There is a lot of excitement coming out of Eastern Europe. With Marxism on the decline, and nearing death, many are heralding democratic governments as the way to go. It seems representative government is really in vogue.

The best example of this comes from East Germany where leaders of the communist state have recently opened the once impermeable Berlin Wall and allowed residents to travel freely to West Germany.

However, through all the excitement one important reality seems to be getting ignored. Who says democracy is right for everyone? Are people, paticularly U.S. citizens, getting a bit too involved in this metamorphosis and becoming rosey eyed to see their form of government so popular? Are the problems associated with democracy being tossed aside and being replaced by the emotional reactions of citizens who have been suppressed by communist governments?

It is not to say that democracy does not seem to carry the most intrinsic qualities that recognize personal freedoms. But after all the excitement has died down in Eastern Europe, what will the result be? Things won’t be easy for anyone trying to change decades-long repressive regimes, and this needs to be remembered.

After all, the Wizard of Oz was all a hoax. And although the recent developments in East Germany make for great film footage, we do not live in a fantasy world.