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Is East-Central Europe Backsliding? Leninist Legacies, Pluralist Dilemmas
- Journal of Democracy
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 18, Number 4, October 2007
- pp. 34-39
- 10.1353/jod.2007.a223244
- Article
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Abstract:
The most important threats to postcommunist new democracies are the following: persistence of Leninist mentalities and authoritarian practices; cynicism; longing for authoritarian paternalism; nationalism; absence of moral clarity and delays in coming to terms with the totalitarian past; ideological confusion, weakness of political parties, and rise of populist anti-systemic demagogues; institutional weakness; inconsistencies in developing accountability and rule of law; and widespread corruption. To understand how East-Central European societies have evolved since 1989, we must understand the building blocks that contribute to the establishment and functioning of open societies.