NationStates Jolt Archive

Just a question, why are the revolutions of 1989 collectively referred to as the Autumn of Nations, seems like a pretty random name to me.

If you are wondering why I ask, a guy in my class gave a presentation on the revolutions today and after repeatedly referring to them as such, I asked him why he did so. He had no answer for me.

Needless to say, this perked my curiosity. :p

Ive never heard the term before, I always just thought it was just called the "Fall of the Soviet Union"....umm...*searches*...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutions_of_1989

Presumably because so many nations were created in the Autumn of 1989

Seems to make sense, maybe its a play on words "fall of soviet union" ----> fall=autumn/ soviet union----> disintegrated into a large number of successor "nations"

consider who'se doing the naming, their vested propiganda intrests. pretty simple. obviously rational objectivity doesn't have to go along with it.

It's because a previous wave of revolutions in Europe - way back in 1848 - was called the "Spring of Nations". IIRC the following year, when the crowned heads of Europe cracked down on all the hopeful newly independent states, was called the "Winter of Nations". So 1989 is called the "Autumn of Nations", and I'm sure someday we'll see the "Summer of Nations". Or perhaps the "Inundation of Nations", if the Aswan Dam gets blown up and the government of Egypt falls apart into warring microstates.

It's because every god-fearing socialist in the world collectively weeps as the spring of 1917 and summer of 1945 turns into the autumn of 1989 and, soon, the winter of 2012.

Just a question, why are the revolutions of 1989 collectively referred to as the Autumn of Nations, seems like a pretty random name to me.

If you are wondering why I ask, a guy in my class gave a presentation on the revolutions today and after repeatedly referring to them as such, I asked him why he did so. He had no answer for me.

Needless to say, this perked my curiosity. :p

Never heard the term before...
There's a number of terms around, more or less one for each country, as they were most of them quite distinct.

It's because a previous wave of revolutions in Europe - way back in 1848 - was called the "Spring of Nations". IIRC the following year, when the crowned heads of Europe cracked down on all the hopeful newly independent states, was called the "Winter of Nations". So 1989 is called the "Autumn of Nations", and I'm sure someday we'll see the "Summer of Nations". Or perhaps the "Inundation of Nations", if the Aswan Dam gets blown up and the government of Egypt falls apart into warring microstates.

I've never heard of that one either.
The revolution in Germany in 1849 is called the March revolution, because that's when it took place.

Are those US terms maybe?

Never heard any of the terms.

I agree with Cabra that it must be US invented terminology.

Are those US terms maybe?

It sounds British. Not prosaic enough for Americans.

It sounds British. Not prosaic enough for Americans.

Just checked with my BF, he's British. He's never heard the terms before either.

Just checked with my BF, he's British. He's never heard the terms before either.

TBH I never heard the term when I was in the UK either. But I've also never heard it in the US.

But based on my extensive experience of the way things get labeled both over there and here, it sounds British. Americans would call it the Uprising of the Commies or something.

But I'm just guessing. It's obviously one of those things that only a handful of historians use in any case.

Maybe...he just made it up? It sounds kind of cool, but I would prefer "The Year Communism Died" for more dramatic effect.

I will never forget the 4th of June.

Yeah I agree. Somewhere in the UK. If it doesn't have War in the title then it probably wasn't us.

War on Terror
War on Drugs
War on Poverty

The two words I remember most about the time were the following 2 words:

glasnost

perestroika

If we heard them once we heard them 1000 times. Few people could spell them even. Even what they mean is still a little confusing.

Economic restructuring that leads to death.

Oh wait didn't we just go through something....

Fall of the Berlin Wall seems to make more sense to me and it points better to the time period. Everyone remember the pictures on TV.

Fall of the Berlin Wall seems to make more sense to me and it points better to the time period. Everyone remember the pictures on TV.

But it's nowhere near an accurate term, as it describes merely a single event in a single country that happened somwhere in the middle of the process.
Doesn't account for Hungary opening its borders early in 1989, doesn't relate to the Ceaucescus being executed in Romania, doesn't make reference to the silken revolution in Czecheslowakia....

But it's nowhere near an accurate term, as it describes merely a single event in a single country that happened somwhere in the middle of the process.
Doesn't account for Hungary opening its borders early in 1989, doesn't relate to the Ceaucescus being executed in Romania, doesn't make reference to the silken revolution in Czecheslowakia....

I don't know if i could call that an execution, the "firing squad" forgot to wait for them to be blindfolded and tied up and simply began shooting at them as soon as they appeared.
As much as I hate the guy, it seemed more like a kangaroo court and the first guys with guns to show up got to shoot him and his wife up with the courts approval.

I don't know if i could call that an execution, the "firing squad" forgot to wait for them to be blindfolded and tied up and simply began shooting at them as soon as they appeared.
As much as I hate the guy, it seemed more like a kangaroo court and the first guys with guns to show up got to shoot him and his wife up with the courts approval.

If I remember correctly, they both refused the blindfolds.... and they were tied together because she had absolutely insisted on that.

Then again, when did an execution last need an official firing squad?