1989: Democratic Revolutions at the Cold War's End
A Brief History with Documents
Published on 1. December 2009
Book
Paperback/Softback
208 pages
978-0-312-48766-9 (ISBN)
Description
A series of democratic transformations in the 1980s ended the cold war and ushered in the present era. This volume by Padraic Kenney uses six case studies from this period - Poland, the Philippines, Chile, South Africa, Ukraine, and China - to explore common characteristics of global political change while highlighting the differing strategies and perspectives of the people who sought to free themselves from dictatorship.
A general introduction to the volume examines key trends in the decades leading up to the changes, tracing the paths that dictatorships and opposition movements took in their fateful confrontations. The first chapter with documents surveys the central ideas of this age of democratic, nonviolent revolution, and sets a framework for considering the case studies in the chapters that follow.
More details
Person
PADRAIC KENNEY (Ph.D., University of Michigan) is Professor of History at Indiana University, USA, where he teaches courses on Eastern European and Polish History as well as on political protest and the experience of communism. His work as a writer and a teacher has been shaped by a desire to understand the dynamics of communist societies, in particular those of Eastern Europe. He has lived and researched in a number of countries, among them Poland, Ukraine, and South Africa. He is the author of many articles and books, including Wroclawskie zadymy (2007), The Burdens of Freedom: Eastern Europe Since 1989 (2006), A Carnival of Revolution: Central Europe, 1989 (2002), and Rebuilding Poland: Workers and Communists, 1945-1950 (1997).
Content
Foreword.- Preface.- List of Illustrations.- PART I: INTRODUCTION: CAUSES, COMPARISONS, AND CONNECTIONS.- Origins of an Era.- The Contours of a Revolutionary Wave.- Whom Were They Fighting?.- The Paths Toward Revolution.- PART II: THE DOCUMENTS.- New Ideas of Democracy and Dissent.- Václav Havel, The Power of the Powerless, 1978.- Wei Jingsheng, The Fifth Modernization: Democracy, December 1978.- Desmond Tutu, Change or Illusion?, March 1980 Mehdi Bazargan, Religion and Liberty, 1983.- Julieta Kirkwood, Feminism's Time, 1983.- Aung San Suu Kyi, In Quest of Democracy and Freedom from Fear, 1988-1989.- Mikhail Gorbachev, On Socialist Democracy, January 1987.- Poland, 1982-1989.- The Solidarity Program, October 1981.- Adam Michnik, On Resistance, 1982.- Waldemar Fydrych, The Revolution of the Elves, June 1987.- The Hardest Thing to Overcome Was Our Own Foolishness . . ., June 1988.- Jacek Kuron, Instead of Revolution, March 8, 1989.- The Philippines, 1983-1986.- Primer of the 'Justice for Aquino, Justice for All' Movement, September 1983.- Jaime Sin, Guidelines on Christian Conduct During Elections, December 28, 1985.- The Civil Disobedience Campaign, February 1986.- Ledivina V. Cariño, The Revolution of 1986: A Personal Story, 1986.- Chile, 1982-1988.- Los de Alvear, The Contest, 1982.- Sebastián Acevedo, Movement Against Torture, Protest Against El Mercurio, November 21, 1983.- Gabriel Valdés, Speech at Democratic Alliance Rally, November 21, 1985.- Posters from the 'NO' Campaign, 1988.- South Africa, 1983-1994.- African National Congress, On Negotiations, October 9, 1987.- United Democratic Front, Ya, The Community Is the Main Source of Power, March 1986.- Alison Ozinsky, Purple Reign, September 1989.- Nelson Mandela, We Are Committed to Building a Single Nation in Our Country, February 25, 1990.- Ukraine, 1987-1991.- Vyacheslav Chornovil, Open Letter to Mikhail Gorbachev, 1987.- Ukrainian Helsinki Group, Atomic Evil Out of Ukraine!, November 1988.- Founding of the Native Language Association, June 13, 1988.- Ivan Drach, The Political Situation in the Ukraine and Rukh's Task, October 1990.- China, 1986-1989.- Fang Lizhi, Democracy, Reform, and Modernization, November 18, 1986.- Government Representatives Meet with Students, April 29, 1989.- Hunger Strikers' Announcement, May 12, 1989.- Chai Ling, I Am Still Alive, June 8, 1989.- Appendixes.- A Chronology of Democratic Revolutions (1968-1995).- Questions for Consideration.- Selected Bibliography.- Index.