Liberalization and Leninist Legacies: Comparative Perspectives on Democratic Transitions (RESEARCH SERIES (UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY INTERNATIONAL AND AREA STUDIES)) - Softcover

Shadows of the past are affecting the new capitalist democracies throughout the former Communist world. This volume not only examines the question of former Communists again holding public office and managing firms, but also looks to the deeper cultural considerations: do Leninist legacies leave the former Communist countries with political cultures that shy away from the public debate and political participation vital to robust democracy? The authors examine these issues comparatively across Eastern Europe and the ex-Soviet Union, asking whether Leninism was unique, but also asking how other new democracies emerging from an authoritarian past have been affected by legacies of repression and dictatorship.