PS1810 Democratization and Reform in Eastern and Central Europe

Central Europe as a family of small nations has its own vision of the world, a vision based on a deep distrust of history. History, that goddess of Hegel and Marx, that incarnation of reason that judges us arbitrates our fate-that is the history of conquerors. The people of Central Europe are not conquerors. They cannot be separated from European history; they cannot exist outside it; but they represent the wrong side of history; they are its victims and outsiders.

Milan Kundera

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Course Description and Objectives

In this course we shall examine the causes and consequences of the collapse of totalitarianism in Eastern and Central Europe in 1989. The objectives are twofold; On the substantive level we want to explore the nature of the reform process underway as well as its successes and failures. On a theoretical level we want to understand what the general conditions of regime transition are. In short, what factors need to be present for regimes to change, respectively what do each of the East European regime transitions have in common. Rather than looking at individual case histories in sequential order, we shall take a historical approach by following the development of Eastern Europe through the different phases of its post-WWII history and identify similarities and common trends.

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Course Requirements

This is an advanced political science course and students are expected to have some familiarity with basic concepts in political science/social science by having taken courses in political science or related fields. The small setting and the nature of this class will result in a combination of a lecture-audio-visual presentation-discussion format. Your participation and contribution will be an important component of your final grade. Other requirements include:

• a mid-term exam

• a final exam (format will be announced)

• a 10-page term paper

The papers (typed, double-spaced, fully referenced with bibliography) will focus on a topic pertaining to reforms in Eastern Europe -- a few sample topic are provided below.
Please, check your topic with me prior to writing.

Sample topics:

• The economic reform(s) in ..any country..

• The situation of women/youth/minorities in .....after the reforms.

• The situation of gypsies in the new Eastern Europe.

• The role of nationalism (ethnic hatred/anti-semitism) in the new Eastern Europe.

• Ethnic migration in Eastern Europe.

• Military threats in the new Eastern Europe.

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Required Texts

1. Vladimir Tismaneanu (1992) "Reinventing Politics -- Eastern Europe From Stalin to Havel" (Macmillan)

2. Howard J. Wiarda (1993) "Introduction to Comparative Politics" (Wadsworth)

3. the reading will be supplemented by handouts and additional materials.

April 1999
Reinhard Heinisch
heinisch+@pitt.edu