Frank H. Aarebrot - Böcker

The euphoria evidenced in the aftermath of the collapse of communist regimes in the late 1980s and early 1990s sometimes conveyed the impression that the process of democratization would be achieved without difficulty or tribulation. This book sets out to provide a thorough comparative analysis of the challenges which face the emerging democracies of Central and Eastern Europe and considers the impact of political change. Drawing heavily on available survey data, the book provides an in-depth account of how the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe have coped with four major challenges: political fragmentation, nationalism, lack of respect for human rights, and poorly developed civil service systems. The book demonstrates that although the first few years of the 1990s were marked by increasing disenchantment with the new regimes, the change of governments as a direct result of the electoral process and the prospects for European integration have served to reverse this negative trend. Indeed, the authors find that the new political systems have managed to cope with the challenges so effectively that striking similarities with Western democracies are now apparent.Offering new insights into democratic transition, Challenges to Democracy will appeal to political scientists, diplomats and policymakers, and economists with an interest in European and comparative politics.

This thoroughly revised and updated edition of The Handbook of Political Change in Eastern Europe provides an authoritative and thorough analysis of the political changes which have occurred in Central and Eastern Europe since the demise of communism. It offers an historical, comparative perspective of the region and focuses on the social consequences of the democratization process throughout the 1990s and the early years of the 21st century. Significantly, this new edition includes an examination of the South East European countries of Croatia, Serbia and Moldova, which are often overlooked in studies on post-communist political development. The country-specific chapters are each written by distinguished scholars with particular expertise in their respective cases: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia and Moldova. Each chapter includes detailed examinations of elections, the formation of governments, electoral systems and constitutional arrangements. These up-to-date analyses are supplemented by conclusions on the party systems and emerging political structures in the region as a whole, and the consolidation of democracy in a post-communist setting.The revised and expanded version of The Handbook of Political Change in Eastern Europe provides a state-of-the art companion which will be indispensable for students and scholars in the social sciences, including political science, comparative politics, European studies and political history.

The Making of the European Union argues that the process of European integration has drifted into serious crisis, perhaps the most serious since the Danes voted against the Treaty of the European Union in 1992. French and Dutch voters blatantly rejected the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe in the summer of 2005, thus freezing the constitutional process for at least a year. The outcome of these referenda indicates that the views and attitudes of average Europeans have not been sufficiently listened to.Analysing the conditions for European integration, this book applies a citizens' or 'bottom-up' perspective on the integration process. The difficulties that the constitutional process has encountered illustrate the relevance of bringing public opinion into the analysis of the prospects for European integration. The book describes and analyses the historical, mental, intellectual, and attitudinal denominators of European integration, denominators that have shaped the processes so far and will continue to do so in the future. The authors apply a broad comparative perspective, where European nation-states constitute the primary units of analysis. The focus is on the foundations of European integration, public views about the EU, including various shades of Euroscepticism, and the long-term prospects of the EU.This is a fascinating and penetrating look at the EU and will therefore appeal to a wide audience including scholars and researchers in the social sciences - particularly political science, comparative politics and European studies. The book will also be of great interest to journalists and all those involved in the EU, including policy makers and civil servants throughout the EU itself.

The Political History of Eastern Europe in the 20th Century presents a fresh, up-to-date introduction to the struggle between democracy and dictatorship in Eastern Europe since 1900.The book is broken down into three different parts focusing on those time periods when experiments with democracy threatened to change the established order: the inter-war period, the democratic or semi- democratic interlude in the wake of the Second World War until 1949 and the current experience with the new democracies. In discussing the struggle between democracy and dictatorship, the authors argue that the experience of Eastern Europe reveals the challenges which threaten democracy and the conditions necessary for the survival of democratic government.The book will be essential reading for students of Eastern Europe, comparative politics, and European history.