Democracy and Myth in Russia and Eastern Europe

Democracy and Myth in Russia and Eastern Europe

Author: Alexander Wöll

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2007-10-18

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 1134089082

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This book explores democracy and democratization in Eastern Europe, focusing on the influence of politically important literary and historical myths in pre-communist and communist Eastern Europe and Russia.


Book Synopsis Democracy and Myth in Russia and Eastern Europe by : Alexander Wöll

Download or read book Democracy and Myth in Russia and Eastern Europe written by Alexander Wöll and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2007-10-18 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores democracy and democratization in Eastern Europe, focusing on the influence of politically important literary and historical myths in pre-communist and communist Eastern Europe and Russia.


Fantasies of Salvation

Fantasies of Salvation

Author: Vladimir Tismaneanu

Publisher:

Published: 1998-01-01

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781400818419

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Despite Democratic successes in places such as the Czech Republic and Poland, Tismaneanu argues that it would be a mistake for the West to assume that liberalism will always triumph in post-Communist Europe. "Fantasies of Salvation" is a thought-provoking book for both academic and nonacademic readers who wish to understand the forces shaping one of the world's most important and unpredictable regions.


Book Synopsis Fantasies of Salvation by : Vladimir Tismaneanu

Download or read book Fantasies of Salvation written by Vladimir Tismaneanu and published by . This book was released on 1998-01-01 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite Democratic successes in places such as the Czech Republic and Poland, Tismaneanu argues that it would be a mistake for the West to assume that liberalism will always triumph in post-Communist Europe. "Fantasies of Salvation" is a thought-provoking book for both academic and nonacademic readers who wish to understand the forces shaping one of the world's most important and unpredictable regions.


Fantasies of Salvation

Fantasies of Salvation

Author: Vladimir Tismaneanu

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2009-06-08

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 1400822505

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Eastern Europe has become an ideological battleground since the collapse of the Soviet Union, with liberals and authoritarians struggling to seize the ground lost by Marxism. In Fantasies of Salvation, Vladimir Tismaneanu traces the intellectual history of this struggle and warns that authoritarian nationalists pose a serious threat to democratic forces. A leading observer of the often baffling world of post-Communist Europe, Tismaneanu shows that extreme nationalistic and authoritarian thought has been influential in Eastern Europe for much of this century, while liberalism has only shallow historical roots. Despite democratic successes in places such as the Czech Republic and Poland, he argues, it would be a mistake for the West to assume that liberalism will always triumph. He backs this argument by showing how nationalist intellectuals have encouraged ethnic hatred in such countries as Russia, Romania, and the former Yugoslavia by reviving patriotic myths of heroes, scapegoats, and historical injustices. And he shows how enthusiastically these myths have been welcomed by people desperate for some form of "salvation" from political and economic uncertainty. On a theoretical level, Tismaneanu challenges the common ideas that the ideological struggle is between "right" and "left" or between "nationalists" and "internationalists." In a careful analysis of the conflict's ideological roots, he argues that it is more useful and historically accurate to view the struggle as between those who embrace the individualist traditions of the Enlightenment and those who reject them. Tismaneanu himself has been active in the intellectual battles he describes, particularly in his native Romania, and makes insightful use of interviews with key members of the dissident movements of the 1970s and 1980s. He offers original observations of countries from the Baltic to the Black Sea and expresses his ideas in a vivid and forceful style. Fantasies of Salvation is an indispensable book for both academic and nonacademic readers who wish to understand the forces shaping one of the world's most important and unpredictable regions.


Book Synopsis Fantasies of Salvation by : Vladimir Tismaneanu

Download or read book Fantasies of Salvation written by Vladimir Tismaneanu and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-08 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Eastern Europe has become an ideological battleground since the collapse of the Soviet Union, with liberals and authoritarians struggling to seize the ground lost by Marxism. In Fantasies of Salvation, Vladimir Tismaneanu traces the intellectual history of this struggle and warns that authoritarian nationalists pose a serious threat to democratic forces. A leading observer of the often baffling world of post-Communist Europe, Tismaneanu shows that extreme nationalistic and authoritarian thought has been influential in Eastern Europe for much of this century, while liberalism has only shallow historical roots. Despite democratic successes in places such as the Czech Republic and Poland, he argues, it would be a mistake for the West to assume that liberalism will always triumph. He backs this argument by showing how nationalist intellectuals have encouraged ethnic hatred in such countries as Russia, Romania, and the former Yugoslavia by reviving patriotic myths of heroes, scapegoats, and historical injustices. And he shows how enthusiastically these myths have been welcomed by people desperate for some form of "salvation" from political and economic uncertainty. On a theoretical level, Tismaneanu challenges the common ideas that the ideological struggle is between "right" and "left" or between "nationalists" and "internationalists." In a careful analysis of the conflict's ideological roots, he argues that it is more useful and historically accurate to view the struggle as between those who embrace the individualist traditions of the Enlightenment and those who reject them. Tismaneanu himself has been active in the intellectual battles he describes, particularly in his native Romania, and makes insightful use of interviews with key members of the dissident movements of the 1970s and 1980s. He offers original observations of countries from the Baltic to the Black Sea and expresses his ideas in a vivid and forceful style. Fantasies of Salvation is an indispensable book for both academic and nonacademic readers who wish to understand the forces shaping one of the world's most important and unpredictable regions.


Democracy and Myth in Russia and Eastern Europe

Democracy and Myth in Russia and Eastern Europe

Author: Alexander Wöll

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2007-10-18

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 1134089074

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In the absence of democratic state institutions, eastern European countries were considered to possess only myths of democracy. Working on the premise that democracy is not only an institutional arrangement but also a civilisational project, this book argues that mythical narratives help understanding the emergence of democracy without ‘democrats’. Examining different national traditions as well as pre-communist and communist narratives, myths are seen as politically fabricated ‘programmes of truth’ that form and sustain the political imagination. Appearing as cultural, literary, or historical resources, myths amount to ideology in narrative form, which actors use in political struggles for the sake of achieving social compliance and loyalty with the authority of new political forms. Drawing on a wide range of case studies including Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia, this book argues that narratives about the past are not simply ‘legacies’ of former regimes but have actively shaped representations and meanings of democracy in the region. Taking different theoretical and methodological approaches, the power of myth is explored for issues such as leadership, collective identity-formation, literary representation of heroic figures, cultural symbolism in performative art as well as on the constitution of legitimacy and civic identity in post-communist democracies.


Book Synopsis Democracy and Myth in Russia and Eastern Europe by : Alexander Wöll

Download or read book Democracy and Myth in Russia and Eastern Europe written by Alexander Wöll and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2007-10-18 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the absence of democratic state institutions, eastern European countries were considered to possess only myths of democracy. Working on the premise that democracy is not only an institutional arrangement but also a civilisational project, this book argues that mythical narratives help understanding the emergence of democracy without ‘democrats’. Examining different national traditions as well as pre-communist and communist narratives, myths are seen as politically fabricated ‘programmes of truth’ that form and sustain the political imagination. Appearing as cultural, literary, or historical resources, myths amount to ideology in narrative form, which actors use in political struggles for the sake of achieving social compliance and loyalty with the authority of new political forms. Drawing on a wide range of case studies including Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia, this book argues that narratives about the past are not simply ‘legacies’ of former regimes but have actively shaped representations and meanings of democracy in the region. Taking different theoretical and methodological approaches, the power of myth is explored for issues such as leadership, collective identity-formation, literary representation of heroic figures, cultural symbolism in performative art as well as on the constitution of legitimacy and civic identity in post-communist democracies.


Democracy versus Modernization

Democracy versus Modernization

Author: Vladislav Inozemtsev

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-05-07

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 1136267808

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This book seeks to "re-think democracy." Over the past years, there has been a tendency in the global policy community and, even more widely, in the world’s media, to focus on democracy as the "gold standard" by which all things political are measured. This book re-examines democracy in Russia and in the world more generally, as idea, desired ideal, and practice. A major issue for Russia is whether the modernization of Russia might not prosper better by Russia focusing directly on modernization and not worrying too much about democracy. This book explores a wide range of aspects of this important question. It discusses how the debate is conducted in Russia; outlines how Russians contrast their own experiences, unfavourably, with the experience of China, where reform and modernization have been pursued with great success, with no concern for democracy; and concludes by assessing how the debate in Russia is likely to be resolved.


Book Synopsis Democracy versus Modernization by : Vladislav Inozemtsev

Download or read book Democracy versus Modernization written by Vladislav Inozemtsev and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-05-07 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book seeks to "re-think democracy." Over the past years, there has been a tendency in the global policy community and, even more widely, in the world’s media, to focus on democracy as the "gold standard" by which all things political are measured. This book re-examines democracy in Russia and in the world more generally, as idea, desired ideal, and practice. A major issue for Russia is whether the modernization of Russia might not prosper better by Russia focusing directly on modernization and not worrying too much about democracy. This book explores a wide range of aspects of this important question. It discusses how the debate is conducted in Russia; outlines how Russians contrast their own experiences, unfavourably, with the experience of China, where reform and modernization have been pursued with great success, with no concern for democracy; and concludes by assessing how the debate in Russia is likely to be resolved.


Putin’s Totalitarian Democracy

Putin’s Totalitarian Democracy

Author: Kate C. Langdon

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-07-09

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 3030205797

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This book studies the cultural, societal, and ideological factors absent from popular discourse on Vladimir Putin’s Russia, contesting the misleading mainstream assumption that Putin is the all-powerful sovereign of Russia. In carefully examining the ideological underpinnings of Putinism—its tsarist and Soviet elements, its intellectual origins, its culturally reproductive nature, and its imperialist foreign policy—the authors reveal that an indoctrinating ideology and a willing population are simultaneously the most crucial yet overlooked keys to analyzing Putin’s totalitarian democracy. Because Putinism is part of a global wave of extreme political movements, the book also reaffirms the need to understand—but not accept—how and why nation-states and masses turn to nationalism, authoritarianism, or totalitarianism in modern times.


Book Synopsis Putin’s Totalitarian Democracy by : Kate C. Langdon

Download or read book Putin’s Totalitarian Democracy written by Kate C. Langdon and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-07-09 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book studies the cultural, societal, and ideological factors absent from popular discourse on Vladimir Putin’s Russia, contesting the misleading mainstream assumption that Putin is the all-powerful sovereign of Russia. In carefully examining the ideological underpinnings of Putinism—its tsarist and Soviet elements, its intellectual origins, its culturally reproductive nature, and its imperialist foreign policy—the authors reveal that an indoctrinating ideology and a willing population are simultaneously the most crucial yet overlooked keys to analyzing Putin’s totalitarian democracy. Because Putinism is part of a global wave of extreme political movements, the book also reaffirms the need to understand—but not accept—how and why nation-states and masses turn to nationalism, authoritarianism, or totalitarianism in modern times.


Communism and the Emergence of Democracy

Communism and the Emergence of Democracy

Author: Harald Wydra

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2007-02-08

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 1139462180

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Before democracy becomes an institutionalised form of political authority, the rupture with authoritarian forms of power causes deep uncertainty about power and outcomes. This book connects the study of democratisation in eastern Europe and Russia to the emergence and crisis of communism. Wydra argues that the communist past is not simply a legacy but needs to be seen as a social organism in gestation, where critical events produce new expectations, memories and symbols that influence meanings of democracy. By examining a series of pivotal historical events, he shows that democratisation is not just a matter of institutional design, but rather a matter of consciousness and leadership under conditions of extreme and traumatic incivility. Rather than adopting the opposition between non-democratic and democratic, Wydra argues that the communist experience must be central to the study of the emergence and nature of democracy in (post-) communist countries.


Book Synopsis Communism and the Emergence of Democracy by : Harald Wydra

Download or read book Communism and the Emergence of Democracy written by Harald Wydra and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2007-02-08 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Before democracy becomes an institutionalised form of political authority, the rupture with authoritarian forms of power causes deep uncertainty about power and outcomes. This book connects the study of democratisation in eastern Europe and Russia to the emergence and crisis of communism. Wydra argues that the communist past is not simply a legacy but needs to be seen as a social organism in gestation, where critical events produce new expectations, memories and symbols that influence meanings of democracy. By examining a series of pivotal historical events, he shows that democratisation is not just a matter of institutional design, but rather a matter of consciousness and leadership under conditions of extreme and traumatic incivility. Rather than adopting the opposition between non-democratic and democratic, Wydra argues that the communist experience must be central to the study of the emergence and nature of democracy in (post-) communist countries.


Nationalism, Myth, and the State in Russia and Serbia

Nationalism, Myth, and the State in Russia and Serbia

Author: Veljko Vujačić

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2015-03-26

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 1107074088

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This book examines the role of Russian and Serbian nationalism in dissolution of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia in 1991.


Book Synopsis Nationalism, Myth, and the State in Russia and Serbia by : Veljko Vujačić

Download or read book Nationalism, Myth, and the State in Russia and Serbia written by Veljko Vujačić and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2015-03-26 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the role of Russian and Serbian nationalism in dissolution of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia in 1991.


Amidst Turbulence and Hope

Amidst Turbulence and Hope

Author: Shashikant Jha

Publisher:

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 9788170950912

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Contributed articles presented at a seminar in 2001.


Book Synopsis Amidst Turbulence and Hope by : Shashikant Jha

Download or read book Amidst Turbulence and Hope written by Shashikant Jha and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contributed articles presented at a seminar in 2001.


Russian Politics

Russian Politics

Author: Zoltan D. Barany

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2001-08-27

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 9780521805124

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What went wrong in Russia's decade-old post-communist transition? A group of leading young scholars answer this question by offering assessments of five crucial political arenas during the Yeltsin era: elections, executive-legislative relations, interactions between the central state and the regions, economic reforms, and civil-military relations. All of the contributors recognize that adverse historical legacies have complicated Russian democratization. They challenge structural explanations that emphasize constraints of the pre-existing system, however, and concentrate instead on the importance of elite decisions and institution-building. The authors agree that elites' failure to develop robust political institutions has been a central problem of Russia's post-communist transition. The weakness of the state and its institutions has contributed to a number of serious problems threatening democratic consolidation. These include the tensions between the executive and the legislature, the frail infrastructure for successful market reform, and the absence of proper civilian control over the armed forces.


Book Synopsis Russian Politics by : Zoltan D. Barany

Download or read book Russian Politics written by Zoltan D. Barany and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2001-08-27 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What went wrong in Russia's decade-old post-communist transition? A group of leading young scholars answer this question by offering assessments of five crucial political arenas during the Yeltsin era: elections, executive-legislative relations, interactions between the central state and the regions, economic reforms, and civil-military relations. All of the contributors recognize that adverse historical legacies have complicated Russian democratization. They challenge structural explanations that emphasize constraints of the pre-existing system, however, and concentrate instead on the importance of elite decisions and institution-building. The authors agree that elites' failure to develop robust political institutions has been a central problem of Russia's post-communist transition. The weakness of the state and its institutions has contributed to a number of serious problems threatening democratic consolidation. These include the tensions between the executive and the legislature, the frail infrastructure for successful market reform, and the absence of proper civilian control over the armed forces.