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This book explains the historical and philosophical understanding
of Eurasia and its current relevance to the formation of the
Eurasian Union. It considers Eurasia's historical underpinnings,
and its current economic, political and geo-strategic relevance in
world politics.
The dissolution of the communist system led to the creation of new
states and the formation of new concepts of citizenship in the
post-Soviet states of Central and Eastern Europe. The formation of
national identity also occurred in the context of the process of
increasing economic and political globalisation, particularly the
widening of the European Union to include the central European
post-socialist and Baltic States. Internationally, Russia sought to
establish a new identity either as a European or as a Eurasian
society and had to accommodate the interests of a wider Russian
Diaspora in the 'near abroad'. This book addresses how domestic
elites (regional, political and economic) influenced the formation
of national identities and the ways in which citizenship has been
defined. A second component considers the external dimensions: the
ways in which foreign elites influenced either directly or
indirectly the concept of identity and the interaction with
internal elites. The essays consider the role of the European Union
in attempting to form a European identity. Moreover, the growing
internationalisation of economies (privatisation, monetary
harmonisation, dependence on trade) also had effects on the kind of
'national identity' sought by the new nation states as well as the
defining by them of 'the other'. The collection focuses on the
interrelations between social identity, state and citizenship
formation, and the role of elites in defining the content of
concepts in different post-communist societies. This book was
originally published as a special issue of Europe-Asia Studies.
Since the world economic crisis of 2007, commentators have pointed
to the dangers of a capitalistic system that seems incapable of
delivering sustainable growth and well-being. This bold new book
offers an exhaustive diagnosis of global capitalism across the
world’s nations. David Lane examines the nature and appeal of
neoliberal capitalism according to different schools of thought,
and he analyses proposals for its reform and replacement from state
socialism and social democratic corporatism to self-sustaining
networks. Looking ahead to a novel system of economic and political
coordination based on a combination of market socialism and state
planning, this book offers crucial insights for scholars thinking
about alternatives to capitalism. Chapters 3 and 16 are available
Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.
Modern British Playwriting: The 1980s equips readers with a fresh
assessment of the theatre and principle playwrights and plays from
a decade when political and economic forces were changing society
dramatically. It offers a broad survey of the context and of the
playwrights and companies such as Complicite and DV8 that rose to
prominence at this time. Alongside this it provides a detailed
examination based on fresh research of four of the most significant
playwrights of the era and considers the influence they had on
later work. The 1980s volume features a detailed study by four
scholars of the work of four of the major playwrights who came to
prominence: Howard Barker (by Sarah Goldingay), Jim Cartwright
(David Lane), Sarah Daniels (Jane Milling) and Timberlake
Wertenbaker (Sara Freeman). Essential for students of Theatre
Studies, the series of six decadal volumes provides a critical
survey and study of the theatre produced from the 1950s to 2009.
Each volume features a critical analysis of the work of four key
playwrights besides other theatre work from that decade, together
with an extensive commentary on the period. Readers will understand
the works in their contexts and be presented with fresh research
material and a reassessment from the perspective of the
twenty-first century. This is an authoritative and stimulating
reassessment of British playwriting in the 1980s.
The Socialist Industrial State (1976) examines the state-socialist
system, taking as the central example the Soviet Union - where the
goals and values of Marxism-Leninism and the particular
institutions, the form of economy and polity, were first adopted
and developed. It then considers the historical developments,
differences in culture, the level of economic development and the
political processes of different state-socialist countries around
the globe.
Since the world economic crisis of 2007, commentators have pointed
to the dangers of a capitalistic system that seems incapable of
delivering sustainable growth and well-being. This bold new book
offers an exhaustive diagnosis of global capitalism across the
world's nations. David Lane examines the nature and appeal of
neoliberal capitalism according to different schools of thought,
and he analyses proposals for its reform and replacement from state
socialism and social democratic corporatism to self-sustaining
networks. Looking ahead to a novel system of economic and political
coordination based on a combination of market socialism and state
planning, this book offers crucial insights for scholars thinking
about alternatives to capitalism.
This volume questions whether ideas of revolution are still
relevant in the postmodern and globalized world of the twenty-first
century.
Featuring contributions from some of the world's leading
sociological and political thinkers on revolution, it combines
theoretical concerns with a variety of detailed case studies of
individual revolutions. Subjects covered include:
- democracy and revolution from 1789 to 1989
- twentieth century revolutions and theories of revolution,
including Marxism, modernization and structuralist theories
- revolution in the "Third World" and the variable geometry of
the paths to modernity
- Islamic revolutions and modernity
- the 1989 revolutions as "democratic revolutions" or "elite-led
transitions"
- globalization, the nation-state and revolution
- empire and "democratic revolution"
- network society and revolution
- Islamic fundamentalism, international terrorism and
revolution
- democratic revolution as a new form of revolution
- postmodern theories of revolution
- new social movements, identities and new figures of
revolution.
Revolution in the Making of the Modern World will be essential
reading for students and scholars of comparative politics,
political theory, revolution and political sociology.
Since the end of the World War II, nation states have formed
regions to give them some protection from the processes of
globalization and internationalization. Against this background,
the contributors consider the position of China in the processes of
regional competitive interdependency. This book offers analysis at
three levels: internal, regional, and global. Chapters consider
China's position in regional post-socialist associations such as
the BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the
Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), the Silk Road Economic Belt and the
'One Belt, One Road' (OBOR). Contributors discuss how membership in
these regional bodies is likely to enhance China's economic power,
strategic position, and political importance. A major theme
addressed is whether these new powers will become complementary to
the American-led economic core countries or evolve as
countervailing powers. Contributors suggest that linkages favored
by China's regional associations are more 'network' based and
informal in character. They are more in keeping with
regionalization rather than regional blocs such as the European
Union, which have 'locked in' members to market-driven
institutions. Thus, these new developments move away from a
neo-liberal market perspective and satisfy the needs of members to
retain their economic and political sovereignty. This book
considers whether these new regional blocs led by China will
perform a 'transformative' process for the international order or
become an alternative-supplementary to, but not replacing, the
existing institutions of the North. An important topic is the
relationship of Russia and China to the Central Asian countries of
the former USSR and the interaction between the Russia-led Eurasian
Economic Union and the Chinese initiative of the Silk Road Economic
Belt. There is potential for the evolution of an alliance between
China and Russia against the neo-liberal order led by the USA.
Concurrently, they bring out possible the tensions between Russia's
and China's conflicting interests over influence in Central Asia.
Reactions to China's rise include the Trump administration's
movement from a multilateral to a bi-lateral trade policy and the
threat of discriminatory tariffs for China. The contributors seek
to promote a better appreciation of China's role in regional
associations, and the implications of contemporary developments in
economic, geo-political, and international political affairs in the
21st century.
Russia in Flux offers an incisive and penetrating analysis of
social and political change within the Soviet Union from
Gorbachev's accession to the formation of the Commonwealth of
Independent States.The book is divided into three main parts. The
first section focuses on the changing of the structure of
leadership, the historical development of elites, the changes that
occurred in the Soviet leadership under Gorbachev and the rise of
the new political parties. The second section analyses social
groups and discusses the changing composition and role of the major
social groups in post-perestroika Russia. The final section
highlights the new inequalities and analyses the new forms of
wealth and poverty found under the reform leadership. This
fascinating book presents in an accessible form some of the most
up-to-date and interesting research work on the former Soviet
Union. It will be essential reading for all students of
contemporary Russia.
This book seeks to discover the extent to which the claim-the
provision of regular paid labour and a permanent occupation for all
who are able to work-is true and whether there are any features of
society in distinction from capitalism which lead to the provision
of full employment.
David Lane outlines succinctly yet comprehensively the development
and transformation of state socialism. While focussing on Russia
and the countries of Eastern Europe, he also engages in a
discussion of the Chinese path. In response to the changing social
structure and external demands, he outlines different scenarios of
reform. He contends that European state socialism did not collapse
but was consciously dismantled. He brings out the West's decisive
support of the reform process and Gorbachev's significant role in
tipping the balance of political forces in favour of an emergent
ascendant class. In the post-socialist period, he details
developments in the economy and politics. He distinguishes
different political and economic trajectories of countries of the
former USSR, the New Member States of the European Union, and
China; and he notes the attempts to promote further change through
'coloured' revolutions. The book provides a detailed account not
only of the unequal impact of transformation on social inequality
which has given rise to a privileged business and political class,
but also how far the changes have fulfilled the promise of
democracy promotion, wealth creation and human development.
Finally, in the context of globalisation, the author considers
possible future political and economic developments for Russia and
China. Throughout the author, a leading expert in the field, brings
to bear his deep knowledge of socialist countries, draws on his
research on the former Soviet Union, and visits to nearly all the
former state socialist countries, including China.
The communist world was supposed to have had its 'revolution' in
1989. But the demise of the Soviet Union came two years later, at
the end of 1991; and then, perplexingly, a series of irregular
executive changes began to take place the following decade in
countries that were already postcommunist. The focus in this
collection is the changes that took place in Serbia, Georgia,
Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan between 2000 and 2005 that have together
been called the 'coloured revolutions': of no particular colour in
Serbia, but Rose in Georgia, Orange in Ukraine and Tulip in
Kyrgyzstan. Apart from exploring political change in the 'coloured
revolution' countries themselves, the contributors to this
collection focus on countries that did not experience this kind of
irregular executive change but which might otherwise be comparable
(Belarus and Kazakhstan among them), and on reactions to 'democracy
promotion' in Russia and China. Throughout, an effort is made to
avoid taking the 'coloured revolutions' at face value, however they
may have been presented by local leaders and foreign governments
with their own agendas; and to place them within the wider
literature of comparative politics. This book was previously
published as a special issue of Journal of Communist Studies and
Transition Politics.
The communist world was supposed to have had its 'revolution' in
1989. But the demise of the Soviet Union came two years later, at
the end of 1991; and then, perplexingly, a series of irregular
executive changes began to take place the following decade in
countries that were already postcommunist. The focus in this
collection is the changes that took place in Serbia, Georgia,
Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan between 2000 and 2005 that have together
been called the 'coloured revolutions': of no particular colour in
Serbia, but Rose in Georgia, Orange in Ukraine and Tulip in
Kyrgyzstan. Apart from exploring political change in the 'coloured
revolution' countries themselves, the contributors to this
collection focus on countries that did not experience this kind of
irregular executive change but which might otherwise be comparable
(Belarus and Kazakhstan among them), and on reactions to 'democracy
promotion' in Russia and China. Throughout, an effort is made to
avoid taking the 'coloured revolutions' at face value, however they
may have been presented by local leaders and foreign governments
with their own agendas; and to place them within the wider
literature of comparative politics. This book was previously
published as a special issue of Journal of Communist Studies and
Transition Politics.
Before beginning the study of the social system I have chosen to
call 'state socialism', it is necessary to define the term and to
describe the societies to which it is held to apply. A society may
be defined as a behavioural system having three components : a
distinct set of central or dominant value and beliefs, a number of
social institutions, and patterns of interactions between
individuals and institutions. What, then, are the distinguishing
features of state socialism? The dominant values are those
ofMarxism-Leninism,andthepeculiar institutions of the system stem
from the state-owned means of production which determine man's
relationship to property. The values laid down in the charter of
the society are those of socialism : that is, a system of beliefs
focused on the ultimate perfectibility of man, on the determining
influence of class forces operating through the laws of historical
and dialectical materialism. In state-socialist societies, the
dominant institution is the Communist Party, which is considered to
lead the working class and provides an authoritative interpretation
of the laws of historical development, which in turn legitimate the
Party's own political power. The appellation state focuses on the
central role played by government and Party institutions in the
process of these societies : not only do ownership and control of
the means of production legally reside with the state, but it has
the authority to mobilise the population to achieve the goals
defined in the 'official charter'. In the patterns of interactions
between institutions, the state (government and ruling party) plays
a dominant role. Let us now turn from analytical concepts to
consider some historical generalisations.
This book seeks to discover the extent to which the claim-the
provision of regular paid labour and a permanent occupation for all
who are able to work-is true and whether there are any features of
society in distinction from capitalism which lead to the provision
of full employment.
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