Poland And Czech Reform Essays - Decommunization, Economy Of Poland

Poland And Czech Reform After the fall of communism, several different countries decided that it was time to reform both current economic and political policies. Two countries that have had major economic reforms are Poland and the Czech Republic. However, the process of that change is different, each country had a different idea of how to become a new economic power in the 1990's. In December 1989, the new government, led by members of the labor union Solidarity, launched a reform program designed to transform Poland's economy into a free-market system. Price controls were lifted, while wage controls were imposed. State enterprises were transformed into joint-stock companies, and many were scheduled for eventual privatization or purchase by foreign investors. The restructuring of the Polish economy resulted in a massive layoff of workers and a rapid rise in unemployment. Poland's GDP declined sharply in 1990 and 1991. Poland had relied heavily on agriculture and would have been easier to reform if its exhausted industrial regions could have been abandoned. Poland may have been the first to try a rapid, sweeping conversion, deemed by the press as "shock therapy." This conversion was to a capitalism and free market. It was also the first to overcome the resultant drop in economic output. Economic growth returned as early as the first half of 1992, and voters should have begun to notice the benefits by September 1993. However, rather than reformers gaining approval, the renamed communist party captured the largest number of seats in the Polish parliament in the elections that month. This was yet another step back for the reforming process. After its initial decline, Poland's economy began to improve. Annual GDP increased between 1992 and 1997, when it reached $135.7 billion. Industrial production increased by about 12 percent in 1994, which, accompanied by a 2 percent drop in unemployment, represented a major increase in labor productivity. Inflation remained above government goals but steadily declined, with an annual rate of 30 percent in 1994 dropping to 18.5 percent in 1996. Although hundreds of enterprises were transferred to private ownership during 1994 and 1995, the pace of privatization was generally slow; the private sector's share of GDP remained at about 60 percent in 1995 and 1996. However, a new constitution adopted in May 1997 committed the country to pursuing a market economy and further privatization. In the early and mid-1990s Poland's foreign debt was significantly alleviated by concessions from creditors, which helped to attract increasing levels of foreign investment. The result of "shock therapy" for Poland was to emerge out after the fall of the former reigning communism, to take leaps and bounds in economic development. Another country, just south of Poland, the Czech Republic also economically reformed in the early 1990's. The Czech Republic has been traditionally among the most economically developed regions of Europe. When the Communists came to power in Czechoslovakia in 1948, they created a highly centralized economic system. Nearly all aspects of economic planning and management came under the control of the central government. Most of the country's economic assets were placed in state hands; economic managers and decision-makers were cut off from their counterparts in the West; and foreign trade was conducted almost exclusively with other Communist countries. Although the economy remained strong by Eastern European standards, with one of the highest standards of living in the Communist world, the policies adopted by the Communist government led to long-term economic decline in Czechoslovakia. After the collapse of Communism in 1989, the new leaders of Czechoslovakia had to deal with this legacy. In the early 1990's, the post-Communist government moved quickly to convert the economy to a system based on free enterprise. A number of reform measures were adopted, including a voucher privatization plan, which gave citizens, for a low administrative fee, coupons that could later be traded for stock in companies. The voucher plan successfully transferred large parts of the economy to private ownership. By December 1994 more than 80 percent of firms in the Czech Republic were privatized or had decided on a privatization strategy. Business boomed in Prague and other cities in the mid 1990's as entrepreneurs established new companies. The government has also succeeded in re-establishing trade with the West and obtaining substantial levels of foreign investment. The average standard of living in the Czech Republic dropped somewhat in the early 1990s as market reforms were introduced, but in recent years, the economy has begun to recover. Inflation was about 10 percent in late 1994, less than half of what it was in 1991. Gross domestic product (GDP) increased by

oceans 11 essays

oceans 11 essays Oceans Eleven was made in 1960. The major stars in the movie were Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, Richard Conte, and Caesar Romero. This was a great movie and was good at reflecting its time, the 50s and early 60s. Forty one years later, this movie is remade. The major stars in the new film were George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia, Matt Damon, and Bernie Mac. This Movie was also great and also was an excellent reflection of its time, the new millennium. There are many differences and similarities between the two movies, yet it is still hard for me to say which one I like better. Both movies had a common theme. A group of very smart men get a way with crime. Both movies have guys in suits that are good talkers, good with the ladies, and are very smart and cunning. One main difference in the theme is that in the first one a group of war heroes use there training for crime. Throughout the movie, they refer to the heist as a mission, they move as if they are always covering each others backs, and they even refer the city as the combat zone. The army trains our men to have skills that they can abuse after the war. That was the message the first movie was trying to relay. The Second movie was made in a completely different era. It didnt have the same time of tone setters. The first movie did a good job of using music to portray mood. I noticed special music when a character would be confused, surprised, sad, or enlightened. A good example is at the end of the movie. They are at a funeral and there is this noise that keeps getting louder. The suspense is unbearable. Finally, the audience realizes that the sound is the money being burned. The second movie did not have this type of tone. There wasnt music to set moods. Instead, it was left to the actors to set the moods on their own. It worked because the second movie, l ...