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Page 1 of 2

  • 1 - The Challenge of Transformation since 1989: An Introduction
  • from Part One - Introduction
  • Edited by Sabrina P. Ramet, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Christine M. Hassenstab, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim
  • Book: Central and Southeast European Politics since 1989
  • Published online: 16 September 2019
  • Print publication: 03 October 2019, pp 3-25
  • View extract

    Summary

    Until 1989, communist parties were hegemonic throughout the Central and Southeast European region. With the downfall of communism in the course of 1989–1990, new challenges, opportunities, and problems have presented themselves. In the years following 1989, two states – Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia – broke up into their constituent parts, ten of the resulting fourteen states were admitted into NATO and eight of them also joined the European Union (EU). States in the southern tier continue to be affected by corruption, cronyism, and monopolization of the media. But, prior to 2010, most observers were optimistic about the prospects for states in the northern tier to continue to build liberal democratic states. However, since May 2010 in Hungary and since October 2015 in Poland, there have been tendencies of backsliding, with Hungary’s Viktor Orbán even proclaiming his intention to build and maintain an illiberal de-facto one-party state. Poland’s Jaroslaw Kaczynski and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán have followed the same playbook – restricting and, in Hungary, taking over control of, the media; establishing party control of the judiciary; and playing the patriotic card, while ostracizing gays and lesbians. Religion remains strong in most of the region, with religious affiliation even gaining ground in Bulgaria since 1989.

Central and Southeast European Politics since 1989
  • Central and Southeast European Politics since 1989
  • 2nd edition
  • Edited by Sabrina P. Ramet, Christine M. Hassenstab
  • Published online: 16 September 2019
  • Print publication: 03 October 2019
  • View description
    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.

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