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Capitalism after communism: The triumph of neoliberalism, nationalist reaction and waiting for the leftist wave

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

Piotr Żuk  and
Jan Toporowski
Piotr Żuk*
Affiliation:
University of Wrocław, Poland
Jan Toporowski
Affiliation:
SOAS University of London, UK
*
Piotr Żuk, Instytut Socjologii, University of Wrocław, ul Koszarowa 3, 51-149 Wrocław, Poland. Email: pzuk@uni.wroc.pl
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Abstract

Was neoliberal capitalism the only possible development path in Eastern Europe after the collapse of real socialism? How did the restoration of capitalism in the former Eastern bloc affect the economic and political situation in the world? Is the support of workers and lower classes for right-wing populists that has been observed in Eastern Europe for the past 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall a permanent phenomenon? By asking these questions, the authors point out that the offensive of the far right began in Europe before the 2015 migration crisis and the 2008 financial crisis, and that it coincided with the weakening of leftist workers’ parties. This process began in the 1990s after the collapse of the Eastern bloc. What can stop this process and change the situation? The solution is to show that another model is still possible: greater egalitarianism, democracy and the rule of law. This sociopolitical alternative, however, must simultaneously oppose two powerful forces: neoliberal capitalism and nationalist populism.

Keywords

B50P30P34P36ClassdemocracyEastern Europenationalismneoliberalismpopulismsocialismtransition
Type
Original Articles
Information
The Economic and Labour Relations Review , Volume 31 , Issue 2: Special Issue: Capitalism after Communism: Europe & the World 1989 - 2019 , June 2020 , pp. 158 - 171
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2020

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