The Left Transformed in Post-Communist Societies The Cases of East-Central Europe, Russia, and Ukraine

by Curry, Jane Leftwich; Urban, Joan Barth; Baylis, Thomas A.; Krupavicius, Algis; March, Luke; Morlang, Diana; Wilson, Andrew

• ISBN13: 9780742526648
• ISBN10: 074252664X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-05-28
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

One of the most unexpected outcomes of the Soviet bloc's transition out of communism is the divergent but important paths followed by once ruling communist parties. In The Left Transformed this ideological split into free market social democrats (Poland, Hungary, and Lithuania), anti-Western neo-Leninists (Russia and Ukraine), and doctrinal fence-sitters (the ex-communists of former East Germany) is explored through in-depth interviews, party presses and primary documents, and national election data. The careful examination of each party's transition as well as the most current information on organization, ideology, and electoral fortunes through late 2002 makes this book an invaluable resource for anyone interested in contemporary history, political parties, or comparative government in the former Soviet Empire.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations	p. vii
List of Tables	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Poland's Ex-Communists: From Pariahs to Establishment Players	p. 19
Hungary: Socialists Building Capitalism	p. 61
The Left-wing Parties in Lithuania, 1990-2002	p. 99
Political Adaptation in Germany's Post-Communist Party of Democratic Socialism	p. 137
The Pragmatic Radicalism of Russia's Communists	p. 163
The Communist Party of Ukraine: From Soviet Man to East Slavic Brotherhood	p. 209
The Post-Communist Left: Divergent Trajectories, Shared Legacies	p. 245
Appendix	p. 271
Bibliography	p. 273
Index	p. 275
About the Contributors	p. 283
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