Why didn't Communism in Europe end sooner?

Communist ideas were rejected by masses since 1956, but the system was already established with all the repressive tools, and international situation forced all central and eastern Europe to be under Soviet control Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia rejected communist system, but they were forced under duress and direct military invasion (1956/1968) to upheld status. Western world was not interested in liberating Eastern Block, nor cared about the faith of the nationals. This only changed in 1980's as the postwar division of Europe became unbearable. Revolutions in Hungary or Czechoslovakia ended in defeat and created a feeling of hopelessness where victory over communism was illusive.

USSR was a different case. Except Baltic states, majority of people enjoyed the system there. USSR did not experienced revolution or violent overthrowing of the communist system as was the case in East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia or Romania. Communist system was dismantled from the top by its own leadership. Majority of Russians dislike Gorbachev and this was the case as far I remember living behind Iron Curtain. Situation outside USSR was therefore different and Soviets pursued decolonization policy that let its satellite go. However, this was something what majority of its citizen did not want. USSR wanted to improve the state, and people demanded changes, but they did not expect the system to disintegrate.

Marxism molded to "State policy" as "Communism" & its prop "Totalitarianism" are two different things. In USSR one was associated with the other. Totalitarian burden became unbearable and the system fizzled out in a jiffy.

In China what remained of Communism is only the Totalitarian reality.

For things in Eastern (Russia, Belarus & Ukraine) & Central Europe (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria & East Germany) the build-up of the scene was long & laborious. First a revolt in Poland (Vladislav Gomulka), then in Hungary (Imre Nagy), Czechoslovakia (Dubcek & the Spring offensive) & finally in Poland again (Lech Walessa) were responsible for it. That when Michael Gorbachev made his famous move, the already pent-up forces seized the opportunity when the CPSU dissolved itself (what a strange democratic phenomenon !) & all parties in each country dissolved sympathetically, one by one. The "Party" is over.

Now the Union. Russia, the principal member of the 15 nation union, accounting for ¾ ͭ ͪ of area & more than half the population, under Boris Yeltsin freed itself from the burden of the union. But as the prime mover & the economic lynch-pin of the whole set up, it was irreplaceable. Never mind said the (selfish) Yeltsin, his Russian patriotism getting the better of him. The others had to fend for themselves being bits & parts of the whole (overall) jigsaw puzzle. In the bargain two more (apart from Russia) members emerged as Nuclear powers. For instance, to build a T-72 tank all the subsystems, components & parts are to come from all the members of the union. If all become independent, the tank simply can't be built. These systems are to be reorganised & the relationships recast. Nevertheless it was done. In one stroke Russia gave up its inheritance, the Czarist Empire, that it held onto, for several centuries.

Because Europe is very united and Poland especially helped stop that

The soviet union only lasted 66 years and that's to long....

the civillians had no power and were poor. they couldn't even afford ninja turtles.