The Struggle to Create Post-Cold War Europe'

A crucial part of the revolution of 1989 was the rise in self-confidence on the part of East Europeans. They became unwilling to accept previously tolerated strictures. In 1989, this unwillingness was particularly pronounced among East Germans, who had seemed relatively restrained in contrast with Solidarity in Poland and reformers in Hungary. In the fall of 1989, however, several factors contributed to give East Germans the courage they needed to change their future.

Gorbachev's numerous hints to East German leaders and citizens that nonviolent reform was the order of the day removed the fear that the Soviets would act where the East German leadership had not. Economic grievances contributed as well. Enough was enough, ran the general sentiment. The sixteen-year wait for a car and the twenty-five-year wait for a telephone were no longer tolerable. Although the deprivation was not as bad as that experienced in Poland and Romania, it was still painful. In 1986–87, roughly a hundred thousand people living in thirty-five thousand houses had no heat in the depths of winter. In 1988 and 1989, consumers discovered that it was increasingly difficult to find meat (except on the black market). The comparison with the success of West Germany's economy exacerbated the resentment. And repeated missteps by the ruling East German Socialist Unity Party (SED) intensified anxieties.

East Germans decided that in order to improve their lives, they must either leave the country, confront their ruling regime, or accept what would come. In other words, they faced a choice between exiting, voicing their discontent, or staying quiet. At first, Hungary's September 1989 announcement that it would allow East Germans to travel through Hungary to Austria made the exit option the most attractive.

This announcement was the result of Hungarian Minister President Miklós Németh's decision to change sides at the end of the Cold War. In spring 1989, he and Gorbachev had seemed to be like-minded souls, agreeing in a March conversation that there was "no difference between pluralism in a single-party system and in a multi-party system."

Political liberalization in Hungary over the summer, however, had an unexpected consequence. Not only Hungarians but also East Germans sought to take advantage of the May 1989 cutting of the fence on the Hungarian border to Austria. Due to treaty obligations, Hungary was not supposed to let East Germans utilize this new gap in the iron curtain; but East Germans came and camped at the border anyway.

At first a holiday atmosphere prevailed, but the crowds grew restless as conditions became wet and swampy in the waning days of a Central European summer. Nervous Hungarian border guards even shot one East German after an altercation on August 21. It was clear that something had to give.

In a hastily arranged secret meeting on August 25, 1989, outside of Bonn, Németh and his foreign minister, Gyula Horn, informed West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher that they would no longer prevent East Germans from crossing the "green border" into Austria and then going onward to the FRG. The Hungarian leaders were wisely seeking to make a virtue out of the necessity of resolving the unstable situation.

Németh kept his word and opened the border to East Germans in September. Dramatic scenes filled television screens worldwide as a mass exodus ensued. By the end of the month, roughly forty thousand had exited—far more than the Hungarian leadership or indeed anyone else had anticipated. This opening was one of the single most important events leading to the breakdown of the old Cold War order.


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Motorbike breakdown cover, Separate or add on?

Consumer assistance website for the area of car and motorcycle breakdown cover, Breakdownchoices.co.uk reports that motorbike breakdown cover has recently shown a huge rise in popularity. The factors contributing to this jump are, increased weight of motorcycles creating a situation where is no longer practical for the operator to push the motorbike to a repair centre, complexity of the motorcycles themselves requiring greater technology and a wider range of tools for repair, and a general unwillingness of motorbike operators to wait in unfair weather conditions for assistance.

These factors led to Breakdown Choices adding to their website charts and analysis for breakdown cover comparison featuring motorbike cover. An important feature of this analysis is that many of the United Kingdom’s better known breakdown cover providers do not offer motorbike breakdown cover. Breakdown Choices has sifted through all of the United Kingdom’s best cover providers to furnish visitors to the site with a definitive list of the best cover alternatives.

As many of these companies listed are primarily car breakdown cover providers this allows anyone wishing to compare breakdown cover an excellent opportunity to choose either separate motorbike breakdown cover or to purchase said cover as an additional option to their current or planned automobile cover. Prices for motorbike breakdown cover as shown on breakdownchoices.co.uk begin at £28.50 from RAC. One must always remember whenever purchasing breakdown cover that basic cover will only allow for towing to the nearest garage. It is recommended that purchasers opt for more complete or level three protection.



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Breakdown cover circa 1963

I recently came across an article that was nothing short of comical and amazing. The article and discussion of breakdown cover took great pains to point out that breakdown cover is a service strictly created and aimed for women. The author of the piece somehow managed to convince himself that the average man in the United Kingdom today is completely prepared and willing to deal with any kind of mechanical or automotive malady that should befall them. It seems to us that this conception may have possibly been true in 1963. But surely today very few car owners have an interest in roadside repair.

Further it should be pointed out that today’s automobile is no longer the tinkerer’s delight it may have been in decades past. I for one want no part of raising the bonnet on my car and staring stupidly at the engine as cars whiz past. For this reason I have done a complete breakdown cover comparison. I was able to compare breakdown cover with the assistance of a renowned consumer help website relative to breakdown cover, Breakdownchoices.co.uk. My study of every aspect of breakdown cover led me to choose Green Flag Breakdown for my roadside assistance company. My decision was based upon several factors.

The first was that only green flag breakdown offered European travel protection as part of their yearly rate. Green flag also offers the lowest rate for breakdown cover that includes at home assistance. Other excellent choices for breakdown cover protection available through Breakdownchoices.co.uk were RAC, AA, and Gem.


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Holiday car hire: Drive a bargain

SUMMER holidays are here and for the next two months many will be heading off. With more and more people putting their own holiday packages together, there are a few insurance products you may wish to consider that will save you time and money.

Many of us who book flights on Aer Lingus, Ryanair, British Midland or Aer Arann will be familiar with the car hire offers at knock-down prices.

Often the price you are quoted does not include car hire excess cover, which can cost you an arm and a leg when you purchase it at the car hire counter.

A good money-saving tip is to purchase your own policy before you leave. If you rent a car a few times a year, then an annual policy will save you even more money.

Car Hire Excess Cover

If you are hiring a car on holidays (or for work) then you should consider taking out a car hire excess cover policy before you leave home.

Most car hire arrangements generally cover collision damage waiver (CDW) and theft.

However, should you damage the rental car, or should the car be stolen, the driver is asked to pay the first portion of the repair or replacement costs. This is known as the excess.

In most agreements the insured is still liable for the first portion of the repair or replacement costs otherwise known as the excess, which can be up to €2,000. The policy insures you, the policy holder, not the rental vehicle.

Excess is a voluntary insurance. You can save significant time and money purchasing a car hire excess policy before collecting your vehicle at the car hire desk.

Decline the car rental company's excess cover at the counter when you collect the car.

If the car is damaged or stolen, the car rental company will charge your credit card for the excess amount and you can then claim for reimbursement on your policy.

The policy covers the excess on a car hire policy up to a maximum of €3,000 of damage, including damage to windows and tyres, fire, vandalism, theft or loss of use of the rental vehicle.

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Breakdown cover comparison for numerous roadside service companies

Service versus price is the prime consideration when purchasing almost everything we buy. But nowhere is this more important than when buying breakdown cover. Too often we sign up for this product without first doing an in depth breakdown cover comparison. The pity of this is more than just money is wasted. The greater issue is that we wander onto the road thinking we are protected when in fact we are not.

There are hundreds of companies offering car and motorbike breakdown cover in the UK but only three are of merit. They are AA, Green Flag and RAC. To compare breakdown cover from these three, you will need to go to Breakdownchoices.co.uk. Breakdown Choices is the leading breakdown cover information site on the web. They offer what is undoubtedly the simplest means to compare prices and services for cover that can be found anywhere. And, as Breakdown cover is part of the consumer choices network you may be certain they have only evaluated honest and fair offers from substantial, reliable companies. Prices for breakdown cover range from 20 to 120 pounds per annum dependent on which services you will require.


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European Breakdown Cover - A Serious Consideration

It’s much easier nowadays to take you car to Europe from the UK. We have the channel tunnel or “Chunnel” as some like to call it. We have an abundance of ferries to take us to the French, Belgium, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Irish coastlines that I know of and with competition being so high, prices are more affordable. You only have to see the amount of British number plates throughout Portugal, France and Spain to see the quantity of cars that depart our shores. But what about the car we are driving, will it get you and your family to where you want to go, or are you taking risks like you would back at home?

There are fundamental differences about taking your car to the continent and driving back at home in the UK. First of all is the language barrier, if you breakdown what guarantees do you have that any help will speak English? The makes and models of cars differ form country to country so what is the likelihood of a good spares resource. Knowing where you are and who to ask for breakdown assistance could also be an issue. A final consideration but very serious should you have a major breakdown, how much would it cost you to get you, your family and your car back home should the worst happen?

We are all-familiar with breakdown cover here back in the UK, but anyone visiting Europe and intends to drive this kind of distance should think of European breakdown cover as a serious consideration. Most policies will get you going should you breakdown, will have English speaking operators and in serious situations get you car home saving you thousands of pounds. Of course there is a cost associated with any insurance policy and the decision to buy is usually based on the risk factor, what are the chances of breaking down? The truth is though, that most drivers very rarely undertake long journeys, like from the UK down to Spain and those who do this regularly are the drivers most likely to have already purchased European Breakdown Cover.

It will only take one breakdown within a strange area. Not knowing who to ring and then when you do find someone, the language barriers will not give you confidence of a cheap repair. There are even more serious issues to consider and that is of crime. With reported crimes of cars being pulled over and robbed of its contents within normal situations, how much more vulnerable are you going to be if you are sitting next to a broken down car in a strange European destination. An uncomfortable thought, but a real threat in certain areas of Europe. We Brits travel to Europe and expect to get our English breakfast our normal newspaper and English speaking hotels and restaurants. But this is not the case when it comes to garages and repair options. These will be local mechanics offering a service that they would to the locals in their own time and in their own way.

If you are considering the long drive to Europe, then being prepared with European Breakdown cover, should be something you pack with your passport.
Mark is webmaster for European Breakdown Cover and Be At The Wheel Of A Ferrari and Breakdown Cover


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Motor cycle breakdown cover for bikers

Motor bikers will agree that roadside mishaps are a common occurrence. Vehicle punctures, breakdowns, and accidents keep occurring frequently. There are firms that provide motorcycle breakdown cover insurance in the case of any of the roadside mishaps under consideration. These mishaps can happen anywhere and at any time and you are worse affected when you are touring out on your mopeds, scooters, or motorbikes. If the mishap occurs in Europe the European breakdown squad will surely help you out during the emergency.

Many bikers do not approach any relevant authorities when their vehicles breakdown or get punctured while they are touring. They carry the repairing tools and try to repair their vehicles all by themselves. If they are knowledgeable of vehicle parts and their functioning they can set their mopeds or scooters right but if they don’t they will only be damaging them further. Instead, contacting the motor cycle breakdown authorities will help in not only getting timely help but will also help in procuring a motorcycle breakdown cover for the vehicle. Usually a good amount of money is reimbursed as insurance for the vehicle.

The European breakdown support group will provide motorcycle breakdown cover for motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds if there is any roadside accident. Their recovery service has a several plans that will be beneficial for the bikers and those who drive scooters and mopeds. The breakdown assistance squad will refer your case to technical staff regardless of the intensity of damage. The advantage is that you can get your vehicle thoroughly checked up. The European breakdown recovery system has three plans in operation for insurance. The first plan deals with recovery during emergencies on the roadside. It also covers breakdowns due to accidentsThe second plan provides motorcycle breakdown cover for vehicles when there is a start up problem. Bikers and those who drive mopeds and scooters usually avail these plans because they generally encounter start up problems, especially during winter months. This plan includes a lot of other services too. The third plan is designed to give the vehicle an extra multi trip breakdown cover in case of emergencies occurring within Europe. All these plans will help you in getting adequate insurance for your motorcycles or scooters, lest they are subjected to any sudden damage while they are being used.

The breakdown assistance team will not only give your vehicle an appropriate motorcycle breakdown cover, but they will also give you the best recovery services that are available in Europe. Bikers will find the service advantageous in that for repairing your motorcycles, mopeds or scooters, they will be using special equipment and that too for free. Moreover, the insurance provided will reimburse the monetary losses caused by the damage to a large extent. The roadside assistance provided by the agencies is excellent during any emergency. You can also call them up to get tips on how to handle the emergency. They operate in a lot of countries in Europe and if the mishap occurs in Europe you can be assured that you and your vehicle are in safe hands.

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