Subversive Institutions: The Design and the Destruction of Socialism and the State

Hardback

Main Details

Title Subversive Institutions: The Design and the Destruction of Socialism and the State
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Valerie Bunce
SeriesCambridge Studies in Comparative Politics
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:222
Dimensions(mm): Height 240,Width 158
ISBN/Barcode 9780521584494
ClassificationsDewey:320.531094
Audience
Tertiary Education (US: College)
Professional & Vocational
Illustrations Worked examples or Exercises

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 28 January 1999
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

Based on a series of controlled comparisons among regimes and states, Valerie Bunce's book argues that two factors account for the remarkable collapse of the socialist dictatorships in Europe from 1989-1992: the institutional design of socialism as a regime, a state and a bloc, and the rapid expansion during the 1980s of opportunities for domestic and international change. Together, these two factors explain not just why socialist regimes and states ended, but also why the process was peaceful in some cases and violent in others.

Reviews

'The argument is remarkable elegant and concise.' Contemporary European History