Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Eastern Block shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Eastern Block offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Eastern Block at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Eastern Block? Wrong! If the Eastern Block is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Eastern Block then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Eastern Block? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Eastern Block and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Eastern Block wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Eastern Block then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Eastern Block site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Eastern Block, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Eastern Block, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
During the
Cold War, the term
Eastern Bloc (or
Soviet Bloc) was used to refer to the Soviet Union and its allies in
Central Europe and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria,
Czechoslovakia, East Germany,
Hungary,
Poland,
Romania, and—until the early 1960s—Albania).
The label "Eastern Bloc" was also used to collectively denote member states of the
Warsaw Pact (a Soviet-dominated military organisation) or the
Comecon (an international economic organization of Communist states). Soviet allies outside of Eastern Europe, such as
Mongolia and often
Cuba,
Vietnam, and North Korea were sometimes included in the term Eastern Bloc as well.
The terms Eastern Bloc and Soviet Union are sometimes confused. Although the Soviet Union had much political and economic influence over its Eastern Bloc posessions, the other countries in the Eastern Bloc were never constituent republics of the Soviet Union.
Yugoslavia, Albania
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was never part of the Eastern Bloc or the Warsaw Pact. Although it claimed it was a Communist state, its leader, Josip Broz Tito, came to power through his efforts as a partisan resistance leader during
World War II. Since he was not installed by the Soviet
Red Army, he owed the Soviet leadership no allegiance. The Yugoslav government established itself as a neutral state during the Cold War, and the country was one of the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Similarly, the Stalinism Albanian government also came to power independently of the Red Army as a consequence of Albanian partisan resistance during World War II. Albania broke with the Soviet Union in the early 1960s as a result of the
Sino-Soviet split, aligning itself instead with the People's Republic of China and its Anti-revisionism stance.
Use of force
Several countries in Eastern Bloc were turned communists by the use of force and physical elimination of all political opposition to Soviet rule over them. Afterwards nations within the Eastern Bloc were held in the Soviet sphere of influence through military force. Hungary was invaded by the Soviet Army in 1956 after it had Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and replaced it with one that sought a more democratic communist path independent of Moscow; when Polish communist leaders tried to elect Władysław Gomułka as First Secretary they were issued an ultimatum by Soviet military that occupied Poland ordering them to withdraw election of Gomulka for the First Secretary or be "crushed by Soviet tanks". Czechoslovakia was invaded in 1968 after a period of liberalization known as the
Prague Spring. The latter invasion was codified in formal Soviet policy as the
Brezhnev Doctrine.
Decline
During the late 1980s, the weakened Soviet Union gradually stopped interfering in the internal affairs of Eastern Bloc nations. Mikhail Gorbachev's abrogation of the
Brezhnev Doctrine in favor of the so-called "
Sinatra Doctrine" had dramatic effects across Central and Eastern Europe during this period. The Eastern Bloc eventually came to an end with the collapse of the Soviet controlled governments in Eastern Europe in 1989 (
see Revolutions of 1989). The collapse of those governments led to the Economic Transition of Hungary in countries like Hungary.
Even before this period, all the countries in the Warsaw Pact did not always act as a unified bloc. For instance, the 1968 invasion of
Czechoslovakia was condemned by
Romania, which refused to take part in it.
Central and Eastern Europe
After 1989, the term
Central and Eastern Europe (
CEE) rather than
Eastern Bloc came into wide use—from governmental cooperation, development organizations to businesses.
See also
External links
- Photographs of Russia in 1967
- Candid photos of the Eastern Bloc September–December 1991, in the last months of the USSR
- Photographic project "Eastern Bloc" “Eastern Bloc” examines the specificities and differences of living in totalitarian and post totalitarian countries. The project is divided into chapters, each dedicated to one of the Eastern European countries—Slovak Republic, Poland, ex-GDR, Hungary, Czech Republic and ex-Yugoslavia.
During the Cold War, the term
Eastern Bloc (or
Soviet Bloc) was used to refer to the
Soviet Union and its allies in
Central Europe and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria,
Czechoslovakia, East Germany,
Hungary, Poland, Romania, and—until the early 1960s—Albania).
The label "Eastern Bloc" was also used to collectively denote member states of the
Warsaw Pact (a Soviet-dominated military organisation) or the
Comecon (an international economic organization of Communist states). Soviet allies outside of Eastern Europe, such as Mongolia and often
Cuba, Vietnam, and
North Korea were sometimes included in the term Eastern Bloc as well.
The terms Eastern Bloc and Soviet Union are sometimes confused. Although the Soviet Union had much political and economic influence over its Eastern Bloc posessions, the other countries in the Eastern Bloc were never constituent republics of the Soviet Union.
Yugoslavia, Albania
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was never part of the Eastern Bloc or the
Warsaw Pact. Although it claimed it was a Communist state, its leader,
Josip Broz Tito, came to power through his efforts as a partisan resistance leader during
World War II. Since he was not installed by the Soviet
Red Army, he owed the Soviet leadership no allegiance. The Yugoslav government established itself as a neutral state during the Cold War, and the country was one of the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Similarly, the
Stalinism Albanian government also came to power independently of the Red Army as a consequence of Albanian partisan resistance during World War II. Albania broke with the Soviet Union in the early 1960s as a result of the Sino-Soviet split, aligning itself instead with the People's Republic of China and its
Anti-revisionism stance.
Use of force
Several countries in Eastern Bloc were turned communists by the use of force and physical elimination of all political opposition to Soviet rule over them. Afterwards nations within the Eastern Bloc were held in the Soviet sphere of influence through military force. Hungary was invaded by the Soviet Army in 1956 after it had
Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and replaced it with one that sought a more democratic communist path independent of Moscow; when Polish communist leaders tried to elect
Władysław Gomułka as First Secretary they were issued an ultimatum by Soviet military that occupied Poland ordering them to withdraw election of Gomulka for the First Secretary or be "crushed by Soviet tanks". Czechoslovakia was invaded in 1968 after a period of liberalization known as the
Prague Spring. The latter invasion was codified in formal Soviet policy as the Brezhnev Doctrine.
Decline
During the late 1980s, the weakened Soviet Union gradually stopped interfering in the internal affairs of Eastern Bloc nations.
Mikhail Gorbachev's abrogation of the Brezhnev Doctrine in favor of the so-called "
Sinatra Doctrine" had dramatic effects across Central and Eastern Europe during this period. The Eastern Bloc eventually came to an end with the collapse of the Soviet controlled governments in Eastern Europe in 1989 (
see Revolutions of 1989). The collapse of those governments led to the Economic Transition of Hungary in countries like Hungary.
Even before this period, all the countries in the Warsaw Pact did not always act as a unified bloc. For instance, the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia was condemned by Romania, which refused to take part in it.
Central and Eastern Europe
After 1989, the term
Central and Eastern Europe (
CEE) rather than
Eastern Bloc came into wide use—from governmental cooperation, development organizations to businesses.
See also
External links
- Photographs of Russia in 1967
- Candid photos of the Eastern Bloc September–December 1991, in the last months of the USSR
- Photographic project "Eastern Bloc" “Eastern Bloc” examines the specificities and differences of living in totalitarian and post totalitarian countries. The project is divided into chapters, each dedicated to one of the Eastern European countries—Slovak Republic, Poland, ex-GDR, Hungary, Czech Republic and ex-Yugoslavia.
