In this case study of the politics of transition in Eastern Europe, 
Rudolf Martin Rizman provides a careful, detailed sociological 
explanation and narrative on the emergence of independent statehood 
and democracy in Slovenia. In his focus on the transition from an 
authoritarian to a democratic regime, Rizman analyzes social 
processes and political issues in the context of the Third Wave of 
democratization, identifying "zones of certainty and uncertainty."

    Challenging many generally accepted ideas about small states and 
their transitions to democracy, this book places Slovenia's pattern of 
democratization in the wider regional context of eastern and central 
European post-communist transitions.

    Opening with a discussion of the relevant theoretical environment 
in sociology and political science, Rizman illuminates the complex 
processes of democratic transition and consolidation. From there, he 
analyzes the internal and external processes and factors relevant for 
Slovenia's successful trajectory from existence as an ethnically 
defined sub-nation to an internationally recognized nation-state.

    After careful consideration of religious, political, military, 
intellectual, and other socio-political stakeholders in the region, 
Rizman concludes that Slovenia is irreversibly set on the course of 
democratization.  

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RUDOLF MARTIN RIZMAN, a native of Slovenia, holds doctorates 
from both the University of Ljubljana and Harvard. He teaches 
sociology and political science at the University of Ljubljana and the 
University of Bologna.


Eugenia and Hugh M. Stewart '26 Series on Eastern Europe