Communism and Geography

Communism, the political and economic regime characterized by a command economy and singleparty rule dominated by the members of the Communist Party, wrought significant effects on the cultural, urban, economic, and physical geography of communist-ruled states in both Europe and Asia. While there are differences between the way communist goals were pursued in the Soviet Union after World War I and in Eastern Europe and Asia in the second half of the 20th century, there are a number of commonalities. Because of the control exercised by the Party, communist countries were able to be single-minded in their pursuit of goals, as exemplified by the proliferation of Five Year Plans, especially in the areas of industrialization, agricultural restructuring, and urban morphology.