In this timely volume, Rachel A. May and Andrew K. Milton have assembled an array of scholars from different disciplines to examine transitional governments in Eastern Europe and Latin America. Although policy makers and scholars often conflate them, the processes of democratization and the institutionalization of human rights are interactive, and the successful completion of each requires the parallel development of both. Drawing on specific political conditions and organized around topics such as the media, political parties, and political violence, (Un)Civil Societies broadens the discussion about democratization both thematically and geographically. This book is a valuable resource for students of comparative politics and anyone interested in the ongoing dialogue about human rights and democracy.

Originally published in 1990, Polish Journalists: Professionalism and Politics is a study of how, in the face of constant political instructions and restrictions, Polish journalists act as independent forces in their society. Based on a survey of Polish journalists and interviews carried out with working journalists and editors before and after the Solidarity era, as well as published and unpublished studies, documents, and discussions, the book examines how individuals who go into journalism come to think of themselves as journalists, create a strong community of fellow professionals, and work publicly and privately to protect their own interests and serve their own goal of being the 'watchdogs and advocates for a better society'. In doing this, the book answers questions of how groups come to be independent critical forces lobbying for their own interests and influencing broader public policy when the ideology denies their existence.

Originally published in 1990, Polish Journalists: Professionalism and Politics is a study of how, in the face of constant political instructions and restrictions, Polish journalists act as independent forces in their society. Based on a survey of Polish journalists and interviews carried out with working journalists and editors before and after the Solidarity era, as well as published and unpublished studies, documents, and discussions, the book examines how individuals who go into journalism come to think of themselves as journalists, create a strong community of fellow professionals, and work publicly and privately to protect their own interests and serve their own goal of being the 'watchdogs and advocates for a better society'. In doing this, the book answers questions of how groups come to be independent critical forces lobbying for their own interests and influencing broader public policy when the ideology denies their existence.

In this timely volume, Rachel A. May and Andrew K. Milton have assembled an array of scholars from different disciplines to examine transitional governments in Eastern Europe and Latin America. Although policy makers and scholars often conflate them, the processes of democratization and the institutionalization of human rights are interactive, and the successful completion of each requires the parallel development of both. Drawing on specific political conditions and organized around topics such as the media, political parties, and political violence, (Un)Civil Societies broadens the discussion about democratization both thematically and geographically. This book is a valuable resource for students of comparative politics and anyone interested in the ongoing dialogue about human rights and democracy.

This is a history of Poland's post-World War II Communist era, that approaches the transition from Communism to democracy through an analysis of Poland's political crises, beginning with the 1956 uprising and culminating in the 1990 collapse of the former Communist regime.

Now in a fully updated edition, this essential text explores the post-communist half of Europe and the problems and potential it brings to the world stage. Clear and comprehensive, the book offers an authoritative and current analysis of the region's transformations and realities-from pre-communist history to the victories and reversals in Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltics, and Ukraine, including the Euromaidan and its domestic and international ramifications. Divided into two parts, the book presents a set of comparative country case studies as well as thematic chapters on key issues, including EU and NATO expansion, the economic transition and its social ramifications, the role of women, persistent problems of ethnicity and nationalism, legacies of the past, and political reform. Leading scholars provide the crucial historical context necessary to evaluate the challenges facing the region. They explain how communism ended and how democratic politics has developed or is struggling to emerge in its wake, how individual countries have transformed their economies, how their populations have been affected by rapid and wrenching change, and how foreign policy making has evolved. They explore the reversals and conflicts that have emerged even in the most successful transitions and their relevance to our understanding of political transitions and democratic consolidation in general. For students and specialists alike, this book will be an invaluable resource on the politics and economics of Central and Eastern Europe, caught between the EU and a resurgent Russia.