[...]... division of Europe and the start of a new era for the EU’s new and old members alike, it was no less historic These dates, 1989 and 2004, will serve as markers of contemporary European history And candidates such as Bulgaria and Romania, still working to join the EU, will be adding their own markers in coming years How did Europe, especially East Central Europe (ECE), make its way from revolution to integration, ... economy, and society.3 However, the behavior of ruling elites when seizing and holding power in that gray zone between liberal democracy and outright authoritarianism—be it called illiberal democracy, electoral democracy, hybrid democracy, or competitive authoritarianism—is in many respects strikingly similar across countries and regions This book presents and tests a theory of the domestic and international... six states of East Central Europe after 1989, looking first at Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic where post-opposition elites took 20 Reform Trajectories of Post-Communist States power after the collapse of communism The puzzle in this and in the next chapter is why we see such a divergence in democratic and economic outcomes in these six states after the collapse of communism Let me pause here... available after 1989, what people revealed was their strong sense of national and regional diversity throughout the communist period and across the communist space And, contrary to the appearance of uniformity from the outside, scholars had illuminated the incredible variety of polities and societies that communism had enveloped and transformed It follows of course that differences before communism and during... and profit from market liberalization; for this and other reasons, the relationship between democratization and market liberalization in Figure 1.1 would look very different, for example, for Latin American states As Philip Roeder has written, we must deepen our understanding of “the ways in which communism also transformed these societies for the better.”43 2 Liberal and Illiberal Democracy After Communism. .. itself out in my six cases after 1989 We look first at Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic where post-opposition elites took power after the collapse of communism; and second at Romania, Bulgaria, and Slovakia where non-opposition elites were able to dominate the transition from communism Later in the book, we will explore in detail the variation in how oppositions developed and challenged the illiberal... precede democracy, and the character of the elites on hand for revolution determined, in large measure, who would be elected to the first government and whether that government would attempt comprehensive political and economic reform The presence of an organized opposition to communism at the moment of regime change strong enough to take power in Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia had an immediate and. .. 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 4.1 4.2 7.1 7.2 7.3 Democracy and economic liberalization in all post-communist states, 2001 Democracy and economic liberalization in six ECE states, 1998 Economic reform and foreign direct investment, cumulative 1990–4 Economic reform and foreign direct investment per capita, cumulative 1990–4 EU, EFTA and ECE GDP compared, 1992 German and ECE GNI compared, 1992 EU trade surplus... organizations: besides the European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe (COE), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the West European Union (WEU), the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United Nations, and no doubt others,... Romania, Bulgaria, and Slovakia after 1989 The purpose of this chapter, however, is to show how the presence or absence of an opposition to communism that is strong enough to take and hold power in 1989 puts one group of states on the road to liberal democracy, and the other group on the road to illiberal democracy This chapter is divided into two parts: the first part is about the liberal and the second . Norfolk Vachudová, Milada Anna. Europe undivided : democracy, leverage, and integration after communism / Milada Anna Vachudová. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. Summary: Europe Undivided analyses.