Article excerpt
After the second World War the communist parties of Eastern Europe kept a firm grip over their countries. After the velvet revolutions of 1989, however, they suddenly seemed to lose their hold. Initially, it was generally accepted that the so-called post-communist countries of Eastern Europe would undergo a rather rapid transition with the demise of communism. They would change from societies characterized by a command economy and a one-party political system into societies with a market economy and a pluralistic political system.
Recently, however, observers have cast serious doubt on these optimistic expectations (Longworth, 1993; Juchler, 1994). Although there has been some suggestion of the developments predicted, it remains to be seen whether the goals involved in this transition will actually be reached in all post-communist countries. In some countries we do, in fact, see developments that might lead to the anticipated transformation. In others, however, we can notice changes that seem to herald imminent societal collapse. There are also countries where the former communist parties have managed to cling to power or where they have recaptured it.
It is not the aim of this article to trace the above mentioned fundamental political and economic changes. We confine ourselves to the unintended consequence of those changes: a societal state of disorder. Each of the countries in contemporary Eastern Europe can be characterized as "disorderly", albeit to different degrees. In this article we focus on some of the attitudes the inhabitants of post-communist countries have developed towards this "disorderly" state of affairs. How do they judge the situation and their own position as far as justice and fairness are concerned? How satisfied are they with their material situation? Do they think that they have got what they deserve? Do they think they get what they want? Do they feel they get what they need?