After 1989: Morals, Revolution and Civil Society (St Antony's Series) - Hardcover

Dahrendorf, Ralf

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0333714199 ISBN 13: 9780333714195

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 1997

Synopsis

The essays assembled in this volume are a thoughtful and lively commentary on Europe after the revolution of 1989. Must revolutions fail? Certainly, the open society has its own problems, not least that of citizens in search of meaning. The Good Society has to square the circle of prosperity, civility and liberty. Social science can help us understand what needs to be done, and intellectuals have a responsibility to initiate and accompany change. All this raises questions for Europe which extend far beyond the all too narrow confines of the European Union.

About this title

Review

No one could accuse Ralf Dahrendorf of being a systems thinker. As the son of a social democrat who was arrested by the Nazis and was himself persecuted by both Nazis and Communists, Dahrendorf found himself drawn to the work of philosopher Karl Popper, whose conception of the Open Society stood in diametrical opposition to the societies built around a preplanned blueprint, such as those created by fascist and communist regimes. In After 1989, a collection of lectures, Dahrendorf lays out his conception of the new civic societies he envisions for the postcommunist Eastern Bloc countries. He fears that the capitalism taking those countries by storm may contain some of the dangers inherent in Marxism. Dahrendorf argues that these countries must embrace societies that move beyond the marketplace, societies that stress ties among people and ensure basic entitlements to every citizen.

From Library Journal

Lord Dahrendorf directed the London School of Economics from 1974 to 1984 and, more recently, has been warden of St. Antony's College at Oxford University. This work consists of a series of lectures delivered in the aftermath of the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. "Utopia expired in the final weeks of the memorable year, 1989," he writes. "She had been poorly for some time, and few attempts were made to save her life." For Dahrendorf, the only viable alternative to bureaucratic socialism is liberal democracy, but he warns against expecting too much from constitutional and free-market structures. In particular, Dahrendorf is perturbed by the rise of "communitarian" doctrines that offer a respite from internationalism, liberalism, and capitalism. But he concludes that "it is hard to deny that the question of meaning remains unanswered in East and West, and the search for an answer may well provide the subject of the struggles of the next phase of history." Recommended for larger libraries.?Kent Worcester, Marymount Manhattan Coll., New York
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0333714199
• ISBN 13: 9780333714195
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 186