11546. COMMUNISM'S EXIT: THE CASES OF THE SOVIET UNION AND CZECHOSLOVAKIA. Analyzes the reasons behind and contributing factors in the fall of communism. Considers first the strengths and weaknesses of communist systems in general, along with the pivotal reasons behind their demise, and then looks at the specific examples of the Soviet Union and one of its satellites, Czechoslovakia. The links between the fall of communism in the Soviet Union and its satellites are noted and analyzed. 14 pages, 42 footnotes in text, 20 bibliographic sources.