The Walls Came Tumbling Down: The Collapse of Communism in Eastern EuropeGale Stokes' The Walls Came Tumbling Down has been one of the standard interpretations of the East European revolutions of 1989 for many years. It offers a sweeping yet vivid narrative of the two decades of developments that led from the Prague Spring of 1968 to the collapse of communism in 1989. Highlights of that narrative include, among other things, discussions of Solidarity and civil society in Poland, Charter 77 and the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, and the bizarre regime of Romania's Nikolae Ceausescu and his violent downfall. In this second edition, now appropriately subtitled Collapse and Rebirth in Eastern Europe, Stokes not only has revised these portions of the book in the light of recent scholarship, but has added three new chapters covering the post-communist period, including analyses of the unification of Germany and the collapse of the Soviet Union, narratives of the admission of many of the countries of the region to the European Union, and discussion of the unfortunate outcomes of the Wars of Yugoslav Succession in the Western Balkans. |
Contents
The Gang of Four and Their Nemesis | |
The Momentum of Change in Hungary | |
The Return of the Repressed in Poland | |
The Glorious Revolutions of 1989 | |
The First Two Years of a Long Time | |
The Disintegration of Yugoslavia | |
The New Pluralism | |
Notes | |
Index | |
Other editions - View all
The Walls Came Tumbling Down: The Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe Gale Stokes No preview available - 1993 |
The Walls Came Tumbling Down: Collapse and Rebirth in Eastern Europe Gale Stokes No preview available - 2012 |
The Walls Came Tumbling Down: The Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe Gale Stokes No preview available - 1993 |
Common terms and phrases
activists Adam Michnik Albanians antipolitical became began Budapest Bulgaria called Ceausescu centrally planned Charter 77 church Civic Forum Committee Communism Communist constitution created Croatia Croats Czech Czechoslovakia December democracy democratic opposition demonstrations Despite discussion East German Eastern Europe economic reforms election enterprises ethnic February federal force foreign Forum Gdańsk German Democratic Republic Gierek Gorbachev Havel Honecker hundred Hungarian Hungary Husák independent industry intellectuals interview Jacek Kuroń Jaruzelski Kosovë leaders leadership living March martial law Michnik million Milošević movement nationalist negotiations November oppositionists organization percent perestroika pluralism Poland Polish political Prague president prime minister problems Rakowski regime Report on Eastern Republic revolution Romania Sejm Serbian Serbs Slovak Slovenes Slovenia social socialist society Solidarity Soviet Union strategy strike thousand took trade University Press Václav Václav Havel vote Walesa Warsaw West workers World York Yugoslav Yugoslavia Zhivkov