Elites of Post-Transformation
Elites of Post-Transformation
The Cases of Central and Eastern European Countries
Contributor(s): Piotr Kulas (Editor), Kamil Maria Wielecki (Editor)
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Social Sciences, Sociology, Security and defense
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: elites; intelligentsia; political transformation; Central and Eastern European countries; social structure
Summary/Abstract: The systemic transformation in Central and Eastern Europe brought about the emergence of consensual elites that ultimately favoured a consolidated democracy. Today, however, some countries are experiencing democratic backsliding, with the elites fragmented or even divided. The book presents several case studies of how elites across the region have been changing. They can be instrumental in both democratization and democratic backsliding. Illiberal elites claim to represent the will of the people, which in their view is true democracy. To understand the current state of democracy, it is necessary to examine the role of the elites in this process. It is also pertinent to address the question about the origins and characteristics of the contemporary elites that threaten liberal democracy and undermine the existing consensus.
Series: Monografie Libal
- E-ISBN-13: 978-83-235-6396-9
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-83-235-6388-4
- Page Count: 2024
- Publication Year: 2024
- Language: English
ELITES OF POST-TRANSFORMATION
ELITES OF POST-TRANSFORMATION
(ELITES OF POST-TRANSFORMATION)
- Author(s):Piotr Kulas, Kamil Maria Wielecki
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Sociology, Security and defense
- Page Range:7-31
- No. of Pages:25
- Keywords:elites; Central and Eastern Europe; systemic transformations; circulation and reproduction of elites; populism
- Summary/Abstract:This chapter draws attention to the problem of the elite’s change in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries after 1989 and underlines its importance nowadays. The authors point out that the systemic transformation was an elite-driven process. Elites were significant agents of control. The text describes different models of elite exchange in CEE countries. In some of them, post-communist elites remained influential. In others, opposition elites seemed to play a dominant role. However, even in the latter case, tensions between different factions of the democratic elite could not have been avoided. They influence the public spheres and policies in each country. It is clear that the process of replacement at the time seemed imperfect and incomplete. The authors posit the question (which is also the main theme of the volume) whether we are dealing with circulation or reproduction when it comes to populist elites. The populists’ effort lay in presenting their road to power as circulation. At least in some cases, however, this can be understood as reproduction since the current members of the elite were already in power. These efforts are accompanied by a strong anti-elitism that aims to blur or even conceal the elitist positions of the contemporary power elites. The final sections of the chapter outline the aim and content of the presented volume.
THE DETERMINANTS OF PARLIAMENTARY TURNOVER IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, 1990–2022
THE DETERMINANTS OF PARLIAMENTARY TURNOVER IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, 1990–2022
(THE DETERMINANTS OF PARLIAMENTARY TURNOVER IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, 1990–2022)
- Author(s):Elena Semenova
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Sociology, Security and defense
- Page Range:35-62
- No. of Pages:28
- Keywords:parliament; legislature; newcomer; parliamentarian; post-communist; Eastern Europe; turnover
- Summary/Abstract:In this study, I examined the level of turnover, operationalized as a proportion of parliamentarians elected to a parliament for the first time, in the parliaments of eleven Eastern and Central European countries over the period from 1990 (or a country’s first democratic election) to 2022. A descriptive analysis showed that the average level of turnover in post-communist countries was approximately 50% for each election, although this proportion declined over the observation period. A beta regression analysis of the determinants of turnover revealed that it tends to be higher in systems with a popularly elected president, during the period of democratic transition (the 1990s), and under proportional electoral systems. Conversely, legislated gender quotas had a negative effect on turnover. The paper concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of these results.
ELITE REPLACEMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY
ELITE REPLACEMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY
(ELITE REPLACEMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY)
- Author(s):Pavol Frič
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Sociology, Security and defense
- Page Range:63-95
- No. of Pages:33
- Keywords:elite; civil society; alliance; elite replacement
- Summary/Abstract:Classical elite theory considers elite change as a law of nature. The old elites are continuously replaced by new ones that are no better than the old ones. It does not distinguish whether the elites are democratic or not. However, the democratic aspect of elite replacement has recently played an increasingly important role. This is especially so in the context of the rise to power of populist elites almost throughout the democratic world. The season of victorious authoritarian populist leaders has also brought into the replacement of old elites by new ones the question of the role of civil society in this process. This question is particularly urgent in the post-communist countries of Central Europe, where civil society played a significant role in replacing the populist communist elites of more than 30 years ago. The new wave of populism in these countries is associated in the academic literature with the process of democratic backsliding and with expectations that civil society, together with democratic political parties, will counter this process of replacing democratic elites with authoritarian ones. Against the backdrop of Gramsci’s concept of competing (counter)hegemonic historical blocs, this chapter seeks to show that the alliance between elites and civil society is an important factor in the process of elite replacement and that the replacement of elites in post-communist countries is not only an “elite game” but also depends on the ability of civil society organizations to mobilize the general public in support of one part of the elites. It also demonstrates the involvement of civil society organizations in building illiberal, conservative alliances and replacing liberal democratic elites with populist ones, using examples of elite replacement in the four Central European countries.
THE RULE OF POPULIST NATIONALISTS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
THE RULE OF POPULIST NATIONALISTS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
(THE RULE OF POPULIST NATIONALISTS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES)
- Author(s):Jan Pakulski
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Sociology, Security and defense
- Page Range:97-118
- No. of Pages:22
- Keywords:political elites; populism; populist leaders; democratic stability; quality of ruling; governance
- Summary/Abstract:The surges of populist nationalists into political leadership position in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have been typically analysed from the society-centred perspective as responses to major societal transformations. Taking an elite- and leader-centred approach, this chapter: 1) emphasises the central role of political elites and leaders, characterised as populist nationalists, in engineering the surges; 2) locates these surges within modern trends in centralisation of power/authority; and 3) points to the degenerative and dysfunctional nature of populist-nationalist politics. Finally, 4) it casts the glance at the populist rule and the quality of governance (WGI). The analysis encompasses the main CEE countries, but focusses on Poland and Hungary, where populist elites are most entrenched politically. In line with the classical and contemporary elite analysis, political elites are defined as “ruling minorities” at the apex of political power; populism is seen as a distinctive leadership style that combines “anti-elitism” with demagogy; nationalism focusses on contesting the European Union (especially its legal-political order), and “quality of ruling” is defined in line with the World Bank’s WGI.
POLISH POLITICAL ELITES – AN UNFINISHED PROJECT
POLISH POLITICAL ELITES – AN UNFINISHED PROJECT
(POLISH POLITICAL ELITES – AN UNFINISHED PROJECT)
- Author(s):Jerzy Bartkowski
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Sociology, Security and defense
- Page Range:119-157
- No. of Pages:39
- Keywords:political elite; Polish politics and government; democratic transformation
- Summary/Abstract:The topic of this chapter is the question of the lack of a true democratic political elite in Poland. The article describes the low assessment of the elites by public opinion, the negative role of the populist ruling elite, the low participation of women in the elite, the social characteristics of the religious elites, and as a reference point for the actual elites - the heritage of the intelligentsia. The reason for the lack of a democratic elite is the dominance of the second generation of post-transformation politicians, whose political socialization has resulted in the widespread use of political malpractice combined with a weak internalization of the significance of basic political institutions.
NEW ELITES, OLD PRACTICES?
NEW ELITES, OLD PRACTICES?
(NEW ELITES, OLD PRACTICES?)
- Author(s):Oleksandra Iwaniuk
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Sociology, Security and defense
- Page Range:159-182
- No. of Pages:24
- Keywords:political elites; parliamentary elites; Pierre Bourdieu; theory of practices; Volodymyr Zelenskyy; informal practices; Supreme Rada
- Summary/Abstract:The paper analyses Ukraine’s fields of power, focusing on the informal practices of newly elected (in 2019) President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as the parliamentary elites that came to power in the same year, given that the role of the Supreme Rada was supposed to be strengthened after the Maidan revolution. Referring to Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of practices, the article attempts to answer the question of whether institutional changes, together with a substantial renewal of political elites, resulted in a change in informal practices and ultimately led to a change in the rules of the game in the public sphere and behind the scenes, or whether the continuity of old ways of coping, time-proven decision-making strategies, and informal hierarchies prevailed even under the new conditions.
THE FIELD OF POWER IN CONTEMPORARY RUSSIA – A PRELIMINARY DESCRIPTION
THE FIELD OF POWER IN CONTEMPORARY RUSSIA – A PRELIMINARY DESCRIPTION
(THE FIELD OF POWER IN CONTEMPORARY RUSSIA – A PRELIMINARY DESCRIPTION)
- Author(s):Katarzyna Chawryło
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Sociology, Security and defense
- Page Range:183-211
- No. of Pages:29
- Keywords:capital; field theory; field of power; elite; Russia; social structure
- Summary/Abstract:The article aims to describe the contemporary Russian political elite using the perspective of the field proposed by French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. A major challenge in the attempt to describe the Russian elite nowadays is the limited access to information about its members, compounded by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the resulting censorship. The perspective of the field, which so far has not been comprehensively applied to describe Russia’s socio-political reality, turned out to be of use, as it allows structuring deliberations on the elite and formulating a precise, scientific description. For the purposes of the research, open sources were used: official documents, information from the media, and expert reports. The institutional and hierarchical approach together with the author’s subject matter expertise were used to select 40 representatives of the narrow political elite in Russia as of 2022, who were subjected to a partial demographic and socio-biographical analysis. In the course of the research, it was proven that the selected group is quite homogeneous in terms of age, gender (with a crushing overrepresentation of men), and level of education. As for the structure of the field, several professional sub-fields were distinguished within it - mainly representatives of services, business, professional officials. The main feature linking these figures is the fact that they have President Vladimir Putin’s personal trust, which was identified to be the main force in the field. Given the key importance of the personal relations of individual members of the elite with President Putin, the weakening of his role in the regime, and especially his removal from office, would undermine the entire structure of the field of power in Russia.
THE POST-INTELLIGENTSIA’S LONG ENTRY INTO THE 21ST CENTURY
THE POST-INTELLIGENTSIA’S LONG ENTRY INTO THE 21ST CENTURY
(THE POST-INTELLIGENTSIA’S LONG ENTRY INTO THE 21ST CENTURY)
- Author(s):Piotr Kulas
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Sociology, Security and defense
- Page Range:215-253
- No. of Pages:39
- Keywords:Polish intelligentsia; rank order; status society; ethos; transformation; post-intelligentsia
- Summary/Abstract:The main aim of this article is to examine the contemporary Polish intelligentsia. Since the second half of the 19th century, the intelligentsia has been one of the most important groups in Polish society and culture. By organizing civil society, the intelligentsia tried to maintain a sense of national unity and even “replace” the lost and partitioned state. However, its importance has been diminishing in parallel with the process of transformation after 1989. The author traces the main causes that led to the current situation. Unlike some scholars, he claims that the intelligentsia neither has “retired from the stage” nor does it play a hegemonic role in Polish society. By adopting the combined perspective of historical sociology and analysing qualitative empirical data on the intelligentsia’s elite (i.e., in-depth interviews, articles, statements, discussions, books, etc.), the author argues that the intelligentsia has not been transformed into a middle class but neither does it exist in its former state. Since the current stratification in Poland is not based on rank order, the importance and status of the intelligentsia are diminishing. However, representatives of Polish elites have retained some characteristics of the former status group. Thus, the author suggests that “post-intelligentsia” would be a more accurate description of the group’s current condition.
THE RULE OF LAW IN AUTHORITARIAN STATE AND THE PROGRAM OF UNIVERSAL PRIVATIZATION
THE RULE OF LAW IN AUTHORITARIAN STATE AND THE PROGRAM OF UNIVERSAL PRIVATIZATION
(THE RULE OF LAW IN AUTHORITARIAN STATE AND THE PROGRAM OF UNIVERSAL PRIVATIZATION)
- Author(s):Jan Śpiewak
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Sociology, Security and defense
- Page Range:255-281
- No. of Pages:27
- Keywords:neoliberalism; democracy; Solidarity; labor movement; intelligentsia; political transformation
- Summary/Abstract:In this article, I present the Gdańsk liberal milieu’s idea of political transformation. It was based on two foundations: the idea of an authoritarian rule of law and the universal enfranchisement of citizens on public property. It assumed the creation of a transitional regime, between the totalitarian communist state and a democratic sovereign Poland. The concept of universal enfranchisement, presented by Janusz Lewandowski and Jan Szomburg, implied carrying out an “act of euthanasia” of statism through extensive privatization of state property. The Gdańsk liberals argued that first there must be a change in the economic base in Poland, and only then could the system be fully democratized. The spread of private property was the most important “threshold” of the political transformation that would transform a nation of workers into a nation of free owners.
“FIXERS”
“FIXERS”
(“FIXERS”)
- Author(s):Kamil Lipiński
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Sociology, Security and defense
- Page Range:283-319
- No. of Pages:37
- Keywords:capitalism; transformation; biography; business; capital; class; elite
- Summary/Abstract:The aim of this chapter is to present, systematise, and analyse the activities as well as the relationships established by members of the Polish business elite in the course of their lives. The creativity and diligence of the respondents in the described processes are not inferior to their ability to use public and private institutions or to bend the rules, which is how they accumulate economic, social, political, and cultural capital, subsequently building their dominant position. A systematic description and analysis of the life paths, turning points, biographies, and capital conversions carried out by members of the business elite can be an interesting supplement to the dominant discourses and ideologies describing the business elites in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). I use biographical analysis as well as Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of social fields to identify and describe the sequences of biographical structures accompanying capital conversions carried out by the richest Poles. Analysis of 19 in-depth interviews with leading Polish businessmen provides an insight into the network of changing, multiple audiences of those conversions, allowing me to situate the dynamics of the elite’s business relations in the wider context of consolidation of the CEE business field.
ELITES AND THEIR SCHOOLS IN POST-COMMUNIST POLAND
ELITES AND THEIR SCHOOLS IN POST-COMMUNIST POLAND
(ELITES AND THEIR SCHOOLS IN POST-COMMUNIST POLAND)
- Author(s):Alexandra Dunwill
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Sociology, Security and defense
- Page Range:321-364
- No. of Pages:44
- Keywords:education; elites; Poland; elite schools in Poland; educational transformation in Poland; elite education market; socio-political outlooks of elites; commercialisation of education
- Summary/Abstract:Competing socio-historical forces in contemporary Poland are influencing elite formation and elite school education, resulting in the emergence of different types of schooling for the diverse elites. The emerging elite schools represent varying degrees of convergence of global and European identity, socialist heritage, and tradition. This chapter uses examples of school websites to illustrate that, while Polish elite schools’ abilities to produce individuals with future influence and power are undeniable, there are significant differences in the socio-political and socio-cultural outlooks that these schools have sought to foster. Their specific modes of operation indicate the manner in which they have hoped to influence students’ future loyalties and standpoints on various legal, political, moral, environmental, and social issues. Examination of the discourses of elite schools’ websites offers a distinct depth of insight into these schools’ ideological profiles and the discursive techniques they adopt to appeal to different types of elite clientele. This chapter demonstrates that elite schools differ according to the characteristics and outlooks of the elites that select and support them. The websites’ pertinent outlooks are analysed through the lens of four critical perspectives, which I call four angles of scrutiny: Globalisation, European integration, Socialist heritage, and Tradition. This novel theoretical approach and associated methodology expose post-communist elites’ and their schools’ differing ideological stances in the context of Poland’s specificity as a post-communist country. This contribution is a platform on which other researchers may build.
VANISHING ELITES AND POLAND’S UNFINISHED TRANSFORMATION
VANISHING ELITES AND POLAND’S UNFINISHED TRANSFORMATION
(VANISHING ELITES AND POLAND’S UNFINISHED TRANSFORMATION)
- Author(s):Jan Kieniewicz
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Sociology, Security and defense
- Page Range:365-382
- No. of Pages:18
- Keywords:elites; Poland; transition; transformation; identity
- Summary/Abstract:The premise of this article rests, firstly, with the failure to have completed Poland’s transformation following the breakthrough of 1989 and secondly, the failure to have formed new elites. This failure consists, in my view, in not having achieved the metamorphosis of Polishness (i.e., a real change in the identity of the social system). We have made a Transition in Poland, i.e., a change of the authorities and the state itself. However, we have neglected a matter fundamental to the Transformation, that is, a change of social consciousness. The “elites” played a special role in this fundamental omission for the condition of Poland today. Although, strictly speaking, they did not play such a role, because the old ones no longer existed and new ones had not yet emerged. For elites are not created, they are formed. As a result, there was no entity capable of creating a new pattern of existence for Poland.
ELITES OF POST-TRANSFORMATION
ELITES OF POST-TRANSFORMATION
(ELITES OF POST-TRANSFORMATION)
- Author(s):Kamil Maria Wielecki, Konstantin Gaaze, Ivan Peshkov, Anastasia Sergeeva, Mikhail Minakov, Tomasz Zarycki, Krzysztof Gorlach, Piotr Kulas, Maciej Grzenkowicz, Katarzyna Chawryło, Wojciech Cendrowski
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Sociology, Security and defense
- Page Range:385-428
- No. of Pages:44
- Keywords:elites; intelligentsia; political transformation; Central and Eastern European countries; social structure
- Summary/Abstract:The systemic transformation in Central and Eastern Europe brought about the emergence of consensual elites that ultimately favoured a consolidated democracy. Today, however, some countries are experiencing democratic backsliding, with the elites fragmented or even divided. The book presents several case studies of how elites across the region have been changing. They can be instrumental in both democratization and democratic backsliding. Illiberal elites claim to represent the will of the people, which in their view is true democracy. To understand the current state of democracy, it is necessary to examine the role of the elites in this process. It is also pertinent to address the question about the origins and characteristics of the contemporary elites that threaten liberal democracy and undermine the existing consensus.