Velvet Revolutions and the Thorny Paths of Transition

Abstract

The “velvet” and not so “velvet” revolutions of 1989 triggered fervent discussions on the nature of the postcommunist political system. The paradigm of transitology provided the dominant framework for these debates, while civil society remained a key concept, even though it became increasingly contested by the neoliberals and neoconservatives, as well as by the “new left.” The seemingly dominant, although never uncontested, “liberal consensus” of the early 1990s became challenged by a new wave of conservativism which showed continuities with pre-1945 traditions. In this context, the heritage of communism and Nazism was addressed by different political actors and institutions focusing on memory politics, contributing to the polarization of the ideological field. The churches too gained political importance in the search for sources of authority, but they were also criticized because of their subservience to the state socialist regime before 1989 and for reverting to a conservative nationalist vision after the changes.