Pope John Paul II's Influence on the Fall of Communism

THESIS STATEMENT

Both the words and actions of Pope John Paul II were crucial to the downfall of communism in Germany as well as his native Poland.

PURPOSE STATEMENT

This paper will discuss Pope John Paul II’s role in the fall of communism in Germany and his native Poland through in depth research and an analysis of biographical research.

INTRODUCTION

Even as a child, people knew that Karol Wojtyla was destined for greatness. Even his mother bragged to all her neighbors that her newborn son would grow into a great man. And that he did.

He served as pope from 1978 until his death in 2005, a period of over twenty-six years. He was the youngest pope of the Twentieth Century as well, elected at the age of fifty-eight. However, the most striking aspect of his election was that he was Polish – the first non-Italian pope since the Fifteenth Century! He was a remarkable man, who “with bold religious zeal and diplomatic shrewdness…forced open doors” (Accattoli et al 45). He forced people to seriously think about their lives. About morality, conscience, religion. He attacked communism will every ounce of his will and helped to bring down the Berlin wall. He “demonstrated in action that Christian conviction can be the agent of human liberation” (Weigel 847). It’s almost impossible to believe that such a famous man had such humble beginnings.

Born in Wadowice, Poland on May 20th, 1920, Karol Wojtyla grew up in an environment of communism and depression. His mother was sickly and died at a young age, leaving him and his father alone, as his older brother Edmund was away at school. Many times Karol, or “Lolek,” as he was called by those dear to him, would enter his father’s bedroom late at night and see him knelt on the floor ...

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...e like Pope John Paul II in their lifetime. Someone intelligent, virtuous, courageous, and, for lack of better words, miraculous. A man who could look at the political situation with optimism and say “’Even Communists are people, and people change’” (Accattoli et al 52).

Undoubtedly, without the inspiring speeches, actions, and overall presence of Pope John Paul II, the communist regimes in Germany and Poland would have never met their downfall. “One of Communism’s basic tenets is that reality shapes one’s consciousness. But consciousness also shapes reality, and the pope’s visions electrified the consciousness of the masses” (Accattoli et al 49).

Both the actions and words of Pope John Paul II were crucial to the downfall of communism in Germany and his native Poland. Without his courage in the face of adversity, Europe today would be completely different.