How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed

How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed (1992) by Croatian essayist and journalist Slavenka Drakulić details life in Communist Eastern Europe, especially the former Yugoslavia (which after 1989 would become eight distinct countries, including Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Montenegro). Drakulić wrote this collection in response to the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall and dissolution of the USSR; in her view, there was more political coverage than reflections of how communism affected quotidian life. In the decade before the publication of this book, Drakulić worked as a popular journalist in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.

The book’s themes include hope, the effects of politics on one’s personal life, and the authoritarian possibilities of politics. The nineteen chapters are arranged by theme and are not chronological.

Born in 1949, Drakulić’s father had been an accomplished army officer. As communists, the family did not celebrate Christmas or Easter. In school, Drakulić quickly understood that saying anything counter state-approved doctrine would be met with punishment. In her daily life, she realized she was always under state surveillance and against her will, started to censor herself from even thinking subversive thoughts.

Drakulić studied sociology and comparative literature as an undergraduate. During this time, she decided to become a writer and shared her work with others. She eventually attracted so many readers that the Yugoslavian government feared she would say something “inappropriate.” They assigned her a censor from State Security Police whom she had to meet with regularly and whenever he demanded.

According to Drakulić, under the system, she and the people she knew lost hope that their lives could ever be better. If a journalist suggested a social improvement not approved by the Communist Party, he or she would be publically shamed in the press. A difference in power of ability was discouraged. Drakulić recounts one time where she saw a young woman chased by a mob for wearing a fur coat; they hated her at that moment for reminding them of what they couldn’t afford.

In theory, Communism no longer rules Eastern Europe. However, Drakulić contends that its influence remains alive and active in daily political and cultural life. She writes that one can see the effects of communism in how people carry themselves, how they act toward each other, and in the limited range of their thought. Drakulić studied in the U.S. after Croatia’s independence, but the new environment didn’t mean that her behaviors would be cast off. She relates a time in a New York City subway where she saw a perfectly good-looking muffin dropped on the floor. She starts moving toward the muffin before remembering where she is and that fighting for a muffin is no longer necessary.

Josip Broz (a.k.a., Tito) ruled Yugoslavia from 1953 until his death in 1980. Internationally considered a dictator, Tito favored certain ethnic groups and, as a charismatic man, enjoyed a high approval rating among the governed as well as within the Communist Party. Drakulić notes that after his death, nationalist parties, particularly Croatia and Slovenia, felt the need to break away from Yugoslavia. After the fall of the USSR, they were, in fact, the first countries of the former Yugoslavia to declare independence.

During Communist rule, women smuggled in makeup, despite the possible punishments. Drakulić argues that depriving women of the option to have feminine products, from dresses to tampons, was a cruel way to keep women from feeling empowered. Because Communist leaders were so set on avoiding Western influence, they did not important the sort of domestic appliances that would free up women’s time. For women in Yugoslavia, she also observes, it was an effective means of control by the macho leaders in the Communist parties.

Once communist rule ended in Croatia, many people experienced simple pleasures previously denied. Drakulić observes the surprised face of one man who eats a banana for the first time. In 1990, Croatia appointed its first president, Franjo Tuđman, who happened to be a former general in the military. He begins certain reforms to liberalize the country, encourage the notion of personal agency and private space; yet the influence of the Communist party remains pervasive across the country.

As a popular journalist from 1982 to 1992, Drakulić researched the status of women around Yugoslavia. She revealed grave violence toward women, often executed along ethnic lines.

When Drakulić visited New York City, she was amazed that strawberries had traveled this far north. She recalled how coveted certain commodities were in Croatia that are, in the U.S., commonplace. This includes coffee, mason jars, quality clothing, and pizza.

However, she is well aware that the U.S. is not a perfect utopia. There are homeless people in New York City. Drakulić posits that their appearance is so powerful in America because back in Croatia, though everyone was poor, they had access to a basic, if small, income; in America, it’s possible to be a complete outcast.

In looking at feminism, Drakulić observes how frequently people who support equal, women’s rights are regarded as radicals who wish to destabilize the country.

Even after the fall of the U.S.S.R, citizens across Croatia save all of their valuables in preparation for war, as opposed to the West where recycling is a “should.” Drakulić looks at the mother of one of her friends who can’t help herself from washing out yogurt cups; she’s sure she’ll find a way to reuse the cups in the future. Even in the U.S., Drakulić can’t bring herself to believe that no one is listening in on her phone calls.