Capitalism after communism: The triumph of neoliberalism, nationalist reaction and waiting for the leftist wave

Piotr Żuk and Jan Toporowski
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Piotr Żuk: University of Wrocław, Poland
Jan Toporowski: SOAS University of London, UK

The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 2020, vol. 31, issue 2, 158-171

Abstract: Was neoliberal capitalism the only possible development path in Eastern Europe after the collapse of real socialism? How did the restoration of capitalism in the former Eastern bloc affect the economic and political situation in the world? Is the support of workers and lower classes for right-wing populists that has been observed in Eastern Europe for the past 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall a permanent phenomenon? By asking these questions, the authors point out that the offensive of the far right began in Europe before the 2015 migration crisis and the 2008 financial crisis, and that it coincided with the weakening of leftist workers’ parties. This process began in the 1990s after the collapse of the Eastern bloc. What can stop this process and change the situation? The solution is to show that another model is still possible: greater egalitarianism, democracy and the rule of law. This sociopolitical alternative, however, must simultaneously oppose two powerful forces: neoliberal capitalism and nationalist populism. JEL Codes: B50, P30, P34, P36

Keywords: Class; democracy; Eastern Europe; nationalism; neoliberalism; populism; socialism; transition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:ecolab:v:31:y:2020:i:2:p:158-171

DOI: 10.1177/1035304620911121

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