 Jeffrey Kopstein, Postcommunist Democracy: Legacies and Outcomes Recent studies of postcommunist democracy illustrate how the states of East-Central Europe have overcome Leninist social, economic, and political legacies with varying degrees of success. Stark differences in outcomes have led to a more subtle understanding of Leninist legacies. The empirical findings of the three books under review also suggest that the positive influences of Leninist institutions and developmental policies on postcommunist politics should also be considered. Research would also benefit from examination of the unintended external consequences of Leninism, especially the institutions and ideology of a unified Europe, in accounting for the relative success of the states of East-Central Europe in the 1990s. |