The Legacies of Communism in Eastern Europe

Book Overview

The political scientists Zoltan Barany and Ivan Volgyes bring together a distinguished group of contributors to examine the legacies of communism in Eastern Europe. The authors identify what is distinctive and lasting about the influence of the Communist period and the extent to which this Communist experience may have left unsolvable problems. The volume pays special attention to the impact of the Communist legacies on four areas: politics, society, the economy, and the environment.

Contributors are Zoltan Barany, Ivan Volgyes, Thomas A. Baylis, Elez Biberaj, Jane L. Curry, Barbara Jancar-Webster, Andrzej Korbonski, Bennett Kovrig, Daniel N. Nelson, Robin Alison Remington, Luan Troxel, and Sharon L. Wolchik.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0801849985
• ISBN13: 9780801849985
• Release Date: June 1995
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.23 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

struggling to adapt

Written in 1995, shortly after the Cold War's end, the book has essays by distinguished analysts, several from Eastern Europe, looking at the aftermath. One topic was the environmental legacy of Soviet rule. Something largely unappreciated even by critics in western Europe during the Cold War. The article describes how the large scale industrialisation was often accompanied by little or no environmental monitoring. Because the state (ie. the various countries) owned the means of production, it had no checks on itself for environmental degradation. One section of the text has studies on specific countries. A very quick synopsis of the challenges facing each, as they now had to face a global consumerist economy. Where the latter was heading rapidly into computerisation. While the eastern European countries invariably lagged badly in this field.