Europe since 1989 - Philipp Ther

Europe since 1989

A History

(Autor)

Buch | Softcover
448 Seiten
2018
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-0-691-18113-4 (ISBN)
24,90 inkl. MwSt
This book describes how liberalization, deregulation, and privatization had catastrophic effects on former Soviet Bloc countries from the period of 1989 to the present.
An award-winning history of the transformation of Europe between 1989 and today

In this award-winning book, Philipp Ther provides the first comprehensive history of post-1989 Europe, offering a sweeping narrative filled with vivid details and memorable stories. Europe since 1989 shows how liberalization, deregulation, and privatization had catastrophic effects on former Soviet Bloc countries. Ther refutes the idea that this economic “shock therapy” was the basis of later growth, arguing that human capital and the “transformation from below” determined economic success or failure. He also shows how the capitalist West’s effort to reshape Eastern Europe in its own likeness ended up reshaping Western Europe, especially Germany. Bringing the story up to the present, Ther compares Eastern and Southern Europe after the 2008–9 global financial crisis. A compelling account of how the new order of Europe was wrought from the chaotic aftermath of the Cold War, Europe since 1989 is essential reading for understanding post-Brexit Europe and the present dangers for democracy and the European Union.

Philipp Ther is professor of Central European history and director of the Institute of European History at the University of Vienna.

Preface to the English Edition vii

1 Introduction 1

On the Road to 1989 1

Postrevolutionary Europe 12

Neoliberalism on the Rise 16

Europe in Transformation 20

2 Where the East Meets the West: Crisis and Reform Debates in the 1980s 33

The Demise of State Socialism 33

An Alternative Reading of the Cold War 37

The Neoliberal Turn in East and West 39

3 The Revolutions of 1989-91 49

Milestones of the Revolutions 49

Causes of the Revolutions 54

Centers and Agents of Revolution 66

The "Negotiated" Revolution 71

4 Getting on the Neoliberal Bandwagon 77

Milestones of the Transformation 77

The Bumpy Road of Reforms in Eastern Europe 79

Neoliberalism's Inherent Problems 95

A Typology of Reform Outcomes 102

5 Second-Wave Neoliberalism 112

Neoliberalism at Full Speed 112

Flat Tax Systems and Populism 115

Human Capital 120

New Wealth 126

Rich Cities, Poor Regions 132

The EU's Marshall Plan for the East 144

6 Capital Cities Compared 161

Chalk and Cheese? Or Why We Should Compare 161

The Situation before 1989 163

Transformation from Below 167

The New Business Boom 176

Poor Berlin 184

Boomtown Warsaw 192

Metropolitan Convergence, or Why the East Looks like the West 200

7 The Great Recession: 2008-9 and Its Consequences 209

The End of Economic Convergence? 209

Variations of Crises 217

Predatory Lending in Central and Eastern Europe 221

Political Reactions: Between Neoliberalism and Authoritarianism 226

8 Southern Europe: The New East? 235

Crisis Commonalities between Southern and Eastern Europe 235

Escape Route: Mass Migration 246

Mental Maps of Europe 248

9 Cotransformation: The Case of Germany 259

Social and Labor Market Reforms in Germany 261

The Civil Society Debate 273

The Politicians Who Came in from the East 279

10 The Roads Not Taken 288

Mass Participation in Revolution 288

The Values of 1989 297

Birth Pangs of United Europe 306

The Conflict over Ukraine 314

Europe after Neoliberalism 329

Acknowledgments 339

Notes 343

Selected Bibliography 399

Index 419

Erscheinungsdatum
Übersetzer Charlotte Hughes-Kreutzmüller
Zusatzinfo 34 b/w illus., 3 maps
Verlagsort New Jersey
Sprache englisch
Maße 140 x 216 mm
Themenwelt Geschichte Allgemeine Geschichte Zeitgeschichte
Geisteswissenschaften Geschichte Regional- / Ländergeschichte
ISBN-10 0-691-18113-6 / 0691181136
ISBN-13 978-0-691-18113-4 / 9780691181134
Zustand Neuware
Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt?
Mehr entdecken
aus dem Bereich
der Westen, der Osten und ich

von Adam Soboczynski

Buch | Hardcover (2023)
Klett-Cotta (Verlag)
20,00
der deutsche Kommunist

von Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk

Buch | Hardcover (2023)
C.H.Beck (Verlag)
58,00