Abstract ♦ The article analyzes some features of political modernization in the post-socialist space. Political modernization as a process assumes the creation of an efficient set of restrictions of political power, and of a set of control tools working in the interest of both private individuals and the society in general. Thus, the process implies a “quality leap” in public services and more efficient authorities and institutes of civil society.
Our focus on the dynamics and efficiency of political modernization is contextualized within the global political process (from the collapse of bipolar system at the end of the 20th century to the 2013–2014 crisis in Ukraine). In all post-socialist countries, political modernization occurred during the liberalization of the political sphere when the multi-party system was being set up. Political modernization is noted to be stable only if the political system in general has achieved stability and a beneficiary political class has appeared. The success of political modernization depends on political culture and on a wide range of institutes of civil society (political parties, labor unions, etc.).
The cases of a number of states (Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic) reveal a number of the measures aimed at enhancing the public services. It allowed these states to quickly solve urgent social and economic problems caused by both internal and external factors.
We conclude that political modernization in the post-socialist space has distinctive features of its own due to specific national traditions and a certain level of political culture. Thus, a mechanical transfer of the Western democratic institutes onto post-communist reality does not enhance their legitimacy and significantly limits their efficiency.
Keywords: political process, political modernization, post-socialist space, state, civil society, political interests, political power, political parties.
Zlatanov Blagoi Georgiev, Candidate of Philosophy, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, Culturology and Politology, Moscow University for the Humanities. Postal address: 5 Yunosti St., Moscow, Russian Federation, 111395. Tel.: +7 (499) 374-55-11. E-mail:
zlatanol@bk.ru
Citation: Zlatanov, B. G. (2015) Osobennosti modernizatsii na postsotsialisticheskom prostranstve [Features of modernization on post-socialist space]. Znanie. Ponimanie. Umenie, no. 1, pp. 70–77. DOI: 10.17805/zpu.2015.1.6 (In Russ.).
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