The New Democracies in Eastern Europe: Party Systems and Political Cleavages / Edition 2

by Sten Berglund, Jan Å. Dellenbrant

Overview

Now fully revised and updated for the second edition, this unique and authoritative account of the party systems in Eastern Europe examines their development from the revolutions of the late 1980s to the present day.

The New Democracies in Eastern Europe presents a genuinely comparative perspective on the old and new party systems. Featuring detailed assessment and analysis of the situation in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, the volume draws upon research and opinion from a distinguished group of European scholars. Recognising that many of the social and political problems of the inter-war period continue to make themselves felt, the authors contend that the breakdown of the old authoritarian system was a by-product of a built-in and progressively worsening legitimacy crisis. Despite the great progress made by some East European countries, recent events confirm the view that authoritarianism has not lost its appeal.

As an up-to-date and comprehensive survey of political change and development in Eastern Europe - rapidly produced to present the most recent information - this book will be welcomed by researchers, teachers and students.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781852789329
Publisher:	Edward Elgar Publishing
Publication date:	03/01/1994
Series:	Studies of Communism in Transition series
Edition description:	2nd ed
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Edited by Sten Berglund, Professor of Political Science, University of Örebro, Sweden and the late Jan Åke Dellenbrant, formerly Reader in Political Science, University of Umeå, Sweden

Table of Contents

Contents: 1. The Breakdown of Communism in Eastern Europe (Sten Berglund and Jan Åke Dellenbrant) 2. The Failure of Popular Democracy Sten Berglund and Jan Åke Dellenbrant) 3. Poland – Towards Overdeveloped Pluralism (Marian Grzybowski) 4. The Re-Emergence of Multi-Partism in the Baltic States (Jan Åke Dellenbrant) 5. The Breakdown of the German Democratic Republic (Jan Åke Dellenbrant) 6. Czechoslovakia – From Masaryk to Havel (Marek Bankowicz) 7. The Transition to Competitive Pluralism in Hungary (Marian Grzybowski) 8. Romania – The Slow Revolution (Jan Åke Dellenbrant) 9. Bulgaria – The Continuing Revolution (Marek Bankowicz) 10. Prospects for the New Democracies in Eastern Europe (Sten Berglund and Jan Åke Dellenbrant)

Editorial Reviews

‘The New Democracies in Eastern Europe is a useful book, particularly in its illustration of the different histories and traditions of party politics in Eastern Europe, which affect the various prospects for democracy in the area.’
- Ann Griffiths, International Insights

From the Publisher