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Tadeusz Kowalik vs. “Western Marxism”: Two Attempts to Conceptualise the Post-1989 Changes in East Central Europe as “Bourgeois Revolutions”

In: Exploring the Ideas of Tadeusz Kowalik

Author

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  • Grzegorz Konat

    (SGH Warsaw School of Economics)

Abstract

The chapter offers a comparative analysis of two interpretations of the post-1989 transformations in East Central Europe as instances of “bourgeois revolutions”. The first is Tadeusz Kowalik’s concept of the “epigonic bourgeois revolution”, focused on Poland, while the second is the broader analysis by Colin Barker and Colin Mooers, who argued for a region-wide application of the term. The author reconstructs the main arguments of both texts, examining their definitions, theoretical foundations, treatment of revolutionary agents, causes, consequences, and the roles of various social classes. The study reveals that Barker and Mooers provide a more comprehensive and theoretically coherent account rooted in Marxist theory, particularly the notion of “state capitalism” and the logic of uneven and combined development. In contrast, Kowalik’s analysis, while innovative, is marked by a lack of theoretical depth and a departure from his earlier Marxist framework. The chapter concludes by suggesting that these differences reflect not only varying methodological approaches but also deeper ideological shifts in Kowalik’s later work.

Suggested Citation

  • Grzegorz Konat, 2025. "Tadeusz Kowalik vs. “Western Marxism”: Two Attempts to Conceptualise the Post-1989 Changes in East Central Europe as “Bourgeois Revolutions”," Springer Books, in: Grzegorz Konat & Gavin Rae (ed.), Exploring the Ideas of Tadeusz Kowalik, chapter 0, pages 67-101, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-032-09283-0_5
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-09283-0_5
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