In order to document what really is taking
place in these former communist countries, David Mandel, a
translator of Russian and long time observer of Russian society,
brought together social scientists in the West with their Russian
counterparts. The result: a collection of essays and interviews
by some of the foremost democratic socialist thnikers of today
that begins a necessary dialogue between concerned persons in
different parts of the world.
It covers topics such as the impact of privatization on labour in Russia, Ukrainian independence three years later, the socio-economic roots of the crisis in the former Yugoslavia, and China after Deng. Also included are a series of interviews with rank-in-file workers and social activists conducted by the editor. There is a desperate need to develop socialist alternatives to post-Cold War capitalist fiascos in eastern block countries. This book begins the necessary dialogue between socialists in different parts of the world and analyses current situations. For once, we hear commentary that assesses the realities that are the lives of people from day to day, their histories and real possibilities for future organization. A translator of Russian, and long-time researcher of Russian society, David Mandel has collected the work of some of the most outstanding former communist block democratic socialist thinkers together in this eye-opening volume.
Table of Contents:
Five Years After: The Economic Transition in Eastern Europe;
The Socio- Economic Roots of the Crisis in Former Yugoslavia;
The Crisis of Soviet Culture: A Working Hypothesis; The Impact of
Privatization on Russian Labour;
China after Deng; Seven Years of Activism on the Soviet and
Russian Democratic Left: Some Lessons;
The State of the Russian Labour Movement and its Perspectives
Interviews with labour and social activists
David Mandel is co-founder of the School for Worker Democracy in Moscow. He teaches political science at the Universit‚ du Quebec, in Montreal, where he is also active in the union and the political left. Earlier books include: Rabotyagi: Perestroika & After Viewed from Below (Monthly Review Press); Perestroika and the Soviet People (Black Rose); and, The Petrograd Workers and the Soviet Seizure of Power (Macmillan).
The Former State Socialist World is an annual replacing the journal Socialist Alternatives.
190 pages
Paperback ISBN: 1-55164-036-8 $19.99
Hardcover ISBN: 1-55164-037-6 $48.99
ISSN: 1203-9241