Eastern Europe Since 1945

Substantially expanded and rewritten, this new edition takes into account the momentous changes since the first edition was published in 1992. With several Central European states joining the European Union, the authors set the historical context in which, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe is itself increasingly dividing into two blocks: those where democracy and pluralism appear firmly established, and those where they do not.

Substantially expanded and rewritten, this new edition takes into account the momentous changes since the first edition was published in 1992. With several Central European states joining the European Union, the authors set the historical context in which, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe is itself increasingly dividing into two blocks: those where democracy and pluralism appear firmly established, and those where they do not.

Booknews

Specialists in Yugoslavia and Hungary broaden their scope to present a comprehensive history of the unsuccessful attempt to build socialism in Eastern Europe. From the euphoria of post-war liberation, through the early diverse roads taken toward socialism and the increasing pressure of the Cold War that led Stalin to impose a single vision on the whole region, to the reform attempts in the 1950s and 1960s and the final collapse, they emphasize that the failure was economic rather than political. Acidic paper. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Geoffrey Swain is Professor of European History at the University of the West of England.

Nigel Swain is Deputy Director of the Center for Central and Eastern European Studies at the University of Liverpool.