Under a Cruel Star Communist ideologies dominated Europe for much of the twentieth century. What began in the Soviet Union quickly spread into other European nations after World War II. While it is now known that many of these communist nations were corrupt, however they still managed to hold on to power for a considerable amount of time. It begs the question of how these communist European governments were able to hold onto power. There are numerous reasons why, however it is the combination of the Soviet Union influence, propaganda, individual beliefs, and fear that allowed communism to maintain control. Many of these are exemplified in the novel Under a Cruel Star as it depicts a woman living in communist Czechoslovakia. The Soviet Union…show more content… Not too long after the communist party took power in Czechoslovakia there began to be a series of arrests of individuals. The novel depicts this from the beginning to the end of the arrests, which became more and more public as the years went by. The narrator states “when the arrests first started, it was generally assumed that the accused were guilty of something. Few people at the time believed that there was basically something wrong with our judicial system. After all, the accused almost invariably confessed.” (Kovály 94). This seemed logical at first, criminals were being arrested because they were suspected to have committed a crime. However, later it becomes known that the suspects were being tortured so they would confess to crimes they did not…show more content… Many of the elected officials who held government positions in the communist regime sincerely felt they were creating a better society. Rudolph is a perfect example of this. His dedication to his work became a dedication to the party because he was doing what he thought was best for his country. This view is what allowed communism to maintain its hold on society. People felt like they were truly having a positive impact on the nation, yet they were often just figureheads to be seen by the public. Most of the power belonged to a handful of typically corrupt