Suchergebnisse

The collapse of the communist monopoly across Central and Southeastern Europe in 1989/1990 initiated a process of rapid political, economic, and cultural change. While Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia went on to suffer three and a half years of war, all the states of the region have confronted challenges as they dismantled communist institutions and drafted new laws, in some cases ignoring their own laws. Indeed, in certain countries, local politicians have done their best to corrupt the media and the economy, with recent years seeing some states move in an illiberal direction. Throughout the region, however, there has been a strong interest in enjoying the benefits of membership of the European Union and NATO. In this updated second edition, regional specialists comprehensively analyze the post-communist trajectories of the states of Central and Southeastern Europe, encompassing democratization, privatization, corruption, and war. It will appeal to students and scholars, whether they have a specific interest in the region, or are studying European politics more generally.

Central Europe is a vague and ambiguous term, more to do with outlook and a state of mind than with a firmly defined geographical region. In the immediate aftermath of the collapse of the Iron Curtain, Central Europeansconsideredthemselvesto beculturally part of the West, which had been politically handicapped by the Eastern Soviet bloc. More recently, and with European Union membership, Central Europeans are increasingly thinking of themselves as politically part of the West, but culturally part of the East. This book, with contributions from a large number of scholars from the region, explores the concept of Central Europe and a number of other political concepts from an openly Central European perspective. It considers a wide range of issues including politics, nationalism, democracy, and the impact of culture, art and history. Overall, the book casts a great deal of light on the complex nature of Central Europe.

"Since the crash of communism in Central and Southeastern Europe in 1989, almost everything in the region has changed--from politics to economics to popular culture to religion. There have been new challenges to confront and new dilemmas. This volume examines the political engagement of religious associations in the post-socialist countries of Central and Southeastern Europe, with a focus on disputes about property restitution, revelations about the collaboration of clergy with the communist-era secret police, intolerance, and controversies about the inclusion of religious instruction in the schools. Each of the countries in the region is analyzed with research grounded in on-site interviews, as well as extensive use of literature in local and Western languages"--

Intro -- Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- 1 Introduction -- A Visegrad Group Political Culture? -- Vestiges of Communism and Troubles with Liberalism -- 2 Democracy Promotion by the V4 States: Origins and Motives -- Democratic Identity -- Europeanization -- Return to the "West" and Status -- Geopolitics and Geostrategy -- Solidarity and Epistemic Communities -- 3 The Democracy Assistance Infrastructure of the Visegrad States -- The Czech Republic: A Determined Promotor -- Hungary: A Reluctant Promotor -- Poland: Engaging in the Name of Solidarity -- Slovakia: Joining Democracy Promotion Efforts with a Time-Lag -- 4 The Target States of Visegrad Countries' Democracy Assistance -- 5 The Substance of Visegrad States' Democracy Assistance -- Conceptualizing Democracy -- Transition Experience-"De-ideologizing" Democracy Assistance -- Educating and Mobilizing the Youth -- Training and Expertise Sharing -- Civil Society Support -- Rules-Based Market Economy -- 6 External and Internal Factors Shaping the Substance of Visegrad States' Democracy Assistance -- Downloading and Uploading the Rationale for Conducting Democracy Assistance -- Gender and the Empowerment of Women -- Windows of Opportunity, Domestic Discourses and Rhetoric -- 7 The International Visegrad Fund as a Democracy Promotion Instrument -- A Theoretical Perspective on the IVF -- The Structure and Procedures of the IVF -- Substance of the IVF's Activities -- 8 Conclusion -- Index.

The challenge of transformation since 1989 : an introduction / Sabrina P. Ramet and Christine M. Hassenstab -- Post-socialist models of rule in Central and Southeastern Europe / Sabrina P. Ramet and F. Peter Wagner -- Media, journalism, and the third wave of democratization in former communist countries / Peter Gross -- Economic reforms and the burdens of transition / Karl Kaser -- The war of Yugoslav succession / Marko Attila Hoare -- Poland since 1989 : muddling through, wall to wall / Konstanty Gebert -- Building democratic values in the Czech Republic since 1989 / Carol Skalnik Leff -- Slovakia since 1989 / Erika Harris and Karen Henderson -- Two faces of Hungary : from democratization to democratic backsliding / Andras Bozoki and Eszter Simon -- Slovenia since 1989 / Danica Fink-Hafner -- Politics in Croatia since 1990 / Sabrina P. Ramet and Ivo Goldstein -- Serbia and Montenegro since 1989 / Sabrina P. Ramet -- Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1991 / Florian Bieber -- Macedonia/North Macedonia since 1989 / Zachary T. Irwin -- Kosova : from resisting expulsion to building on independence / Frances Trix -- Romania : in the shadow of the past / Lavinia Stan -- Bulgaria since 1989 / Maria Spirova and Radostina Sharenkova-Toshkova -- Albania since 1989 : the Hoxhaist legacy / Bernd J. Fischer -- Regional security and regional relations / Rick Fawn -- The European Union and democratization in Central and Southeastern Europe since 1989 / Ulrich Sedelmeier -- Conclusion: Adapting to the 21st century : lessons, progress, and regression / Aurel Braun.

Institutional Design and Party Government in Post-Communist Europe examines the institutional foundations of coalition government in the 10 post-communist democracies of Eastern and Central Europe, arguing that differences in the arrangement of political institutions systematically explain variations in patterns of multi-party government.

INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED IN CENTRAL EUROPE IN THE SUMMER AND FALL OF 1990 SUGGEST THAT MANY CENTRAL EUROPEAN CITIZENS EXPERIENCED PRE-1989 SOVIET-COMMUNIST HEGEMONY IN TERMS OF A TRUE/PRIVATE VERSUS A FALSE /PUBLIC SELF SPLIT. THE CENTRAL EUROPEAN SELF WAS SPLIT ALONG THREE DISTINCT AND SEPARATE DIMENSIONS: (1) NATIONAL-INTERNATIONAL; (2) CIVIL SOCIETY-GOVERNMENT; (3) INTRAPSYCHICALLY. AN EXAMINATION OF THE CENTRAL EUROPEAN PSYCHIC STRUCTURE MAY BE HELPFUL IN ANALYZING FUTURE POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE REGION.

This volume elaborates on a number of issues that seem particular important for the people in Central and Eastern Europe: the development and working of democracy, the public support for, legitimacy and efficacy of democracy and the free market economy, and of course the stability of the newly established political culture.