Using the primary sources in this module, answerONE of the following prompts:

1. Some historians argue that economics can explain any change that has occurred in history. Economic historians of 1989 argue that this is especially true in the crises that sparked the fall of communism in eastern Europe. Using these sources, analyze whether economic factors best explains the collapse of communist rule in 1989.

2. The Trabant is often used to symbolize the “quality” of life under communist rule during the Cold War period, before the establishment of democracies in those countries. Discuss the accuracy and relative merits of the Trabant as a symbol for the economic health of communist rule leading up to 1989?