Hanley, Seán; (2024) Book review: When left moves right: The decline of the left and the decline of the right in postcommunist Europe. Party Politics 10.1177/13540688241275501. (In press).

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Abstract

The collapse of the social democratic centre-left in Eastern Europe is a critical yet under-explored aspect of recent European politics. It echoes the crisis of social democracy in Western Europe and promises insights into why once successful post-communist democracies are now leading in populism and democratic backsliding. Maria Snegovaya argues that this decline shares common causes with the well-documented erosion of West European social democracy. She attributes it to the centre-left’s adoption of neoliberal economics, which alienated its traditional working-class base and created opportunities for radical right populists to gain support using welfare chauvinist appeals. Snegovaya posits that pro-market reforms in post-1989 Eastern Europe mirrored the market-friendly modernisation of Western Europe, resulting in similar political effects. Indeed, she suggests, these effects were potentially more pronounced in Eastern Europe due to its larger traditional working class.

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