Consumption in Postsocialist Societies: Eastern Europe

Consumption in postsocialist Eastern European societies comprises specific consumption practices, meanings, and symbols that are characteristic of countries whose social, political, economic, and cultural space has been rapidly transformed from a socialist planned economy to a capitalist market economy. This is often characterized by consumerism and a high prominence of consumption-related lifestyles and from totalitarian political regime to democracy. The beginning of the period of transformation is usually considered to be 1989, although the dismantling process of the socialist bloc started at different times in different countries.

This entry covers countries either formerly belonging to the Soviet Union (such as Armenia, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia) or its sphere of influence in Eastern Europe (such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland). Postsocialist consumer culture can also refer to ...