Description
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD Central and East European Politics From Communism to Democracy 2014 Edition by Sharon L. Wolchik, Jane Leftwich Curry
Now in a fully updated edition, this essential text explores the post-communist half of Europe and the problems and potential it brings to the world stage. Clear and comprehensive, the book offers an authoritative and current analysis of the region's transformations and realities-from pre-communist history to the victories and reversals in Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltics, and Ukraine, including the Euromaidan and its domestic and international ramifications. Divided into two parts, the book presents a set of comparative country case studies as well as thematic chapters on key issues, including EU and NATO expansion, the economic transition and its social ramifications, the role of women, persistent problems of ethnicity and nationalism, legacies of the past, and political reform. Leading scholars provide the crucial historical context necessary to evaluate the challenges facing the region. They explain how communism ended and how democratic politics has developed or is struggling to emerge in its wake, how individual countries have transformed their economies, how their populations have been affected by rapid and wrenching change, and how foreign policy making has evolved. They explore the reversals and conflicts that have emerged even in the most successful transitions and their relevance to our understanding of political transitions and democratic consolidation in general. For students and specialists alike, this book will be an invaluable resource on the politics and economics of Central and Eastern Europe, caught between the EU and a resurgent Russia. Table of contents :- Part I: IntroductionChapter 1: Twenty-five Years after 1989: Issues in Postcommunist Europe, Sharon L. Wolchik and Jane L. CurryPart II: Policies and IssuesChapter 2: The Political Transition, Valerie BunceChapter 3: Re-creating the Market, Sharon FisherChapter 4: Social Aspects of Transformation, Alfio CeramiChapter 5: Ethnicity, Nationalism, and the Expansion of Democracy, Zsuzsa CsergoChapter 6: Women's Participation in Postcommunist Politics, Marilyn RueschemeyerChapter 7: Transitional Justice in East-Central Europe, Peter Rozic and Brian GrodskyChapter 8: EU Accession and After, Ronald H. Linden with Shane KillianChapter 9: Security Issues: NATO and Beyond, Joshua SperoPart III: Case StudiesChapter 10: Poland: The Politics of "God's Playground", Jane L. CurryChapter 11: The Czech and Slovak Republics: Two Paths to the Same Destination, Sharon L. WolchikChapter 12: Hungary: From Postcommunism to Populist Nationalism, Frederigo ArgentieriChapter 13: The Baltic Countries: Challenges and Changes in the New Europe, Daina S. EglitisChapter 14: Bulgaria: Progress and Development, Janusz BugajskiChapter 15: Romania: Old Problems and New Challenges, Daniel BrettChapter 16: Albania: The Challenges of Transition, Elez BiberajChapter 17: Former Yugoslavia and Its Successors, Mark Baskin and Paula Pickering Chapter 18: Ukraine: Leaving the Crossroads, Taras KuzioPart IV: ConclusionChapter 19: Twenty-five Years Later: A Balance Sheet, Sharon L. Wolchik and Jane L. Curry