A Period of Extraordinary Politics. Regime Transitions in Central and Eastern Europe
A Period of Extraordinary Politics. Regime Transitions in Central and Eastern Europe

Summary/Abstract: This article seeks to add to our understanding of democratic regime transitions by introducing a taxonomy that juxtaposes extraordinary with normal politics. Normal politics relies on established institutional frameworks and conflict-solving patterns. In contrast, regime transitions are periods of extraordinary politics, when anything seems possible, and nothing is guaranteed. Still, extraordinary politics is an analytical construct; its features vary in relative significance with time and place but share certain commonalities. Drawing on the regime transitions in Central and Eastern Europe as examples, I focus on three major characteristics of extraordinary politics: a) the topography of uncertainty; b) the (re)configuration of elite and mass behavior; and c) the power of symbolic politics.

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