Political Culture of "New Democracies"

Glavnom prijetnjom demokratizaciji novih država na istoku Europe pokazuju se stari problemi prošlog režima koji su samo prebačeni u novonastale okvire promijenjenih oblika vlasništva, političkog predstavljanja, ljudskih i nacionalnih prava, ekologije, zdravlja itd. Među najznačajnijima su: novi populizam, nepoštivanje i kršenje ljudskih prava, državni paternalizam, korupcija i kriminal, dok se problemi zdravlja i ekologije neprekidno potiskuju na margine društva ili se potpuno ignoriraju. Postkomunizam objedinjuje prepoznatljivo iskustvo nekadašnjih “komunističkih” zemalja, koje je postalo panično okrenuto prema jednom jedinom cilju - Zapadu - u koji bi se željelo ugledati i prema kojemu su se usmjerile sve pažnje, nade i očekivanja. Taj cilj podrazumijeva prelaženje puta koji nije nimalo lak - od totalitarizma prema demokraciji i tržišnoj ekonomiji. Iako se često olako misli da je to nešto što je svaka država, koja sebe želi vidjeti modernom, u stanju lako prijeći, realnost s kojom se nove države sučeljavaju često demantira prvobitnu euforiju i nameće opreznije stavove. Postkomunističke zemlje, osobito neke, neopremljene su iskustvom građanske demokracije, institucijama koje to omogućuju, kao ni demokratskom građanskom političkom kulturom. Budući da su komunistički režimi najviše pridonosili intenzivnom razvijanju tradicionalnih oblika etničke svijesti i cijeloga mnoštva tradicionalnih stavova i odnosa, a posebno autoritarnih odnosa u obitelji, školi, politici i na radnom mjestu, uvelike su pridonijeli odvraćanju od razvijanja civilne, demokratske političke kulture i obnavljanju “parohijalnih” i “podaničkih” oblika političke kulture s tradicionalističkom i neotradicionalističkom strukturom u “novim demokracijama”, uključujući Hrvatsku.The main threat to the democratization of new states in Easter Europe seem to be old problems of the past regime, which have only been transferred into the newly created frameworks of the changed modes of ownership, political representation, human and national rights, ecology, health, etc. Among the most important problems are: new populism, violation of human rights, state paternalism, corruption and crime, while the problems of health and ecology are being pushed to the social margin or totally ignored. Post-communism encompasses the well known experience of the former “communist” countries, which turned to one and only goal - the West - which it sees as a role model and towards which all its attentions, hopes and expectations are turned. This goal understands finding a path which is in no way easy -from totalitarianism towards democracy and market economy. Although it is often though, uncritically, that these obstacles are easily overcome by any country wishing to see itself in the modem condition, the reality with which the new states face often refutes the first euphoria and necessitates more cautious opinions. Post-communist countries, especially some of them, are not party to the experience of civil democracy, institutions which enable it, or a democratic civil political culture. Since the communist regimes mostly contributed to the intensive development of traditional forms of ethnic consciousness and the whole host of traditional opinions and relations, and especially authoritarian relation in the family, the school, the work place, they have significantly contributed to the turning away from the development of civil, democratic political culture and to the re-establishment of “parochial” and “subject-like PODANIČKIH” forms of political culture with traditionalist and neo-traditionalist structure in the “new democracies”, including Croatia