The Two Sovereigns: Social Contradictions of European Modernity

The Two Sovereigns examines modernity through the prism of the two sovereigns - of the individual and the collectivity. It is a stimulating and highly original aditation on the difficult and contradictory experiences of European modernity. It uses the collapse of communism in eastern and central Europe to explore why the institutions and narratives of modernity found it so difficult to deal with problems like the meaning of freedom; the role and status of intellectuals; and the leagacy of the past. Tester argues that the central question of modernity is: How can the world be made a better place? He argues that this question remains relevant and that it has never been definitively answered: the identity of the sovereign maker’ was always open to debate. The Two Sovereigns is a superbly crafted examination of the collapse of communism in central and eastern Europe and the prospects for change.