The happy transitions across much of Central Europe following the end of the Cold War were made easier by the fact that the old communist order more or less died on its feet and surrendered power peacefully. This, along with generous support from Western Europe, the United States, and others, helped to create a mood conducive to reconciliation, allowing each country to tackle in a measured, non-vengeful way the many difficult moral issues arising from the recent dark past.
用托尔斯泰的话来说，愉快的转变都是大同小异的；但是每一个不愉快的转变都有它自己独特的方式。冷战以来，旧的共产主义秩序或多或少地势力减弱，并且和平地让出了权力，这有利于中欧大部分地区的愉快转变。再加上西欧国家，美国以及其他国家大量的帮助，创造了一个有利于和解的氛围，并且以慎重，非报复的方式解决了黑暗时代出现的一些难处理的道德问题。