The concept of civil society has become very popular in the last decades. The end of communistic governments in the communist countries of the Eastern part of Europe has increased the interest and research on if and how much civil society contributed
to these events.
Under the light of the constant conflict of “civil society vs. the state” a legitimate question might be to which extent civil societies have any right to exist in liberal, so-called western democracies that have allready fullfilled most of the civil society’s demands and is based largely on “the will of the people.”[8]
Serbian Civil society faced in many aspects a historical development sui generis. Being under Austrian and Ottoman rule for a long time, Serbia and its people, as a (and maybe the most dominant) nation in the Kindom of Yugoslavia in the interwar
period were largely occupied with the formation of the state and its complex ethnic
composition.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 The Concept of Civil Society
2.1 Civil Society in Socialist Countries
2.2 The Case of Yugoslavia
3 Civil Society in post-socialist transformation
4 Conclusion
Objectives and Core Topics
This work examines the historical development and the role of civil society within the context of Serbia's post-socialist transformation. It explores the challenges faced by civic organizations in the 1990s, specifically how the legacy of the communist regime, the disintegration of Yugoslavia, and the political atmosphere under the Milosevic administration hindered or shaped the emergence of a functioning, independent civil society.
- Historical evolution of civil society in post-socialist contexts.
- The influence of the Serbian political landscape and the Milosevic regime on civic engagement.
- The emergence and function of NGOs as key actors in political transition.
- The role of the educated middle class and foreign funding in shaping the NGO sector.
- Comparative analysis of socialist social orders versus Western liberal democratic models.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1 Civil Society in Socialist Countries
The socialist social order differed in many ways from the liberal, western democracies. The core of communist ideology, especially in its early and most fundamental forms, was the demonisation of all privacy and autonomous space as bourgeois. The idea in the early communist Russia was even to mark marriage as bourgeois and organise the life of the people in hostel- like buildings, men and women separated, with special rooms for their sexual interactions[11]. Another crucial difference was the omnipotent state, that repressed its subordinates in order to follow its predetermined social order. Putting these two characteristics together and thinking about the state not only as the opposite of “the civil society”,but rather stressing the fact, that the state could act as a major actor in creating and supporting civil society[12], the problem of developing civil society in communist countries becomes straightforward. Referring to the commonly agreed points as mentioned above, communist countries lacked the bourgeois society as the source of civil society, and the middle class, economically based on private ownership, as the base of reproduction of civil society. Furthermore the lack of any political participation, the per definition abolishment of any private autonomy and the powerlessness of the citizens towards the repressive actions of the state led in many cases to inner resignation rather than political or civil engagement as shown in Orlando Figes’ (2008) seminel book.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Provides an overview of the concept of civil society and the unique historical path of Serbia, shaped by Ottoman/Austrian rule, the communist era, and the conflicts during the breakdown of Yugoslavia.
2 The Concept of Civil Society: Defines civil society through historical and philosophical lenses and contrasts it with the reality in socialist countries, focusing on the specific case of Yugoslavia.
3 Civil Society in post-socialist transformation: Analyzes the struggle and eventual rise of Serbian civil society during the 1990s, the role of NGOs, and the impact of the Milosevic regime on civic movements.
4 Conclusion: Summarizes the factors that delayed Serbia's transformation while highlighting how civil society ultimately became a pivotal force in initiating political change.
Keywords
Civil society, Serbia, post-socialist transformation, Milosevic regime, Yugoslavia, NGOs, political transition, middle class, communism, civic engagement, democratization, social movements, institutional weakness, political opposition, authoritarianism.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper primarily investigates the development of civil society in Serbia during the difficult period of post-socialist transformation, analyzing why it was initially obstructed and how it eventually contributed to the fall of the Milosevic regime.
What are the main thematic areas discussed?
The key themes include the philosophical roots of civil society, the specific challenges of socialist governance in Yugoslavia, the rise of the NGO sector, and the role of the educated middle class in driving political change.
What is the primary objective of the study?
The goal is to understand the correlation between historical constraints (authoritarianism, economic crisis, war) and the capacity of a society to self-organize and challenge repressive political power structures.
Which scientific methodology is used?
The work utilizes a literature-based analysis, combining historical review with the examination of empirical data, such as NGO foundation trends and election statistics, to evaluate the state of civil society.
What topics are covered in the main section of the paper?
The main section covers the conceptual definitions of civil society, a comparison between socialist and Western models, and a detailed look at the evolution of Serbian protest movements and NGOs from 1990 to 2000.
Which keywords characterize the essence of the work?
Key terms include civil society, Serbia, post-socialist transformation, Milosevic regime, NGO development, and political mobilization.
How did the Milosevic regime specifically impact civil society?
The administration repressed independent movements, controlled social subsystems, and utilized nationalist ideologies to create an environment where opposition was labeled as treasonous, significantly hindering early civic initiatives.
What role did foreign funding play for NGOs in the late 1990s?
Foreign funding was crucial for the survival and expansion of NGOs in Serbia, as they were often under-financed locally and required external resources to maintain operations and professionalize their activities.
What was the demographic profile of the main actors in the civic movement?
The movement was largely driven by the educated middle class, including professionals, middle managers, and students, with a notably high participation rate of women in both activist and leadership roles.
- Citation du texte
- Manuel Mahler-Hutter (Auteur), 2010, Civil society in postsocialist transformation , Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/153546
