After 1989: Morals, Revolution and Civil Society

by Ralf Dahrendorf

Overview

The essays assembled in this volume are a thoughtful and lively commentary on Europe after the revolution of 1989. Must revolutions fail? Certainly, the open society has its own problems, not least that of citizens in search of meaning. The Good Society has to square the circle of prosperity, civility and liberty. Social science can help us understand what needs to be done, and intellectuals have a responsibility to initiate and accompany change. All this raises questions for Europe which extend far beyond the all too narrow confines of the European Union.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780333719596
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	05/30/1997
Series:	St Antony's Series
Edition description:	1997
Pages:	179
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Preface - OPENING WALLS - Must Revolutions Fail? - The Open Society and its Fears - Citizens in Search of Meaning - THE GOOD SOCIETY - The Good Society - Morality, Institutions and Civil Society - Why Excellence Matters - Prosperity, Civility and Liberty. Can We Square the Circle? - UNDERSTANDING CHANGE - The Democratic Revolution, or the Uses of the Science of Politics - Who Makes History? On the Entanglements of Economics and Politics - Whither Social Sciences? - The Public Responsibility of Intellectuals - BRITAIN, GERMANY AND EUROPE - Berlin for Example: From Zero Hour to Civil Society - Democracy in Germany: An Anglo-German Perspective - Europe, Unity and Diversity - From Europe to Europe. A Story of Hope, Trial and Error - Acknowledgements - Index

Editorial Reviews

Lord Dahrendorf directed the London School of Economics from 1974 to 1984 and, more recently, has been warden of St. Antony's College at Oxford University. This work consists of a series of lectures delivered in the aftermath of the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. "Utopia expired in the final weeks of the memorable year, 1989," he writes. "She had been poorly for some time, and few attempts were made to save her life." For Dahrendorf, the only viable alternative to bureaucratic socialism is liberal democracy, but he warns against expecting too much from constitutional and free-market structures. In particular, Dahrendorf is perturbed by the rise of "communitarian" doctrines that offer a respite from internationalism, liberalism, and capitalism. But he concludes that "it is hard to deny that the question of meaning remains unanswered in East and West, and the search for an answer may well provide the subject of the struggles of the next phase of history." Recommended for larger libraries.Kent Worcester, Marymount Manhattan Coll., New York

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