Making Capitalism Without Capitalists: Class Formation and Elite Struggles in Post-communist Central Europe

This investigation of the post-Communist societies in Eastern Europe since 1989 provides new insights into the functioning of modern capitalism. Whilst classical social theory has devoted considerable attention to the transition from feudalism to capitalism, Making Capitalism Without Capitalists is the first book to consider the transition from socialism to capitalism. Eyal, Szelenyi and Townsley argue that the origins of those in charge of building capitalism will significantly affect the type of system that is eventually constructed. For capitalism, they contend, is not a single terminus but a range of destinations. By identifying the unique features of capitalism built on the ruins of socialist economies, this book is a major contribution to understanding and defining these differences.