no other alternative" and "the Third Way was an illusion"¹ come up as very strong memes. (See for example Adam Michnik's astute yet doctrinaire account of the events 20 years ago, quoted in the Salon here.)