Is There Any Future for Liberalism in Eastern Europe? Cover Image

Ima li liberalizam budućnost u istočnoj Europi?
Is There Any Future for Liberalism in Eastern Europe?

Author(s): Nenad Zakošek
Subject(s): Geography, Regional studies, Political Philosophy, Politics and society, Nationalism Studies, Identity of Collectives
Published by: Fakultet političkih znanosti u Zagrebu
Keywords: Eastern Europe; Liberalism; Adam Przeworski; liberalism; nationalism;

Summary/Abstract: Taking as his starting point the methodological instructions of the American liberal politologist Adam Przeworski about the importance of the action-theory analysis of the transformational dynamics of postauthoritharian societies, the author looks into the prospects of liberal reforms in Eastern Europe. The central thesis of the article is that the reforms’ success depends on the balance of power between the liberal and the national-populist elites, who vie for public support. The outcome of that struggle will depend on the way in which the competing elites will act in response to the five essential contextual factors: the need for economic and social security, the expectations of social justice, the dynamics of the integration with the West, the articulation of the national identity within a national state, and, perhaps, the existence of ethnic minorities (i.e. the threat of interethnic conflicts).

  • Issue Year: XXXII/1995
  • Issue No: 01
  • Page Range: 152-160
  • Page Count: 9
  • Language: Croatian