The Soviet Union's dramatic collapse in 1989 was a pivotal moment in the complex history of Central and Eastern Europe, and Ivan Berend here offers a magisterial new account of the dramatic ...transformation that culminated in ten former Soviet Bloc countries joining the European Union. Taking the OPEC oil crisis of 1973 as his starting point, he charts the gradual unravelling of state socialism in Central and Eastern Europe, its ultimate collapse in the revolutions of 1989, and the economic restructuring and lasting changes in income, employment, welfare, education and social structure which followed. He pays particular attention to the crucial role of the European Union as well as the social and economic hurdles that continue to face former Eastern-bloc nations as they try to catch up with their Western neighbours. This will be essential reading for scholars and students of European and economic history, European politics and economics.
Europe in Crisis Berend, Ivan T.
2013, 20121112, 2012, 2012-11-12
eBook
This book analyzes the European Great Recession of 2008-12, its economic and social causes, its historical roots, and the policies adopted by the European Union to find a way out of it. It contains ...explicit debates with several economists and analysts on some of the most controversial questions about the causes of the crisis and the policies applied by the European Union.
It presents the cases of Iceland, Greece and Ireland, the countries that first declined into crisis in Europe, each of them in a different way. Iceland is a case study for reckless banking practices, Greece of reckless public spending, and Ireland of reckless household indebtedness. At least seven other countries, mostly from the peripheries of Europe, had similarly reckless banking and spending practices.
In the center of the book are the economic and social causes of the crisis. Contemporary advanced capitalism became financialized, de-industrialized and globalized and got rid of the "straitjacket" of regulations. Solid banking was replaced by high-risk, "casino-type" activity. The European common currency also had a structural problem - monetary unification without a federal state and fiscal unification. The other side of the same coin is European hyper-consumerism. A new lifestyle emerged during two super-prosperous periods in the 1950s to 1960s, and during the 1990s to 2006. Trying to find an exit policy, the European Union turned to strict austerity measures to curb the budget deficit and indebtedness. This book critically analyzes the debate around austerity policy.
The creation of important supra-national institutions, and of a financial supervisory authority and stability mechanisms, strengthens integration. The correction of the euro's structural mistake by creating a quasi-fiscal unification is even more important. The introduction of mandatory fiscal rules and their supervision promises a long-term solution for a well-functioning co
The last two centuries have been the scene of dramatic change throughout Europe. And one of the main causes of these tremendous and spectacular changes was the economy. These transformations were ...achieved by people: scientists and political thinkers, inventors and entrepreneurs, educators, skilled and educated workers. Who not only invented machines and computers, but were able to renew economic and political systems. This volume, therefore, presents a new approach to the period by looking at case studies to understand how these changes came about and the impact they had on modern Europe.
Ivan Berend presents the spectacular history of modern European economy as a chain of "small" events, actions, and the ideas of individuals, as the influence of institutions and bold entrepreneurs. The essays are grouped into six chapters and discuss the power of entrepreneurship; the power of institutions; economic regimes and the permanent renewal of capitalism; the power of ideas and inventions; pioneering companies; from the rise of industrial cities to post-industrial suburbanization; bubbles, great depressions and economic cycles. All of the single episodes and personal stories offer a cross-section of the complex and interrelated history of modern Europe.
Case Studies on Modern European Economy will be essential reading for students of economic and modern European history.
The Berlin Wall collapsed a quarter of a century ago. This anniversary led to publication of studies about the success of Central and East European transformation. Some of them maintain that the ...region became 'normal,' and nearer to their Western neighbors. In reality, the region still belongs to the periphery of Europe with a mostly dual economy and low level of income. Modern sectors and the entire banking industry are subsidiaries of Western multinationals. The political system is often authoritarian. Democratic forms often cover non-democratic contents. Corruption, tax evasion and other symptoms of peripheral political behavior are quite common. Transformation is so far not accomplished and will certainly require two or three generations to achieve.
Central and Eastern European societies, in spite of significant successes of transformation, are in a social shock. Economic hardship, unemployment, lower income and even poverty for many, and social ...polarization played a role in disappointment. The main reason of social shock, however, was cultural, the sharp collision of state socialist, and traditional values on the one hand and new values and social behavioral requirements on the other. The doors opened widely, but most of the people were frightened to enter into an unknown world. Social-behavioral changes are generations-long processes.
The historical trajectory of Central and Eastern Europe differed significantly from
that of the West. The region became the periphery of a transforming West during the
early modern centuries. The ...nineteenth and twentieth centuries were characterized by
repeated attempts to catch up with the West. Romanticism brought in Western ideas
and generated struggles for national independence and modernization. Failures paved
the way for desperate revolts in the inter-war years. Left- and right-wing
revolutions engulfed the region. Authoritarian, Fascist and Communist regimes looked
for short cuts to finish nation-building and industrialization. In the end, all
versions of state-run modernization failed, and the region revolted against them. At
least its western rim seems to be successfully returning to Europe at the turn of
the millennium.
This paper was originally published as a chapter in the author’s recent book Europe since 1980 (Cambridge University Press, 2010). The book tells the dramatic story of the economic, social, ...political, and cultural transformation of Europe during the transition from the Cold War to the European Union. The author charts the overwhelming impact of the collapse of communism on every aspect of European life. Europe became safer and more united, and Central and Eastern Europe started on the difficult road to economic modernization. However, the western half of Europe also changed. European integration gained momentum. The single market and the common currency were introduced, and the Union enlarged from nine to twenty-seven countries. This period also saw a revolution in information and communication technology, the increasing impact of globalization and the radical restructuring of the political system. The book explores the impact of all of these changes as well as the new challenges posed by the economic crisis of 2008–9 and asks which way now for Europe?
The last two centuries have been the scene of dramatic change throughout Europe. And one of the main causes of these tremendous and spectacular changes was the economy. These transformations were ...achieved by people: scientists and political thinkers, inventors and entrepreneurs, educators, skilled and educated workers. Who not only invented machines and computers, but were able to renew economic and political systems. This volume, therefore, presents a new approach to the period by looking at case studies to understand how these changes came about and the impact they had on modern Europe.
Ivan Berend presents the spectacular history of modern European economy as a chain of "small" events, actions, and the ideas of individuals, as the influence of institutions and bold entrepreneurs. The essays are grouped into six chapters and discuss the power of entrepreneurship; the power of institutions; economic regimes and the permanent renewal of capitalism; the power of ideas and inventions; pioneering companies; from the rise of industrial cities to post-industrial suburbanization; bubbles, great depressions and economic cycles. All of the single episodes and personal stories offer a cross-section of the complex and interrelated history of modern Europe.
Case Studies on Modern European Economy will be essential reading for students of economic and modern European history.
Preface. Introduction. 1. The Power of Entrepreneurship 2. The Power of Institutions: Economic Regimes and the Permanent Renewal of Capitalism 3. The Power of Ideas and Inventions 4. Pioneering Companies 5. From the Rise of Industrial Cities to Post-Industrial Suburbanization 6. Bubbles, Great Depressions: Economic Cycles
Ivan Berend’s work in economic history generally and in the economic history of Eastern Europe in particular is well known for its depth and range, and (concomitantly) for the contribution it has made, over many years, to our understanding of economic, social and political modernity. In this unusual collection of case studies, the culmination of many years of research and intellectual exploration, he has achieved something of a tour de force through a combination of analytical sweep and impressive empirical focus. He has joined a dynamic framework, which lays out the economic evolution of the European continent, with an extraordinary spread and wealth of illustrative (and detailed) case studies of people, trends and structures. The use of information, while abundant, is measured, relevant, and continuously stimulating. The result is a stimulating advance in our understanding of major forces in history at the level of those who fostered and experienced them. He has placed established scholars as well as university students in his debt. - Barry Supple , University of Cambridge, UK
