Totalitarian and Post-Totalitarian Regimes in Transitions and Non-Transitions from Communism

Proponents of totalitarianism theory felt indicated by the fall of eastern European communism. Yet if these regimes were really so 'totalitarian', why did they collapse in 1989? Outside of Europe, by contrast, several communist regimes survived. This apparent paradox can be resolved by adding 'post-totalitarianism' to the analysis. It not only enables differences in the vulnerability of communist regimes to transitions to be better understood, but also clarifies the type of transition to which they are susceptible. The distinction between totalitarianism and post-totalitarianism - as well as the specification of sub-types - goes some way toward explaining transitions and non-transitions from communism.