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Twenty years ago the prison wall was breached and half a century of oppressive communist rule broken. It is, of course, one of the most dramatic days in modern history, and yet the democracies in Central and Eastern Europe seem strangely natural as if they have always been there. Personally, I have only the vaguest of memories of that day, having been merely six years old at the time.

There are many good articles to read on a day like this. Standing out a little, is this interesting piece in The Economist, written as events unfolded, with the future unknown and the uncertainty of coming reforms still a very real concern. With today’s knowledge things have progressed farther than one could reasonably have expected.  Certainly, there are still problems to sort out, and a gap in standards of living remains. But it has narrowed quickly, and given the state the former communist countries were in, their current condition is impressive. I visited Bratislava for a few days this past summer, and it is noticeable how much it feels like any Western European city with its coffee shops, modern architecture and vibrant city life. While that is not the whole truth of Slovakian life, the progress is striking and cause for optimism.

Perhaps predictably, I leave you with this:

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