The Legacies of Communism in Eastern Europe [Hardcover]

Professor Zoltan Barany (Editor), Mr. Ivan Volgyes (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1995

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Both the regional and country studies that comprise the volume serve the useful purpose of reminding us, and perhaps the now discontented East Europeans who are tempted to recall the last decade of Communist power as the good old days, how fatally flawed that system had become." -- John R. Lampe, Journal of Comparative Economics

"This book comprises several extensively researched and well-written chapters that trace political (both domestic and international), economic, environmental, and social developments in the countries of East Central Europe and the Balkans since the collapse of communism. It also includes a number of essays that treat each of these themes from a regional perspective." -- Michael Bernhard, American Political Science Review

About the Author

Zoltan Barany is assistant professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin. Ivan Volgyes is professor of political science at the University of Nebraska--Lincoln.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (June 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801849977
• ISBN-13: 978-0801849978
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,460,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars struggling to adapt, February 22, 2007

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W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Legacies of Communism in Eastern Europe (Paperback)

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.