Rose Richard

№ 2, 2003

• Advancing into Europe? The contrasting goals of post-communist countries.

  Based on the surveys conducted in the Central and Eastern Europe by the New Europe Barometer and the New Russia Barometer, the author compares Russia with the candidate states to the European Union in terms of freedom and democracy acceleration. The article studies the attitude of the eleven countries’ population to the former and present regimes and to their countries’ political future. The author assesses and comments on the degree of popularity of non-democratic alternatives (return to communism, establishment of a military regime or dictatorship) among the citizens of specific countries. According to the author, ten years under the democratic by form, but often ineffective per se rule rendered eighty percent of the Eastern European population careful in the assessment of democracy’s attraction. The majority of the Eastern Europeans, however, firmly rejects political models of the past.

  DOI: 10.30570/2078-5089-2003-29-2-114-125