Prospects of the Civil Society Development in Post-socialist Conditions

Abstract

This study is directed to the analysis of contradictions and development prospects of that social reality in which civil society characteristics become apparent. Discourse about civil society in post-socialism is extremely polarized. Civil society is represented both as «rescue» and as colonial policy of Western countries. In general, the research of a civil society should take into consideration informal practices that are considered to be central both in state socialism and in post-socialism. Individualism principle and «open» society, consisting of individuums, that are connected not only by formal relationships should give place to «community of communities» principle. This creates the necessity to transform the system of values that determine economic behavior of individuums into the development of corporatism and collectivism. This paper stresses the significance of presence in a society of individually-psychological and morally-ethical factors that make possible the functioning of network-based information society in post-socialism conditions.