This book, based on extensive original research, examines the changes resulting from transformation at the local level in the former Czechoslovakia.

Chapter 1 Post-industrial vs. post-socialist: Post-industrial trends and points for investigation in the post-socialist metropolis -- chapter 2 Changes in the functions of St Petersburg as a prerequisite for structural change in the city -- chapter 3 Transformation, tertiary sector and city space: Time'space approach -- chapter 4 Transformation and specific forms of spatial saturation -- chapter 5 The spatial transformation of vertical business structures -- chapter 6 Territorial complex building -- chapter 7 Post-transformation urban space: The results of spatial saturation and the spatial organization of new business forms -- chapter 8 Post-transformation vs. modernization: Conclusions.

The work's major substantive themes revolve around problems of post-communist socio-economic transformations. Specifically, it explores post-communist systemic change, the role of religion and collective identity, the significance of trust and economic culture, patterns of state-economy interactions in enterprise restructuring, the context of EU expansion, the strengths and weaknesses of economic theory and neo-liberal doctrine, and the history of ideas in the post-communist transformation debate.

The study of Soviet youth has long lagged behind the comprehensive research conducted on Western European youth culture. In an era that saw the emergence of youth movements of all sorts across Europe, the Soviet Komsomol was the first state-sponsored youth organization, in the first communist country. Born out of an autonomous youth movement that emerged in 1917, the Komsomol eventually became the last link in a chain of Soviet socializing agencies which organized the young. Based on extensive archival research and building upon recent research on Soviet youth, this book broadens our understanding of the social and political dimension of Komsomol membership during the momentous period 1917–1932. It sheds light on the complicated interchange between ideology, policy and reality in the league's evolution, highlighting the important role ordinary members played. The transformation of the country shaped Komsomol members and their league's social identity, institutional structure and social psychology, and vice versa, the organization itself became a crucial force in the dramatic changes of that time. The book investigates the complex dialogue between the Communist Youth League and the regime, unravelling the intricate process that transformed the Komsomol into a mere institution for political socialization serving the regime's quest for social engineering and control.

This book provides a unique and detailed examination of the complex processes of transformation in former state-owned enterprises in the Czech Republic. Drawing on in-depth case studies of organizational transformation, the authors adopt a social-institutionalist approach to the study of organizational change, applying it in order to develop an explanation of organizational restructuring and management redefinition during the early transition period of 1990-1996. In particular, they highlight how these processes have been shaped by continuing historical state-socialist legacies and the powerful role played by senior managers in their efforts to fashion the new privatized organizations in their own interests.

‘The revolutions of 1989’ remains the standard term used to describe the onset of post-communist transformations more than thirty years ago. Zenonas Norkus proposes a completely new perspective, theorising them as the next wave of modern social restorations, starting with the post-Napoleonic restorations in 1815. A comparison of the 1789 French and 1917 Russian revolutions was seminal for the rise of comparative historical and sociological research on modern revolutions. The book extends and supplements the sociology of modern revolutions by the first systematic outline of the sociology of modern social restorations grounded in a comparison of post-Napoleonic and post-communist restorations.

This book examines communist and post-communist literary and visual narratives, including the writings of prominent anti-communist dissidents and exiles such as Vladimir Nabokov, Czeslaw Milosz and Milan Kundera, exploring important themes including how Eastern European regimes and cultures have been portrayed as totalitarian, barbarian and "Orientalist" – in contrast to the civilized "West" – disappointment in the changes brought on by post-communist transition, and nostalgia for communism.

This book examines the political economy of attempts to restructure the Donbass, one of the Soviet Union's most important 'old economy' 'rustbelt' industrial regions. It shows how local interest groups have successfully frustrated the central government's and the World Bank's proposed market-oriented restructuring, and how a manufacturing-based regional economy is surviving, partially, with restructuring postponed.

Two decades have passed since the transition to democracy began in Eastern Europe. Today, West and East-Central European countries share a common political space - the European Union. This has created a fascinating opportunity for analysis of the similarities and differences between these countries. Here, Vít Hloušek and Lubomír Kopecek critically apply the party-families approach to political parties in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. With chapters devoted to social democrats, greens, the far right and left amongst many others, this book charts the parties' origins, ideologies, and international ties alongside their Western European counterparts. By examining the political relevance of different party families, Hloušek and Kopecek are able to assess the validity of this typology in the analysis of the transformation of political parties in this region. Detailed analysis coupled with an innovative application of the party families approach, makes this essential reading for students of party politics.

Since the formal raising of the Iron Curtain, there has been much interest in post-socialism and the process of post-socialist transition. This timely book provides a systematic review and analysis of the process of ‘transition’. Herrschel: explores recent theories, concepts and debates on post-socialism and the notion of transition provides a systematic, topical account of post-socialist transitions around the world, as evidence by social, economic, and political processes examines case studies of post-socialist transition in east and Central Europe, the former Soviet Union, Asia and South-East Asia, and Africa and Latin America brings together theoretical and practical aspects by examining what lessons can be learned from recent experiences. Global Geographies of Post-Socialist Transition provides a truly global comparative account of the meaning and processes of post-socialist transition and will be an invaluable resource for all those interested in this area.