Res Publica: Revista de Filosofía Política, 30 (2013), 129-145 ISSN: 1576-4184 La adaptación estratégica de los partidos sucesores a la sociedad durante la transición democrática en la Europa del Este

Abstract

An essential ingredient of the historical process under way in Central and Eastern Europe as of 1989, political parties have caught the historian’s attention to explain, on one hand, how they influenced the consolidation of democratic States and, on the other, to what extent they represented social groups, which were so actively involved in the final collapse of totalitarism. To be more specific, the parties succeeding the communist organisations that had wielded dominant power in the so-called “popular democracies” play, in our opinion, a key role in the democratisation of postcommunist countries. This article reflects on their remarkable foresight and adaptability to the new circumstances and, also, on their efforts to be taken, once and again, into the confidence of millions of voters, a phenomenon which had not even seemed predictable to begin with.