The Making Of Eastern Europe

In searching for the origins of Eastern Europe's backwardness and the reasons for its difficult adaptation to democracy, this sweeping history ranges from the present day to the time of Constantine the Great, from the Urals to the Mediterranean and the Baltic, and emphasises culture and society, as well as politics and economics.

Argues that the predicament of the millions of Eastern Europeans is only partly due to the imposition of the Soviet system.

Why has the collapse of Communism resulted in so much disappointment for the hopeful millions of Eastern Europe? In this original and provocative book Philip Longworth argues that their predicament is only partly due to the imposition of the Soviet system but rather they are the heirs of misfortune which dates back centuries. In exploring the origins of current problems, this sweeping history ranges from the present day to the time of Constantine the Great, from the Urals to the Mediterranean and the Baltic, and emphasises culture and society, as well as politics and economics. The resulting analysis provides the crucial, and until now much-needed, long-term background to the difficulties now facing Eastern Europe. This new perspective and the insight it brings will improve our understanding of this complex region and be of immense value to all who want to understand Eastern Europe's past and present.

Why has the collapse of Communism resulted in so much disappointment for the hopeful millions of Eastern Europe? In the revised edition of this thoughtful and provocative book Philip Longworth argues that their predicament is only partly due to the imposition of the Soviet system but rather that they are the heirs of misfortune which dates back centuries. In exploring the origins of current problems, this sweeping history ranges from the present day to the time of Constantine the Great, the Urals to the Mediterranean and the Baltic, and emphasises culture and society, as well as politics and economics. In an additional new chapter Philip Longworth analyses the collapse of Communism and the advent of post-communism. This book will be of immense value to all who want to understand Eastern Europe's past and present.

Covering all key Eastern European states and their history right up to the collapse of communism, this new edition of is a comprehensive political history of Eastern Europe taking in the whole of the century and the geographical area

Wolff explores how Western thinkers contributed to defining and characterizing Eastern Europe as half-civilized and barbaric.