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Postcommunism and the theory of democracy / Richard D. Anderson, Jr. ... [and others] ; with an introduction by George W. Breslauer.
- Format:
- Book
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Democratization.
- Former Soviet republics--Politics and government.
- Former Soviet republics.
- Democratization--Former Soviet republics.
- Post-communism--Former Soviet republics.
- Post-communism.
- Europe, Eastern--Politics and government--1989-.
- Europe, Eastern.
- Eastern Europe.
- Politics and government.
- Democratization--Europe, Eastern.
- Post-communism--Europe, Eastern.
- Physical Description:
- 201 pages ; 25 cm
- Place of Publication:
- Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, [2001]
- Summary:
- Why did the wave of democracy that swept the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe starting more than a decade ago develop in ways unexpected by observers who relied on existing theories of democracy? In Postcommunism and the Theory of Democracy, four distinguished scholars conduct the first major assessment of democratization theory in light of the experience of postcommunist states. Richard Anderson, Steven Fish, Stephen Hanson, and Philip Roeder not only apply theory to practice, but using a wealth of empirical evidence, draw together the elements of existing theory into new syntheses.
- The authors each highlight a development in postcommunist societies that reveals an anomaly or lacuna in existing theory. They explain why authoritarian leaders abandon authoritarianism, why democratization sometimes reverses course, how subjects become citizens by beginning to take sides in politics, how rulers become politicians by beginning to seek popular support, and not least, how democracy becomes consolidated. Rather than converging on a single approach, each author shows how either a rationalist, institutionalist, discursive, or Weberian approach sheds light on this transformation. They conclude that the experience of postcommunist democracy demands a rethinking of existing theory.
- Contents:
- 2 The Rejection of Authoritarianism / Philip G. Roeder 11
- 3 The Dynamics of Democratic Erosion / M. Steven Fish 54
- 4 The Discursive Origins of Russian Democratic Politics / Richard D. Anderson, Jr. 96
- 5 Defining Democratic Consolidation / Stephen E. Hanson 126
- 6 Conclusion: Postcommunism and the Theory of Democracy / Richard D. Anderson, Jr., M. Steven Fish, Stephen E. Hanson, Philip G. Roeder 152.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages [175]-195) and index.
- ISBN:
- 0691089167
- 0691089175
- OCLC:
- 46809999
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