Central Europe Since 1945

This text analyses the installation, development, operation and eventual downfall of its (very different) communist regimes, and the transition to the freedoms and uncertainties of the post-Soviet world.

Paul G. Lewis

List of maps.  Abbreviations and acronyms.  Editoral foreward.  Preface.  Chapter 1. Introduction and General survey. Chapter 2. Foundations of the post-war order in central Europe.  Chapter 3. The communist takeover and consolidation of power.  Chapter 4. The politics of Stalinism.  Chapter 5. Socialist industrialisation and economic development.  Chapter 6. Social change and the nature of communist society.  Chapter 7. De-Stalinisation and politcal instability.  Chapter 8. The politics of mature communism.  Chapter 9. The military basis of the communist order. Chapter 10. The Regional Economic Framework.  Chapter 11. The end of communist rule.  Chapter 12. Post-communism and the transition to democracy.  Chapter 13. Conclusion: the weight of history.  Guide to further reading. Bibliography.  Maps.  Index.