The paper contains analyses of attempts at explaining the profound changes in Eastern Europe after 1989. The analyses are guided by the conceptual framework of social interaction. It covers the micro, meso and macro level of the social organization. The first target is the theory of transition. The diagnosis reveals some constructive features of the theory together with its difficulties to get operationalized and effectively used in explanations. The major deficit of the theory is the absence of a concept of society. Based on the concept of social interaction the conceptual framework of societal transformation efficiently functions as a heuristic tool and as an organizer of knowledge. Is the societal transformations conceptual framework sufficient for a full-fledged explanation of the reform processes in Eastern Europe? The search for an answer leads to increasing relevance of the region’s involvement in the globalization. The conclusion is that the impact of global trends should be integrated in the explanatory procedures of the continuing transformation of Eastern European societies.

本文包含尝试解释1989年后东欧发生的深刻变化的分析。这些分析以社会互动的概念框架为指导。它涵盖了社会组织的微观，中观和宏观层面。第一个目标是过渡理论。该诊断揭示了该理论的一些建设性特征，以及难以将其付诸实践并有效地用于解释的困难。该理论的主要缺陷是缺乏社会概念。基于社会互动的概念，社会转型的概念框架有效地充当了启发式工具和知识的组织者。社会变革的概念框架是否足以对东欧的改革进程进行全面的解释？寻找答案导致该地区参与全球化的相关性日益增加。结论是，全球趋势的影响应纳入东欧社会持续转型的解释程序中。