Nationalism After Communism

Drawing on lessons from post-communist Europe, this book provides a summary of the practical wisdom learned in the management of ethnic conflicts from the Balkans to Chechnya. Grounded in empirical - mostly comparative - research, the essays go beyond theoretical postulates and normative ideals and acknowledge the considerable experience that exists within the post-communist world on ethnic conflict, nation and state building. What does the post-communist experience have in common with other nationalisms and nation-related conflicts, and what, if anything, is unique about it? This book, written by academics with experience as policy advisors, is strongly policy-oriented. The primordial type hypotheses of ethnic social capital and ancient hatreds are tested on the basis of public opinion surveys on nationalism and ethnic cohabitation in various countries in east-central Europe. Power-sharing arrangements in the Balkans, the small separatist Republics of the post-Soviet world as well as ethno-federalism from the former Yugoslavia to the former Soviet Empire are discussed in the respective chapters.

In the aftermath of the collapse of communism, the future of Eastern Europe is uncertain. After suffering for decades under totalitarian regimes, the people of the region are struggling to rediscover their cultural past and to establish political arrangements that will enable them to achieve peace and prosperity. The resurgence of nationalism accompanying these developments is powerful evidence of the need to reestablish a strong sense of identity but is also potentially the greatest obstacle to peace in the region. The Bloody Flag is a timely study of nationalism's dual nature. Focusing on Romania, Pilon analyzes the unifying and destructive capacities of nationalist passions in a period of historical transition.Designed to appeal to a wide audience, The Bloody Flag combines inquiry into the nature of nationalism with historical illustrations of its influence. The Romanian context is exemplary of many newly liberated nations facing the possibility of ethnic violence and antidemocratic resurgence. As Pilon points out, numerous representatives of the old order remain entrenched in power and there is real danger that the defeated elites will attempt to harness nationalist energies for their own ends. If they succeed, the world may witness the rise of new authoritarian regimes to replace the old communist ones.Pilon argues that the best hope for Romanians, and for all the peoples of Eastern Europe, is to embrace the positive aspects of nationalism while rejecting the negative. The political system that can allow them to do this is the classical-liberal model defended by such figures as Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich Hayek - a model that makes possible the peaceful coexistence of different nationalities by protecting the rights of individuals and leaving them free to pursue their own interests. Graced with a foreword by the eminent historian Robert Conquest, The Bloody Flag is an important contribution to the understanding of current and future events in Europe.

Nationalism and Communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union looks at communism's attempts to come to terms with nationalism between Marx and Yeltsin, how the inability of communist theorists and practitioners to achieve an effective synthesis between nationalism and communism contributed to communism's collapse, and what lessons that holds for contemporary Europe.

The Bloody Flag uses Romania as a model for examining the unifying and destructive capacities of nationalist passions in a period of historical transition.

Burg, cannot be met by force alone, nor can it be neutralized through a simple, uniform strategy of containment. It requires Western states to act decisively to monitor and influence the internal political development of the post-communist states themselves.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, nation building and identity construction in the post-socialist region have been the subject of extensive academic research. The majority of these studies have taken a 'top-down' approach - focusing on the variety of ways in which governments have sought to define the nascent nation states - and in the process have often oversimplified the complex and overlapping processes at play across the region. Drawing on research on the Balkans, Central Asia, the Caucasus and Eastern Europe, this book focuses instead on the role of non-traditional, non-politicised and non-elite actors in the construction of identity. Across topics as diverse as school textbooks, turbofolk and home decoration, contributors - each an academic with extensive on-the-ground experience - identify and analyse the ways that individuals living across the post-socialist region redefine identity on a daily basis, often by manipulating and adapting state policy.In the process, Nation Building in the Post-Socialist Region demonstrates the necessity of holistic, trans-national and inter-disciplinary approaches to national identity construction rather than studies limited to a single-state territory. This is important reading for all scholars and policymakers working on the post-socialist region.