Preface to the English Edition vii 1 Introduction 1 On the Road to 1989 1 Postrevolutionary Europe 12 Neoliberalism on the Rise 16 Europe in Transformation 20 2 Where the East Meets the West: Crisis and Reform Debates in the 1980s 33 The Demise of State Socialism 33 An Alternative Reading of the Cold War 37 The Neoliberal Turn in East and West 39 3 The Revolutions of 1989-91 49 Milestones of the Revolutions 49 Causes of the Revolutions 54 Centers and Agents of Revolution 66 The "Negotiated" Revolution 71 4 Getting on the Neoliberal Bandwagon 77 Milestones of the Transformation 77 The Bumpy Road of Reforms in Eastern Europe 79 Neoliberalism's Inherent Problems 95 A Typology of Reform Outcomes 102 5 Second-Wave Neoliberalism 112 Neoliberalism at Full Speed 112 Flat Tax Systems and Populism 115 Human Capital 120 New Wealth 126 Rich Cities, Poor Regions 132 The EU's Marshall Plan for the East 144 6 Capital Cities Compared 161 Chalk and Cheese? Or Why We Should Compare 161 The Situation before 1989 163 Transformation from Below 167 The New Business Boom 176 Poor Berlin 184 Boomtown Warsaw 192 Metropolitan Convergence, or Why the East Looks like the West 200 7 The Great Recession: 2008-9 and Its Consequences 209 The End of Economic Convergence? 209 Variations of Crises 217 Predatory Lending in Central and Eastern Europe 221 Political Reactions: Between Neoliberalism and Authoritarianism 226 8 Southern Europe: The New East? 235 Crisis Commonalities between Southern and Eastern Europe 235 Escape Route: Mass Migration 246 Mental Maps of Europe 248 9 Cotransformation: The Case of Germany 259 Social and Labor Market Reforms in Germany 261 The Civil Society Debate 273 The Politicians Who Came in from the East 279 10 The Roads Not Taken 288 Mass Participation in Revolution 288 The Values of 1989 297 Birth Pangs of United Europe 306 The Conflict over Ukraine 314 Europe after Neoliberalism 329 Acknowledgments 339 Notes 343 Selected Bibliography 399 Index 419

"This is a great and original book. It offers keen personal observations of a wide range of European countries across several tumultuous decades, and brings forward new facts and perspectives. It will remain the history of the European transition from communism to capitalism for many years to come."—Mitchell A. Orenstein, University of Pennsylvania"This brilliant book is a masterpiece of contemporary history and far and away the best thing that's been published about the huge historical turn that began in Europe in 1989. It instantly becomes the go-to book for understanding the period, totally supplanting previous accounts. Philipp Ther makes the events of 1989, and what followed, not simply a history of Eastern Europe, but a history of Europe as a whole, with both east and west entranced, and partly blinded, by the neoliberal imperative."—Larry Wolff, New York University"This book features a lively and imaginative intellect on every page. But Philipp Ther's erudition is also extraordinary; he ranges with authority over the entirety of Europe in prose that sparkles and flows effortlessly. Europe since 1989 provokes, informs, and entertains, and there is not a dull moment in the entire book."—John Connelly, University of California, Berkeley"Philipp Ther provides a richly detailed history of postcommunist Europe, employing key comparisons enhanced by wonderful personal knowledge of many locations. At a time when the public seems finally ready to question the neoliberal orthodoxy of the past few decades, Ther's narrative offers some major evidence."—Charles S. Maier, Harvard University"Ther presents sweeping macroeconomic evidence with clarity and precision."—Paweł Marczewski, Metropole"A compelling history."—Bookseller Buyer's Guide