Postcommunist Presidents
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Very good
Jacket: No dust jacket - cloth/board in good condition
Pages: Good
In the turbulent aftermath of the Soviet Union's collapse, a new and untested political figure emerged across Eastern Europe and the former Soviet states — the postcommunist president. Postcommunist Presidents, edited by Ray Taras, presents a rigorous comparative analysis of the presidential office as it took shape in newly democratising nations, examining how individual leaders navigated the profound challenges of post-authoritarian governance, constitutional uncertainty, and national identity. Each chapter chronicles a specific head of state — from the Baltic republics to the Balkans — detailing the personal ambitions, political constraints, and institutional contexts that shaped their rule during one of the most consequential political transitions of the twentieth century. Taras assembles a team of regional specialists to construct a portrait of postcommunist leadership that is both analytically sharp and historically grounded, arguing that the presidency became a crucial — and often contested — fulcrum of power in states where democratic norms were fragile and the legacies of communism ran deep. The collection illuminates the tension between strong executive authority and nascent democratic institutions, raising urgent questions about legitimacy, accountability, and the durability of political change that resonate far beyond the post-Cold War moment. For anyone seeking to understand how democracy either took root or faltered in the shadow of the Iron Curtain, this volume remains an indispensable guide.
Author: Ray Taras
Format: Hardback
Published: 1997, Cambridge University Press
Genre: Politics & law
Condition remarks:
Book: Very good
Jacket: No dust jacket - cloth/board in good condition
Pages: Good
In the turbulent aftermath of the Soviet Union's collapse, a new and untested political figure emerged across Eastern Europe and the former Soviet states — the postcommunist president. Postcommunist Presidents, edited by Ray Taras, presents a rigorous comparative analysis of the presidential office as it took shape in newly democratising nations, examining how individual leaders navigated the profound challenges of post-authoritarian governance, constitutional uncertainty, and national identity. Each chapter chronicles a specific head of state — from the Baltic republics to the Balkans — detailing the personal ambitions, political constraints, and institutional contexts that shaped their rule during one of the most consequential political transitions of the twentieth century. Taras assembles a team of regional specialists to construct a portrait of postcommunist leadership that is both analytically sharp and historically grounded, arguing that the presidency became a crucial — and often contested — fulcrum of power in states where democratic norms were fragile and the legacies of communism ran deep. The collection illuminates the tension between strong executive authority and nascent democratic institutions, raising urgent questions about legitimacy, accountability, and the durability of political change that resonate far beyond the post-Cold War moment. For anyone seeking to understand how democracy either took root or faltered in the shadow of the Iron Curtain, this volume remains an indispensable guide.