Political Parties in Post Communist Eastern Europe

International Relations Theory and the Politics of European Integration focuses on the roles of community, power and security, within the European Union. Political Parties in Post-Communist Eastern Europe is the first textbook to survey the course of party developments in eastern Europe as a whole in the post-Communist period. This book relates the specifics of the post-communist situation to the broader picture of the early stages of party development in western Europe and also to contemporary models of party organisation in established democracies.The book includes:· a brief historical introduction to the context of post-communist change· the process of competitive party formation and democratic elections· the development of independent parties; their ideologies, and electoral volatility· the structure and level of organisation developed by new parties· an analysis of stable party systems which have emerged in eastern Europe and the contribution they make to emerging democracies in the regionParty Politics in Post-Communist Eastern Europe will be a comprehensive and invaluable resource, accessible to undergraduates of politics and European studies, as well as the non-specialist reader.