166-449 Aspects of Post-Communism

Admission to the postgraduate diploma or fourth year honours in political science.

This subject addresses many theoretical issues raised by the collapse of communism and the emergence of post-communism. The arguments of those who claim that the experiment with modernity has been shown by the anti-communist revolutions to have finally failed will be critically assessed. More practical problems of creating a post-communist political, economic, social and ideological system will also be considered. The subject will highlight some of the real achievements of post-communism. On completion of this subject students will be able to analyse from a theoretical perspective the anti-communist revolutions of 1989-91 and the early stages of post-communism; locate these theoretical analyses within broader political and social theorising; and highlight and discuss practical problems of implementing political, economic, social and ideological revolutions simultaneously.