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Author Ekiert, Grzegorz, 1956-

Title The state against society : political crises and their aftermath in East Central Europe / Grzegorz Ekiert
Published Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, ©1996

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Description 1 online resource (xvi, 435 pages)
Contents pt. 1. The political crisis and its aftermath in Hungary, 1956-1963 -- pt. 2. The political crisis and its aftermath in Czechoslovakia, 1968-1976 -- pt. 3. The political crisis and its aftermath in Poland, 1980-1989
Summary Classical images of state socialism developed in the contemporary social sciences were founded on simple presuppositions. State-socialist regimes were considered to be politically stable due to their repressive capacity and pervasive institutional and ideological control over the everyday lives of their citizens. They were seen as rigid, inert, and impervious to reform and change. Finally, they were considered to be representative of extreme cases of 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 common political wisdom 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. Ekiert argues that 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
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 405-430) and index
Notes Print version record
Subject Communism -- Europe, Eastern
Communism -- Hungary
Communism -- Czechoslovakia
Communism -- Poland
SOCIAL SCIENCE -- Anthropology -- Cultural.
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Public Policy -- Cultural Policy.
SOCIAL SCIENCE -- Popular Culture.
Communism
Politics and government
Politische Krise
Politieke stelsels.
Communisme.
Politieke crises.
Politieke verandering.
Nationale kenmerken.
Communisme -- Hongrie.
Communisme -- Tchécoslovaquie.
Communisme -- Pologne.
Communisme -- Europe de l'Est.
SUBJECT Europe, Eastern -- Politics and government -- 1945-1989. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh90000579
Hungary -- History -- Revolution, 1956. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85063068
Czechoslovakia -- History -- Intervention, 1968. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85035319
Poland -- Politics and government -- 1980-1989. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85104118
Subject Czechoslovakia
Eastern Europe
Hungary
Poland
Tschechoslowakei
Ungarn
Polen
Ostmitteleuropa
Europe de l'Est -- Politique et gouvernement -- 1945-1989.
Tchécoslovaquie -- 1968 (Printemps de Prague et intervention)
Pologne -- Politique et gouvernement -- 1980-1989.
Hongrie -- Histoire -- 1956 (Hongrie)
Ostmitteleuropa.
Polen.
Genre/Form History
Form Electronic book
ISBN 0691011141
9780691011141
0691011133
9780691011134
1400811457
9781400811458
1400801869
9781400801862
9781400822041
1400822041