1990 - Jan Urban - Democracy and Nationalism in Central and Eastern Europe

In this lecture Jan Urban warned about the uncertainty involved in the democratisation of Central of Eastern Europe with the overthrow of the Communist dictatorships in 1989. He noted that the historical experience of fledgling democracies that cannot economically provide for their populace was not very encouraging. This was especially the case given that most countries in Central and Eastern Europe had little history of democracy. There were already some signs of nationalist politicians using populist issues to successfully gain popularity. Western governments needed to ensure that there was a plan to successfully democratise Central and Eastern Europe focusing on economic problems dealt with through supra-national economic systems, not by supporting individual states. In addition, regional not national development projects needed to be fostered. Urban explained that Central and Eastern Europe had the resources and labour to compete successfully with some initial help. Cultural and political exchanges, the creation of constitutions, setting up proper civil services and drafting legislation should be prioritised.