Post-communist civil society and the Soviet legacy

About this book

This book examines the relationship between the weakness of civil society and the legacy of Soviet public and private spheres in the post-Soviet Caucasus. Starting from the assumption that an analysis of 'civic traditions' of formal and informal civil associations inherited from the Soviet period can provide explanations as to why the present-day civil sector is weak, this study looks at the significance of the former regime's legacy for contemporary civic institutions. It conducts an in-depth examination of both Soviet and post-communist formal and informal civic associations, offering fresh insights into our understanding of Soviet civic legacy and of how and why 'civic traditions' continue. The findings of this study emphasise, among others, that the precursor regime's institutional norms and individual attitudes can have long-lasting effects not only in particular countries but also on a transnational scale.