After the Second World War, life continued under very different conditions. Eastern Europe fell under the communist domination. One cannot say that Rroma were persecuted as during the war, but the Rroma living conditions were very difficult. In October 1956, Rroma in USSR were forbidden to travel and had to settle in villages and work in kolkhozes. This law was passed a little later in all communist countries, such as Czechoslovakia, Poland and Bulgaria. It is not necessary to mention that free trade (what Rroma had been engaged in earlier) was strictly illegal. Rroma had to find ways to get money, in order to feed and sustain their families. They were living in constant fear, for they could be arrested at any moment and thrown in jail. Rroma tried to flee this life. Between 1956 and 1960, many Lovara and KelderaĊĦa from USSR were "repatriated" in Poland from where, a short while later, they left for Germany, Sweden and other countries. In Bulgaria, between the 1950's and the 1980's, Rroma officially did not exist as a minority. They were forbidden to publish any books, to sing Rroma songs (though there was a Gypsy restaurant near the Black Sea strictly for touristy purposes). Later, many Rroma borough ("mahalas") in the cities were hidden behind concrete walls, so that tourists would not see them (This was also done in Sevilla during the World Fair in 1992!).
In Czechoslovakia, during the Prague Spring, several Rroma organisations were founded but all were again closed by 1973.
Between 1989 and 1991, communism fell all over Eastern Europe. Democracy appeared, led by people who were for the most part previously communists. The Rroma had to face new difficult problems. Work being the biggest one. They often have trouble getting work, finding ways of just feeding their families. Many people were (and are) unemployed, not only Rroma, but theirs is a difficult situation since many are analphabets and have little professional qualifications. This period also saw the rise of political extremism, nationalism and chauvinism and most of all, hate towards foreigners. In the previously communist states, anti-Rroma attitudes are on the rise, Rroma are beaten up or even murdered, their houses burnt down. These events happen all over Eastern Europe, from Russia and Poland through the Czech and Slovak republics, Romania till Bulgaria.
The difficult economic situation, together with the racism and anti-Rroma acts, led many Rroma to flee to Western European countries. Many Romanian, Czech, Slovak and Bulgarian Rroma arrived in Germany, Switzerland and other rich Western countries.
Most of them were (and are) illegal immigrants or refugees. They were looking for something to do, work, for a way of living but many of them did not find a better life than the one they had left. In Bosnia and Kosovo, the civil war raged. The Rroma were the first ones to be "ethically cleansed", by all warring sides. Many of them fled as refugees to Western Europe. But the administration, specially the police of these countries does not receive these Rroma with great sympathy. They do not want yet another problem on top of the ones that Western Europe has. Racism is rising in Europe and the Rroma problem happens to be one of the hardest in nowadays Europe. If a solution of this problem is not found, it will continue to grow till the point were only extremely strong efforts will be needed to resolve it.
The Rroma in Eastern Europe faced another hard problem. In the Czech and Slovak republics, in the Baltic states, the authorities did not want to grant Rroma the new citizenship. The situation in the ex-Czechoslovakia is currently the worst. During the Second World War, all the Czech Rroma were deported and killed in concentration camps. After the war, many thousands Rroma from Slovakia were imported as unskilled labourers in the big Czech factories. These industries are now mostly bankrupt and the Rroma are out of work.
The country was partitioned and the Czech authorities do not want to grant Rroma the Czech citizenship, claiming them to be Slovaks. But since the new Slovak republic has proved unwilling to take them back, they are in a total quandary, without work or citizenship. This situation has somewhat improved in recent times due to new laws, but racism is still prevalent in that region.
The worst abuses against Rroma have been committed recently during the break up of Yugoslavia, especially in Bosnia and in Kosovo. There, all parties involved engaged themselves in ethnic cleansing against Rroma, leading to a almost total vanishing of these Rroma communities, some of them over a thousand years old.