The State against Society: Political Crises and Their Aftermath in East Central Europe

Grzegorz Ekiert

Published by Princeton University Press 1997

The State against Society

Political Crises and Their Aftermath in East Central Europe

Grzegorz Ekiert

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400822041

Overview
Contents

About this book

Classical images of state-socialism developed in contemporary social sciences were founded on simple presuppositions. State-socialist regimes were considered to be politically stable due to their pervasive institutional and ideological control over the everyday lives of their citizens, impervious to reform and change, and representative of extreme political and economic dependency. Despite their contrasting historical experiences, they have been treated as basically identical in their institutional design, social and economic structures, and policies. Grzegorz Ekiert challenges this notion in a comparative analysis of the major political crises in post-1945 East Central Europe: Hungary (1956-63), Czechoslovakia (1968-76), and Poland (1980-89).

The author maintains that the nature and consequences of these crises can better explain the distinctive experiences of East Central European countries under communist rule than can the formal characteristics of their political and economic systems or their politically dependent status. He explores how political crises reshaped party-state institutions, redefined relations between party and state institutions, altered the relationship between the state and various groups and organizations within society, and modified the political practices of these regimes. He shows how these events transformed cultural categories, produced collective memories, and imposed long-lasting constraints on mass political behavior and the policy choices of ruling elites. These crises shaped the political evolution of the region, produced important cross-national differences among state-socialist regimes, and contributed to the distinctive patterns of their collapse.

Author / Editor information

Grzegorz Ekiert is Associate Professor of Government at Harvard University.

Reviews

Winner of the 1996 Orbis Polish Book Prize, American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Preface and Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	ix
CHAPTER 1. Introduction: Political Crises, Mobilization, and Demobilization in East Central Europe Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Part I. The Political Crisis and Its Aftermath in Hungary, 1956–1963
CHAPTER 2. The Party-State and Society during the Hungarian Revolution Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	42
CHAPTER 3. The Soviet Invasion and the Defeat of the Revolution Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	65
CHAPTER 4. The Political Crisis, Demobilization, and Regime Reequilibration in Hungary Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	99
Part II. The Political Crisis and Its Aftermath in Czechoslovakia, 1968–1976
CHAPTER 5. The Party-State and Society during the Prague Spring Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	126
CHAPTER 6. The End of Socialism with a Human Face Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	162
CHAPTER 7. The Political Crisis, Demobilization, and Regime Reequilibration in Czechoslovakia Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	198
Part III. The Political Crisis and Its Aftermath in Poland, 1980–1989
CHAPTER 8. The Party-State and Society during the Solidarity Period Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	222
CHAPTER 9. Poland under Martial Law and After Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	257
CHAPTER 10. The Political Crisis and the Failure of Demobilization and Regime Reequilibration Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	283
CHAPTER 11. Conclusions: Patterns and Legacies of Political Crisis, Demobilization, and Regime Reequilibration in East Central Europe Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	305
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	331
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	405
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	431

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