Dissent and opposition in communist Eastern Europe : origins of civil society and democratic transition

Since the 1980s, dissidents, opposition groups and protest movements once active in communist Eastern Europe have attracted much attention but rather little effort has been made to discern their particular significance. This volume provides new material on the different developments of opposition groups and dissidence in various Communist countries in Eastern and Central Europe. It examines how to explain the occurrence and the increasing development of deviant political activities in political systems that were highly characterized by repression and control. It explores to what extent approaches of the New Social Movement research developed in the Western context can be applied to protest movements in authoritarian regimes, and debates what the history of dissidence and opposition in Eastern European countries tells us about the peculiarities of political rule in these countries. The volume significantly contributes to and further develops sociological and historical insights into the development of protest and dissent in Communist Europe.