The appearance of democracy in Central Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain offered great possibilities to the citizens of the countries of the former Soviet bloc to implement freedom and ensure the development of their individual personality. This positive about–face in favour democracy, in addition to being a convenient way of organizing political life, also meant a challenge to responsibility. The freedom of people’s actions and their responsibility for these actions are an inseparable feature of human identity.
The values of a democratic society can be protected only when we do not place their development on the shoulders of the state and are willing to assume responsibility for them and participate in guaranteeing them. A democratic political system offers its citizens a significant space in which to demonstrate their willingness to contribute to the stabilization of a democratic society and also to show the possible risks in the disintegration of democracy.
The author of this book Milan Katuninec is Head of the Department of Political science at Trnava University in Trnava. He lectures and publishes about Slovak and European history, social policy and relationship between ethics and politics.