The Economy Of East Central Europe 1815 1989

From a widely published expert in the field, this major survey reviews two centuries of modernization and examines the dramatic changes in the economies of Eastern Europe. This is a new and comprehensive overview which incorporates fresh research and recent changes to the region to trace this economic history of Eastern Europe within the wider political and ideological context Uniquely taking the broader historical picture into account, David Turnock brings together the entire scope of the modernization process, from the first phase of modern national development in the Balkans and the impact of imperial systems on the area as a whole, to the feeling of 'unfinished business' at the end of the Second World War. He continues up to the present-day state of transition, evaluating the contrasts in the region between the northern and southern states, domestic division between dynamic and backward areas, and the increasing emphasis on the opening up of frontier regions. Wide in scope and including detailed and informative chronologies, this book will prove an invaluable asset to students of European history and economics.

First published in 1997, this book has been produced by the leading scholars of the economic history of the region in the belief that the events of 1989/90, and the subsequent turmoil in every country affected, can only be accurately interpreted from an informed historical perspective. The chapters are accessible and authoritative; each is from a first-rank and highly experienced economic historian of the nation under discussion. The necessarily differing treatments of the social, economic and national problems correct the widespread misapprehension that the countries of the region are essentially alike.

"Types and stereotypes" is the fourth and last volume of a path-breaking multinational literary history that incorporates innovative features relevant to the writing of literary history in general. Instead of offering a traditional chronological narrative of the period 1800-1989, the "History of the Literary Cultures of East-Central Europe" approaches the region s literatures from five complementary angles, focusing on literature s participation in and reaction to key political events, literary periods and genres, the literatures of cities and sub-regions, literary institutions, and figures of representation. The main objective of the project is to challenge the self-enclosure of national literatures in traditional literary histories, to contextualize them in a regional perspective, and to recover individual works, writers, and minority literatures that national histories have marginalized or ignored. "Types and stereotypes" brings together articles that rethink the figures of National Poets, figurations of the Family, Women, Outlaws, and Others, as well as figures of Trauma and Mediation. As in the previous three volumes, the historical and imaginary figures discussed here constantly change and readjust to new political and social conditions. An Epilogue complements the basic history, focusing on the contradictory transformations of East-Central European literary cultures after 1989. This volume will be of interest to the region s literary historians, to students and teachers of comparative literature, to cultural historians, and to the general public interested in exploring the literatures of a rich and resourceful cultural region."

This book is concerned with one of the fundamental problems in the economic and social history of Europe in the early modern period, namely with the bifurcation in its development: in Western Europe, the development of capitalism; in East-Central Europe, the rise of the manorial-serf economy which hampered the development of capitalism. The main motif linking together the studies in this volume is the endeavour to explain this separation. the author evaluates the different theories explaining this, and also provides further analysis of economic life, dealing with the commercial activity, economic regression, especially in Poland.

Covering territory from Russia in the east to Germany and Austria in the west, The Routledge History of East Central Europe since 1700 explores the origins and evolution of modernity in this turbulent region. This book applies fresh critical approaches to major historical controversies and debates, expanding the study of a region that has experienced persistent and profound change and yet has long been dominated by narrowly nationalist interpretations. Written by an international team of contributors that reflects the increasing globalization and pluralism of East Central European studies, chapters discuss key themes such as economic development, the relationship between religion and ethnicity, the intersection between culture and imperial, national, wartime, and revolutionary political agendas, migration, women’s and gender history, ideologies and political movements, the legacy of communism, and the ways in which various states in East Central Europe deployed and were formed by the politics of memory and commemoration. This book uses new methodologies in order to fundamentally reshape perspectives on the development of East Central Europe over the past three centuries. Transnational and comparative in approach, this volume presents the latest research on the social, cultural, political and economic history of modern East Central Europe, providing an analytical and comprehensive overview for all students of this region.

Challenges of Modernity offers a broad account of the social and economic history of Central and Eastern Europe in the twentieth century and asks critical questions about the structure and experience of modernity in different contexts and periods. This volume focuses on central questions such as: How did the various aspects of modernity manifest themselves in the region, and what were their limits? How was the multifaceted transition from a mainly agrarian to an industrial and post-industrial society experienced and perceived by historical subjects? Did Central and Eastern Europe in fact approximate its dream of modernity in the twentieth century despite all the reversals, detours and third-way visions? Structured chronologically and taking a comparative approach, a range of international contributors combine a focus on the overarching problems of the region with a discussion of individual countries and societies, offering the reader a comprehensive, nuanced survey of the social and economic history of this complex region in the recent past. The first in a four-volume set on Central and Eastern Europe in the twentieth century, it is the go-to resource for those interested in the ‘challenges of modernity‘ faced by this dynamic region.

Property is a complex phenomenon comprising cultural, social, and legal rules. During the twentieth century, property rights in land suffered massive interference in Central and Eastern Europe. The promise of universal and formally equal rights of land ownership, ensuring predictability of social processes and individual autonomy, was largely not fulfilled. The national appropriation of property in the interwar period and the communist era represent an onerous legacy for the postcommunist (re)construction of a liberal-individualist property regime. However, as the scholars in this collection show, after the demise of communism in Eastern Europe property is again a major factor in shaping individual identity and in providing the political order and culture with a foundational institution. This volume analyzes both historical and contemporary forms of land ownership in Poland, Romania, and Yugoslavia in a multidisciplinary framework including economic history, legal and political studies, and social anthropology.