Types of Civil Society |
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Different countries have a more or less developed civil society. But also the type of groups which are most frequent within civil society may vary among countries. So it is difficult to formulate a general, easy-to-understand support strategy which will work for all countries in the region. The necessity to develop country specific, flexible support strategies makes an in-depth knowledge of the current situation a must.
The collapse of the Eastern Block found civil society in different stages. Additionally, what other social groups (ethnic minorities, former secret service, etc.) did, had a different influence on the role civil society played in the new regimes. Let's look at some examples.
In the Czech Republic, civil society participated early in the peaceful power shift from old to new regime, what was called the „velvet revolution“. The best known member of the czech civil society, Vaclav Havel, became president of the country. Political pluralism and power alternance through fair elections became soon the rule of the game.
In Bulgaria, the peaceful change was initiated and controlled from within the Communist Party. The civil society was not allowed to develop during the previous regime. Nevertheless political alternance happened as soon as 1990 when Zhelyu M. Zhelev was elected as the first non-communist president in almost half a century.
In Georgia, the term civil society is still discussed. After the independence, many of the groups in the civil society became or attempted to become political parties: the political society fed upon the civil one. Civil society is at its beginnings and still has to find its proper role in this country.
So in some countries the aid strategy might focus on ensuring fair elections or preventing the independent media from being eliminated. In another country the priority might be to form critical awareness against some populist politician or against agitation for interethnic violence. In any case there is no way to a sound strategy without a good understanding of the local values and priorities.
There are nevertheless some common features. In most countries, civil societies existed most of the time during the communist period, despite the repression which was directed at them. Communist regimes regarded any form of opinion expression which was not under government control as bad, hostile and dangerous (regardless of what was expressed). So civil society was from its origins an opposition to the government. When people in Eastern Europe speak of civil society, they think of a voice which is independent and usually critical of the government. An exception form in some countries the parallel „civil societies“ created and financed by the government.
When some western organisations impose in such countries a „friendly“ attitude towards the authorities as a goal of or condition for support, they loose something important: sincere cooperation with the civil society.
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