Throughout Eastern Europe, embryonic civil societies have demonstrated in various ways but with the same result their crucial role in the advent of democracy in the early 1990s : within a few years, Eastern European communist governments were forced to cede power and undertake democratic reforms under the pressure of popular movements, whether peaceful as in Czechoslovakia after its famous ''Velvet revolution'', Poland and Hungary, or more violent, as in Romania, the most extreme case, where the communist regime was overthrown through riots which ended in the execution of its ruler, Nicolae Ceausescu, and his wife.
A strong civil society indeed appears to be an important precondition for the development and consolidation of democracy, especially in Eastern Europe where the communist parties relied on the absence of structured oppositional movements to retain power. The notion of civil society refers to the existence of voluntary social relationships in a specific state, through various and numerous civic and social organizations and institutions, as opposed to the force-backed state structures and market institutions. After the end of the communist era in this area, many political actors, both from Eastern Europe itsef comprised mainly of intellectuals and from abroad through donations and foundations, assumed the best way to support democratic reforms was through aiding in the construction and consolidation of the previously stifled civil society.
[...] A strong civil society indeed appears to be an important precondition for the development and consolidation of democracy, especially in Eastern Europe where the communist parties relied on the absence of structured oppositional movements to retain power. The notion of civil society refers to the existence of voluntary social relationships in a specific state, through various and numerous civic and social organizations and institutions, as opposed to the force-backed state structures and market institutions. After the end of the communist era in this area, many political actors, both from Eastern Europe itsef comprised mainly of intellectuals and from abroad through donations and foundations, assumed the best way to support democratic reforms was through aiding in the construction and consolidation of the previously stifled civil society. [...]
[...] This pattern explains why the civil society, even though it developed relatively quickly given the previous authoritarian environment, remains a weak actor in Romania. The building and strengthening of civil societies in Eastern Europe was also supported by Western actors considering it to be a precondition to the rooting of democracy. Again, international attempts to develop civil societies in the post-communist Eastern Europe have thus far shown mixed results. American and Western European interventions mostly were largely channeled through, respectively, the USAID and PHARE programs. [...]
[...] Peri Pamir, “Nationalism, Ethnicity and Democracy: Contemporary manifestations”, The International Journal of Peace Studie, Volume Number July 1997. Zsuzsa Csergo, “ Ethnicity, Nationalism, and the Expansion of Democracy”, in Central & East European Politics: From Communism to Democracy, edited by Sharon L. Wolchik and Jane L. Curry, Second edition. [...]
[...] Even the official professional organizations, a relatively rare feature in an Eastern European Socialist state, were also rooted in the construction of a civil society after the fall of Communism, for instance by enabling workers to gain some experience, though limited, in local governance. On the contrary, Ceausescu's rule in Romania was far stricter: even though people could be forced to demonstrate support for Ceausescu and his party, there was no freedom of association and, in 1989, no organized opposition groups. [...]
[...] Given the troubled context of the 1990s, the occurrences of violent conflicts in Eastern Europe indeed appear relatively rare, and moderate nationalism in states like Poland or Hungary can be seen as a source of this stability. Such a moderate and inclusive nationalism, as opposed to the antagonistic ethnic nationalism which was instrumentalized in Yugoslavia, appears thus as an enabler rather than an obstacle for the building of strong civil societies. * * * As a conclusion, building strong civil societies in Eastern Europe has revealed itself a real challenge, both for internal and external actors. [...]
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