From the hardening grip of Soviet domination under Brezhnev to the collapse of communism and its aftermath, Bulent Gokay provides the essential introduction to Eastern Europe in the last quarter of the twentieth century. The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 spelt the end of reformist communism and the tightening of Soviet control throughout Eastern Europe. In spite of this, several countries within the Soviet Bloc managed to retain varying degrees of independence over the next two decades. Focusing on the struggle towards economic and social modernisation in the region and the competing influences of East and West in a dangerous Cold War. Bulent Gokay shows how individual circumstances and diverse national characteristics made a uniform application of the Soviet model impossible, and charts the growing resistance to domination and the momentous events which finally toppled Soviet power in the region.
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An accessible yet comprehensive introduction to this crucial period in Cold War history.
Introduction to the Series VllNote on Referencing System VlllList of Figures and Tables viiiAcknowledgements ixMaps x-xnChronology Xlll1. INTRODUCTION: UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXTOF CHANGE 1The Geopolitics of Eastern Europe 1The Controversies over the Causes of Communism's Collapse inEastern Europe 6Aims of this Book 9PART ONE: BACKGROUND 112. EASTERN EUROPE AFTER STALIN, 1953-69 13East-Central Europe 14The Balkans 18PART TWO: ANALYSIS 233. POLITICS 251970s: A Period of Normalisation and the 'Brezhnev Doctrine' 261980s: Hesitation at the Top and Revolt from Below 374. EAST EUROPEAN ECONOMIES 45The Key Components of the Communist Economic System 46Council of Mutual Economic Aid (COMECON) 481970s: Pressure for Reform 491980s: Crisis in the East European Economies 59Reasons for Economic Failure 665. THE COLLAPSE 69The Results of Economic Failure 69Gorbachev and the Impact of Change in the Soviet Union 72Political Challenge: The Snowball Effect, 1989-91 75An Overview of the Collapse 84Vl ContentsPART THREE: ASSESSMENT 876. POST-COMMUNIST TRANSITIONS: OLD PATTERNS,NEW TRENDS 89Dilemmas of Transition 90The Tragedy of Yugoslavia 93PART FOUR: DOCUMENTS 97Glossary 138Who's Who 143Bibliography 149Index
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781138146983
Publisert
2018-09-18
Utgiver
Vendor
Routledge
Vekt
453 gr
Høyde
234 mm
Bredde
156 mm
Aldersnivå
U, 05
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
196
Forfatter