The Reemergence of Civil Society in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union

ISBN-13: 9780367295479 / Angielski / Twarda / 2019 / 183 str.

Zbigniew Rau

Opis

The turmoil that shook Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and challenged traditional centers of power in the Soviet Union has touched off an intense debate about the forces behind the recent collapse of Soviet-type systems. Civil society, a key concept in the debate, is the focus of this thought-provoking volume, which contrasts the views of Eastern scholars and activists in independent movements against those of Western academics. The authors' various perspectives on the struggle between the people and their governments highlight different facets of civil society, providing new insights into its definition, origin, and function within a nation's public life.

Spis treści

Introduction -- Human Nature, Social Engineering and the Reemergence of Civil Society -- The Nature of Society and Social Conflict as Depicted in the Polish Press in 1981 -- Intellectuals and Their Two Paths to Civil Society in Estonia -- Civil Society and National Emancipation: The Ukrainian Case -- Creating a Crimean Tatar National Movement: The Role and Impact of Literature -- From Nationalism to Civil Society and Tolerance -- Post-Totalitarianism, Civil Society, and the Limits of the Western Model -- Revolution, Civil Society, and Democracy

O autorze

Zbigniew Rau teaches Soviet government and the politics of Eastern Europe at the University of Texas-Austin.