West European Communist Parties after the Revolutions of 1989

The collapse of the communist regimes following the dramatic events of 1989-91 astonished the entire world. For many in the west, the 'triumph' of market capitalism was seen as finally ringing the death-knell for the communist movement. West European communist parties, many of which had harboured ambitions of winning significant political influence in the mid-1970s when 'Eurocommunism' was at its height, now found themselves faced with having to respond to a crisis which threatened the very l…