Post-communist Transition

Transition from Stalinist dictatorship to multi-party democracy is proving a long and painful process for the countries of Eastern Europe, and has met with varying degrees of success. In Hungary, the Free Democrats (made up largely, but not solely, of the dissident intelligentsia) were uniquely successful in fighting off attempts by the old-guard communist elite to hijack reform programmes, by forcing free elections and creating a multi-party system. This volume focuses on the Hungarian experience, analyzing the process of transition from dictatorship to pluralist democracy. Some of Hungary's best political scientists examine issues such as the legitimation crisis of communist rule, resulting internal struggles within the Communist Party and the forces behind transition (a dissident intelligentsia reinforced by disaffection amongst the mass of the population). Constitutional reform, party formation and voting behaviour at the first free elections are also taken into account. The concluding section places the Hungarian experience in comparative perspective, within the context of other Central European and Western European states.
This work should be of interest to anyone interested in the principle of transition from communism to pluralist democracy.