Wow, my first attempt on songfic. Anyway, I was trying to quickly show you the history of fights against communism in Eastern Block. Sorry, if I missed someone. The song is Stand up by Garou.
Stand up, Eastern Block!
Dream yourself awake
Can't make it through the night
Wicked dreams will haunt you
When the morning light shines
You try to find your way outside
Toris, Raivis and Eduard straighten themselves, when Ivan came in. He smiled innocently, they smiled back with their fake smiles, which were hiding their fear, hate and despair. He came closer to them, still smiling, and put his hand on Latvia's head. Little nation started to trembling, but he and his brothers felt helpless anger, when Russia said:
"Isn't it great to be one with me?"
They had to surpress the want of punching him and screaming: "No, it isn't!" They had to use all their self control to not exclaim how much they wanted back their independence, their names, their national flags, their pride. They had to surpress this all and, with another fake smiles, agree with him.
Just another day
You try to let them shine
The people disappoint you
Makes you wonder why you cry
You can almost see the end of you
Elizabeth wanted to cry or hit certain Russian with her frying pan for all those things, her people was suffering right now. Points for origin? Collectivization?[1] What the hell was that?! No wonder she was feeling so ill. No wonder her economy was low and her people wanted changes. Whole this situation was pretty depressing.
Feliks was walking through gray streets of Poznań. In the faces of people, who were passing him by, he could see depression. He didn't felt well, since that story with workers in Cegielski's works[2]. So many people was killed and he felt their death miserably. He felt his economic problems and the agitation of his people. It wasn't the reality he wanted to live. And it wasn't his choice either, even if his boss was saying otherwise. The aggravation was growing inside of him, when he thought that he was depended from Ivan and his boss. He felt like he had to do something. Even something little, but something. He couldn't take it all just like that.
So come, on stand up
Yeah, put your hands up
It ain't wrong to be strong
And it's gonna be gone
And then they won't come back to you
No no no no
It was October already. One night Gilbert was sitting in his home and watching TV, when he heard the ringing phone. He rapidly stood up and put it up. He had to be careful. Stasi was probably recording this call. On the other side of the phone Elizabeth screamed with excitement:
"Gilbert, do you know what happened?!"
"And you know what time is now, Elizabeth?!" He barked.
"Shut up and listen: Feliks' boss was changed, after his resistance against Red Army[3]! Isn't it great, Prussia?"
"Shiii." He hushed her. "You crazy woman, you want me get arrested?"
"Oh, sorry, Gil. Anyway, I called just to tell you this. Bye." And she hung up the phone.
Gilbert didn't come back to TV. For a few seconds he was just standing at the phone and thinking. Maybe there was hope? Maybe if they will stand for themselves, they would have some chance to defeat Ivan?
Hungary with her own flag in hands, was marching alongside with the students of Technical University of Budapest. Soon more and more people were joining to students and directing into Bem's monument. She felt like her aching body was filling with wonderful ecstasy and hope. If she put all her heart and all her might into this, she will achieve anything. Imre Nogy will become her new leader and everything will be better.
Wake up
Try not to break up
If they're holding you down
Then you rise to the top
Cos you're a bad, bad girl
And you just can't stop
Prussia was hugging the crying Hungary and whispering the words of comfort to her ears. Other members of Eastern Block were sitting around them and watching her with sadness. The Hungarian Revolution failed. Also, in spite of the thaw, their situation wasn't as good as they thought it should be. Maybe terror wasn't that strong as in times of Stalinism, but their economy was still low and their people was still whining. Baltics still didn't achieved the independence. Their world was still colorless.
Suddenly Poland clenched his fist and stood up. Everyone's attention turned to him.
"We have to fight, guys."
"Dumbass, Russia will punish us!" Romania said.
"Then we try again." Poland replied calmly, seizing everybody. "And again. Until we finally break away from this hell."
Elizabeth stopped crying and looked at him. Suddenly smile appeared on her face. Then she break out from Gilbert's embrace and ran to Feliks.
"I'm with you, Felek."
Prussia was staring at him with confusion, but then his usual smirk showed.
"You're right, kid. We need to kick his ass."
Give yourself a break
Listen to your heart
Let your conscience guide you
Never let your guard down
Find out the best of you
Gilbert stood in front of the Berlin Wall and put his hand on the gray betony covered with graffiti. Behind this wall was his brother. Behind this wall was color, happiness and freedom. The place where he – Prussia, known also as GDR – was right now, was a colorless, hopeless prison. Even if his boss was saying otherwise; even if his boss was saying that his beloved brother, West, is an imperialist monster, he – GDR – wanted to see him again.
Gilbert leaned himself on the wall, like he wanted to overhear something. He stayed like this for a moment, before he left the place and returned to his everyday activities, like laundry, shopping, planning new action to piss off Ivan…
Everything you do
And what is done to you
Doesn't have to change you
It only makes you stronger and stronger
The more they take away from you
"I won't do it!" Romania screamed, crossing his arms on the chest. Russia was stunned.
"But you have to! Czechoslovakia is rebelling against me!"
"Forget it, Ivan! I'm not going to attack him!"[4]
Czechoslovakia was at the first meeting of Chart 77[5]. As they said, their goal was the fight against communism in his place and defend the human rights and democracy. He was a little nervous (last time, when he tried to force some reforms, he was attacked by Warsaw Pact's Army), but he couldn't help to not smile to himself.
So come on, stand up
Yeah, put your hands up
It ain't wrong to be strong
And it's gonna be gone
And then they won't come back to you
No no no no
Estonia couldn't take it, anymore. This rusification was driving him crazy. He always was someone unique and Russia should respect it. Eduard didn't want to be part of Ivan for eternity. He had to do something. And so, when his people showed him "The 40 Letter"; when he saw students, protesting against the rusification, he wasn't hesitating even for a moment. He came to the basement and found his old flag. It was a bit dusty, but still good. Light grin appeared on his face, when he hanged it above his bed, singing: "Eesti Hümn"[6].
Latvia's heart started to growing up, when he looked at his both brothers, holding him by hand in huge chain that was starting in Vilnius and ended in Tallin[7]. It was their protest against Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact. They wanted to show Russia that they will be fighting for their independence, their nationality and their countries. Latvian People's Front was ready to start the changes.
Wake up
Try not to break up
If they're holding you down
Then you rise to the top
Cos you're a bad, bad girl
And you just can't stop
Poland tried to look out from the crowd. All those people in Gdańsk's Shipyard were waiting for this one man, who was the symbol of their fight; who was one of their greatest leaders. The banners all around Feliks had flashy red sign: "Solidarność"[8]. Feliks was observing it with muse for a moment, before he didn't heard the sudden enthusiastic mass scream: "Nie ma wolności bez 'Solidarności'!" He turned his gaze and smiled, seeing, how two men are putting Lech Wałęsa up.
Hungary looked up and grinned, when her people were removing the steel curtain that was separating her from long time no seen Austria. She wasn't expecting him on the other side, but still she was happy to open her borders to the West.
You won't lead no beggars life
And you sure don't need their bad advice
or their five cents worth of what they think of you
Sometimes they're not so into you
Keep your head up above that line, you know
Everybody loses sometimes
Shame, shame, shame
The things they've done to you
"It seems that Ivan has some problems." Francis said to Arthur.
Englishman stopped the embroidering and glared at him with light surprise, until he realized what French was talking about. England smiled and returned to work.
"Yes, yes." His expression became serious. He whispered: "The Eastern Block is fighting…"
So come on stand up
Yeah put your hands up
It ain't wrong to be strong
And it's gonna be gone
And then they won't come back to you
No no no no
Wake up
Try not to break up
If they're holding you down
Then you rise to the top
Cos you're a bad, bad girl
And you just can't stop
Prussia took big, lead hammer and started to hit at the Berlin Wall with all his might. Today was the day (or rather night). The day, when he and West meet once again. The concrete wall started to falling down from attacks of people, determinate to make it true. Gilbert felt, how small tears were forming in his eyes. Only few hits and he will see his brother. He was waiting for this moment since 1961. It have to fall today. He won't stand anymore this departure with Ludwig.
Everybody were fighting for that day. Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, the Baltics… This wall… This wall was a symbol. Symbol of their prison. Symbol of their dependence from Russia. Symbol of their isolation from the rest of the humanity. He remembered the words of Churchill: "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent…" That wall was the Curtain. The physical barrier between Eastern Block and Western World.
And it was falling. Mass attacks from agitated, determinate people were crushing gray, concrete wall and soon street, where the wall was standing, were full of rubble. Gilbert stopped the hitting. Still holding the hammer, he was inhaling the dense from ash air and observing the space before him. First thing, he saw, was the streets from the Western side of the Berlin. The crowd there was equally big as on the Eastern side. Red eyes filled with fresh tears, when Prussia saw the running right to him tall blonde. Tears gone down Gilbert's cheeks, when Ludwig finally approached him and wrapped his wide arms around the elder brother. They both were crying right now. Crying from the unspoken happiness.
Cos you're a bad, bad girl
And you just can't stop
So come on stand up
Try not to break up
If they're holding you down
Then you rise to the top
Cos you're a bad, bad girl
And you just can't stop
Eastern Block wasn't communist, anymore...
[1] I guess it was all over the Eastern Block. Points for origin was the additional points for university. It was given for being child of the worker or peasant. Collectivization you can check on Wiki.
[2] In July, 1956, first Polish strike was taking place. In Poznań's works of Cegielski workers were protesting against the tax that was taking good amount of their salary and wasn't paid by work's foremen. Later this protest had been violently pacified.
[3] After the death of Stalin and Bierut, people in Poland wanted changes, especially the releasing of Władysław Gomułka, who was known as the reform proponent. Moscow was against it, so they've sent (under the execuse of military exercises) the Red Army. One division was standing against it and Polish Communist Party decided to release the Gomułka and choose him as a new first secretary of Party. This period of time is called Polish October and it inspired the Hungarians to their Hungarian Revolution.
[4] Because of Praha's Spring in 1968 - the movement for democratical reforms - Czechoslovakia was attacked by Warsaw Pact forces (all Czechs and Slovakians out there - we're really sorry!) and Romania was the only country in this pact that refused to stand against Czechoslovakia.
[5] Chart 77 was the beginning of Velvet Revolution in 1989.
[6] Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia was rusificated during whole period of being the part of Soviet Union. Estonian students in 1980 were protesting against it and eight years later the "singing revolution" had been started.
[7] The hand-chain Vilnius-Tallin in 1989 was a demonstration of Baltic's resistance against the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, which was the reason of their annexion to USSR. Latvian People's Front and Latvian National Movement For National Unity were the movements that started the changes in Latvia. Better type in Wiki "Latvia" and "Lithuania".
[8] Famous (OK, not so much) "Solidarity" - an association of Polish workers. Lech Wałęsa and other members of "Solidarity" were fighting for political changes, which soon led Poland to War Condition, Round Table proceedings and - in the end - to first free elections.
The later scream in this part means: "There's no freedom without 'Solidarity'!"