ABSTRACT
In both Vienna and Warsaw, an all-embracing societal process which manifests itself in various provinces of social life is about to change traditional patterns of behavior. This process may take a similar direction in the long run. The factor configurations generating it are very different. In Vienna, the relative saturation of the parties' clientele has led to a reversal of the traditional authority relationship. In Warsaw, the obvious failure of the official economic and administrative structure will lead to a degree of self-organization even higher than in Vienna. Since the early 1970s, could observe the genesis of a Varsovian counter-society, primarily in the economic realm. The Mitteleuropa idea, whose origins go back to the 19th century, has experienced a veritable upsurge in recent years. East European literati such as L. Kolakowsi M. Kundera and Gy. Konrad have propagated the dream of a recreation of European civilization in Central Europe around the vestiges and the ruins of the Habsburg Empire.
