Democracy Without Parties?: “Civil Society” in East-Central Europe

“Civil society” became a catchword for the democratic dissidents of East-Central Europe in the 1970s and 1980s. For them, the creation of a vibrant sphere of voluntary associations outside of state structures represented both the most practical and attractive democratic strategy. Many of those dissidents have now become politicians in post-communist Eastern Europe, and often they have continued to make civil society the locus of their concern.