Comparative Politics: Transformations of Central Europe

More than ever before, Europe is standing at the crossroads. Multiple crises in the EU and beyond (financial crisis, refugee crisis, Russia-Ukraine geopolitical crisis, Brexit crisis) have had vast impact on Central Europe which is a "natural mirror" of the above-mentioned European crossroads, reflecting both West-East and North-South structural divisions. Sharing the same geopolitical position within the East Bloc, the individual cases - i.e. Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary and others - differed significantly, however, in their respective points of departure, as well as in political institutional solutions chosen in course of their transitions. This comparative aspect will be studied with special focus. Students will be also encouraged to challenge the mainstream understanding of "transition" as a predictable, gradual and irreversible progress towards the standard "Western" model. The course is designed as a seminar based on a guided discussion about carefully selected texts collected in a reader; active participation of the students is essential.