A General Interpretation of Transition in the Czech Republic (1989-1993)

Abstract

Fundamental changes in the Czech Republic since Nov 1989 are contended to be brought about by the interplay of the drama of the erosion of the old regime with that of the birth of a new order. When the old order was partly dismantled, society found itself in transitional anomie, which made it possible to gradually build a new order. This transitological view sees transition as a provisional state of affairs constructed by many individuals, groups, communities, & organizations. This provisional situation is characterized by a rich dynamic of social problems, together with an unbalanced & changing distribution of gains & losses. The resulting conflicts become - in successful cases - part of the universe of myth, in which the conflicts are seen as a series of crises/tests that push the society indirectly from the old to the new order. The transition ends when the participants cease to see the current events as provisional. The main task then becomes the normalization of the new order, enforcing its regime & coping with the formerly provisional arrangements that were 'justified' by the apparent anomie.