Abstract
Civil society was at the forefront of the programs and discussions of those opposing communism and promoting democracy during the 1980s within the Eastern Bloc and has had a long-lasting influence also on Western social science discourses. Students of civil society should reflect on the issues and changing meanings of the concept during this development, beginning with communist dictatorship and leading up to the European Union accession of most former communist countries of Eastern and Central Europe. The analysis of Central and Eastern European states focuses on Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia and has produced ambivalent attitudes towards civic engagement and civil society in postcommunist democracies. This chapter will refer mainly to examples from the Hungarian experience.
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References
Suggested Readings
Lewis, P.G. (eds.) (1992): Democracy and Civil Society in Eastern Europe. New York
Quigley, K.F. (1997): For Democracy’s Sake. Foundations and Democratic Assistance in Central Europe. Washington
Ramet, S.P. (1991): Social Currents in Eastern Europe. Durham London
Tökés, R.L. (ed.) ( 1979 ): Opposition in Eastern Europe. Oxford, pp. 142–187
Skilling, H.G. (1989): Samizdat and Independent Society in Central and Eastern Europe. Oxford
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Szabó, M. (2004). Civic Engagement in East-Central Europe. In: Zimmer, A., Priller, E. (eds) Future of Civil Society. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-80980-3_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-80980-3_6
Publisher Name: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden
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