Naslov
Between the Balkans and the West: Liberal Democracy in Croatia

Autori
Pavlaković, Vjeran

Izvornik
Modern Greek studies yearbook (0884-8432) 16/17 (2000); 359-376

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
Balkans; Croatia; liberalism; democracy

Sažetak
The West (as well as many people in the countries themselves) saw the transition from communist to democratic rule in Eastern Europe not only as a change in political systems but as a total transformation of the social and economic sectors as well. Scholars, politicians, and specialists hoped that once Communism was removed the newly “democratized” countries would adopt political systems modeled on those found in the West, which are loosely called democracies but more specifically are founded on liberal democratic principles. The countries of Eastern Europe have had varying degrees of success politically and economically following the collapse of communism, and they have implemented liberal democratic values at unequal rates in the postsocialist era (which is also true of the countries in the West, where liberal thought was developed yet not always fully put into practice). One of the greatest casualties of the democratic transition was the former Yugoslavia, which descended into bloody interethnic conflict as internal developments (the rise of nationalist politicians and a worsening economic crisis) and the international climate (the collapse of communism and the end of the Cold War) called into question the continued existence of a state which had failed to build legitimacy among its diverse religious and ethnic groups.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Politologija, Povijest

POVEZANOST RADA