The Roundtable Talks and the Breakdown of Communism (Constitutionalism in Eastern Europe)

In 1989 and 1990, Eastern European Communist regimes and opposition groups conducted a series of roundtable talks to peacefully negotiate the abolition of authoritarian rule and the transition to democratic governance. This volume documents that unprecedented process of national reinvention and constitution making. These essays capture the historical circumstances of these countries—their traditions, customs, and the balance of influence between competing factions—that often took precedence over constitutional ideals. In five country-specific reports, senior scholars provide detailed accounts of the talks in Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and the German Democratic Republic. Also included is an essay on the political factors underlying the failure of negotiations between reform groups and the Chinese regime, providing an illuminating counterpoint to the path taken in Eastern Europe. This book is an invaluable resource for scholars of constitutional design and democratization and for specialists in Eastern Europe. In 1989 and 1990; Eastern European Communist regimes and opposition groups conducted a series of roundtable talks to peacefully negotiate the abolition of authoritarian rule and the transition to democratic governance. This volume documents that unprecedented process of national reinvention and constitution making. In five country-specific reports, senior scholars provide detailed accounts of the talks in Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and the German Democratic Republic. These essays capture the historical circumstances of these countries - their traditions, customs, and the balance of influence between competing factions - that often took precedence over constitutional ideals. Also included is an essay on the political factors underlying the failure of negotiations between reform groups and the Chinese regime, providing an illuminating counterpoint to the path taken in Eastern Europe. ntroduction / Jon Elster 1. The Roundtable Talks in Poland / Wiktor Osiatynski 2. The Roundtable Talks in Hungary / Andras Sajo 3. The Roundtable Talks in the German Democratic Republic / Ulrich K. Preuss 4. The Roundtable Talks in Czechoslovakia / Milos Calda 5. The Roundtable Talks in Bulgaria / Rumyana Kolarova and Dimitr Dimitrov 6. The Tiananmen Tragedy: The State-Society Relationship, Choices, and Mechanisms in Historical Perspective / Tang Tsou. Concentrating on talks in Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and the German Democratic Republic, this study examines the processes of peaceful negotiation in the quest of the abolition of authoritarian rule and the transition to democratic governance. Edited By Jon Elster. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.