The fall of the Berlin Wall launched the transformation of government, economy and
society across half of Europe and the former Soviet Union.The text compares how ordinary
people have coped with the stresses and opportunities of transforming into post-Communist
societies.
Table of Contents
List of figures and tables ix
Introduction: Transformation and its aftermath 1
Part I The legacy 7
1 The Iron Curtain falls 9
2 Living in an anti-modern society 19
3 Making progress and falling behind 27
4 The need for patience 36
Part II Coping with economic transformation 45
5 The need for a civil economy 47
6 Getting enough to eat 53
7 Social capital when government fails 60
8 Juggling multiple economies 71
9 Stresses and opportunities: The impact on health 83
Part III Coping with political transformation 95
10 Freedom as a fundamental gain 97
11 Democratization backwards 106
12 The impact of a ready-made German state 117
13 Ex-Communists in post-Communist societies 126
Part IV Elections after transformation 133
14 Parties without civil society 135
15 A floating system of parties 145
16 Voters without trust 153
Part V Time matters 161
17 Learning to support new regimes 163
18 Adapting to Russia-style normality 173
19 An evolving Europe 180
20 Post-transformation issues 191
Appendix A Collecting data - An insider's approach 199
Appendix B Acknowledgements and references 205
Index 221
240 pages, Paperback