InfoTrac Reader Communism Barber, Benjamin, "An Epitaph for Marxism." Society 33 (Nov-Dec 1995). One of the leading left of center political theorists of our time argues that Marxism may be dead, but social democracy need not be. Basic. Chirot, Daniel, "The Lessons of 1989." East European Politics and Society. 12 (1998). Through an examination of the leading Hungarian dissident, Janos Kis, Chirot argues that the changes of 1989 can best be thought of as bloodless revolutions. Flood, Patrick. "Abortion and the Right to Life in post-Communist Eastern Europe and Russia." East European Review. 36(2002). Abortion on demand and paid for by the state was the rule in all communist countries in the Soviet bloc. And, given the shortage of birth control, abortion was the de facto method of family planning for most women. This article explores how the right to life emerged as a major issue in post-communist countries, especially those with large Catholic population. Intermediate. Gilman, Antonio, "The Communist Manifesto 150 Years Later." Antiquity. 72 (1998). An unusual article given that this is a journal about ancient times. Gilman argues that Marx and Engels made a lot of mistakes in looking at early societies, but not capitalist ones. Intermediate. Kennedy, Michael and Naomi Glatz, "From Marxism to Postcommunism." Annual Review of Sociology. 22 (1996). The authors claim that Marxist scholars have to redefine their field and many of their assumptions if there work is to survive the collapse of communism in Eurasia. Advanced. Kluegel, James and David Mason. "Political Involvement in Transition." International Journal of Comparative Sociology. 40(1999). Though based on surveys conducted as early as 1991, the authors find strong traces of the kind of political participation in Eastern Europe that are common in more established democracies. Advanced. Roper, Stephen and Florin Fesnic, "Historical Legacies and their Impact on Post Communist Voting Behavior. Europe-Asia Studies. 55 (2003). This statistically challenging article explores the continued, if ambiguous, impact of pre-World War I historical arrangements on the way people vote today. Advanced. Yoder, Jennifer, "Decentralisation and Regionalisation After Communism." Europe-Asia Studies. 55 (2003). This article considers the experiences of Poland and the Czech Republic, two of the few Eastern European countries to have begun implementing reforms to decentralize their decision making and administrative structures. Advanced.