The International Monetary Fund in Eastern Europe: Lessons of the 1980s and Prospects for the 1990s

Abstract

Historical analysis reveals that the economic development of Eastern Europe has always been influenced by external constraints and pressure. This external pressure was perhaps most evident during the postwar era of Soviet-imposed central planning, but it predated the Soviet presence and outlasted the Soviet dominion over Eastern Europe. Of course, the source and nature of external pressure has changed considerably over time. And during the past two years, the main avenue of outside influence upon Eastern Europe has shifted from the Soviet Union to the Western world.