The French personalist movement (1930-1938) finds its origins in French Neo-criticism and Thomism, and German existentialism. The contribution of Russian religious-populist philosophy has not yet been studied. Nikolai Berdyaev (1874-1948) incorporated this tradition in his philosophy. Exiled after the Russian Revolution, he brought his version of Russian "personalism" to France, where his works were seized as a manifesto by the French personalist movements L'Ordre Nouveau and Esprit. Alexandre Marc (1904-), another exile, and Emmanuel Mounier (1905-1950) tried to reconstruct the Russian mir as a French institution. Populism envisioned Russia as a decentralized federation of autonomous mirs; likewise, French personalists advocated a federalized European union in which communal patries would serve as the primary unit of government. Russian populism presented models for and was perpetuated by the French personalists. The influence of Russian ideas on French personalism offers a new dimension to the History of ideas.

This study seeks to assess theories of post-communist political regime diversity. Since 1989 tens of former communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe and in the ex-Soviet Union developed into a rainbow of regimes, from stable democracies to stable autocracies. Four major theoretical approaches attempt to explain this diversity by focusing respectively on legacies, institutional choices, political leadership, and external influence. These approaches are tested using a sample of three post-communist countries representing different political trajectories: democracy, authoritarianism, and intermediate regimes. This study finds that none of these approaches comprehensively explains this diversity. "Unpacking" these approaches, however, and combining some elements from each, provides a good starting point for understanding the problem. Designing particular institutions like an electoral system and a strong presidential office may produce democratic or authoritarian trends. Particular legacies such as lack of shared public identity between rulers and the ruled can interfere and, despite institutional preconditions, keep post-communist countries in an intermediate regime position.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington. / Bibliography: [222]-229.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington. / Bibliography: l. 790-834.

Habilitationsschrift--Bonn, 1975. / Includes indexes. Includes bibliographical references (p. 292-320).

Proefschrift--Utrecht. / "Stellingen" ([2] p.) inserted. Bibliography: p. 241-244.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Political Science, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis--Stanford University. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 480-488).

Proefschrift--Leyden. / Stamp of Martinus Nijhoff on t.p. "Bibliographie": p. 131-134.

Thesis (M.S.)--Catholic University of America.