In this highly original book, Patrick O'Neil analyses the catalysts of the collapse of socialism in Eastern Europe and offers explanations for these events. The exceptional case of Hungary is used to support theoretical concepts regarding the transition in Eastern Europe using new empirical evidence and institutional theory. The Hungarian transition from communism is distinct in that the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party was the initiator of its own transition but also acted as its own greatest enemy. This book provides a detailed analysis of the internal reform movement within the Hungarian Communist Party and its role in the incremental transition to democracy in the late 1980s. The author utilises party archives and primary interviews with important figures in the Communist Party to examine the effect of institutional relationships on the collapse of the authoritarian order. He also emphasises the role of reform circles in accelerating the disintegration of the Communist Party in Hungary. The book concludes that the way in which an autocratic order perpetuates itself affects the manner of its decline and the new system that takes its place. This authoritative book will be welcomed by academics and students interested in the politics of transition both in Hungary and Eastern Europe and the politics of the demise of communism in general.

Since the collapse of communism in 1989 Eastern Europe has experienced a fundamental transformation in its economic, political and social institutions. Observers of the region have often viewed the media as little more than instruments of propaganda in the hands of the party-state which can now be easily made into independent sources of communication. However, the function and effects of the media within communist and post-communist Eastern Europe have been more diverse than such generalizations would indicate.

Cases in Comparative Politics, Fourth Edition, is a set of thirteen country studies that describe politics in the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, China, India, Iran, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, and Nigeria. This casebook applies the conceptual framework developed in the core textbook, Essentials of Comparative Politics, across countries with a consistent organization that facilitates comparison and aids understanding.

Essentials of Comparative Politics with Cases integrates clear, concise, and contemporary coverage of major political concepts with the relevant case studies for the AP (R) curriculum: the United Kingdom, Russia, China, Iran, Mexico, and Nigeria. A new United States case study provides students with a helpful reference point for comparing and contrasting political institutions and processes across the globe. New AP (R) resources and InQuizitive, Norton's adaptive learning tool, support students and instructors with the core concept mastery needed for the AP (R) exam. AP (R) is a trademark registered and/or owned by the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.