Twenty years ago; the Berlin Wall fell. In one of modern history’s most miraculous occurrences; communism imploded–and not with a bang; but with a whimper. Now two of the foremost scholars of East European and Soviet affairs; Stephen Kotkin and Jan T. Gross; drawing upon two decades of reflection; revisit this crash. In a crisp; concise; unsentimental narrative; they employ three case studies–East Germany; Romania; and Poland–to illuminate what led Communist regimes to surrender; or to be swept away in political bank runs. This is less a story of dissidents; so-called civil society; than of the bankruptcy of a ruling class–communism’s establishment; or “uncivil society.†The Communists borrowed from the West like drunken sailors to buy mass consumer goods; then were unable to pay back the hard-currency debts and so borrowed even more. In Eastern Europe; communism came to resemble a Ponzi scheme; one whose implosion carries enduring lessons. From East Germany’s pseudotechnocracy to Romania’s megalomaniacal dystopia; from Communist Poland’s cult of Mary to the Kremlin’s surprise restraint; Kotkin and Gross pull back the curtain on the fraud and decadence that cashiered the would-be alternative to the market and democracy; an outcome that opened up to a deeper global integration that has proved destabilizing.From the Hardcover edition.
#1159985 in Books 2015-06-18Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.10 x .90 x 6.10l; #File Name: 0812247248192 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Traveling HomelandBy cooperkat10This book presents an interesting discussion of the diaspora as not being away from a physical homeland. The Talmud is presented as a physical and spiritual substitute for Israel. The discussion of Talmud being the tie to Judaism is controversial; but it makes one think of alternative points of view that conflict with traditional thinking.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Boyarin--brilliant againBy jaimeIf you want to read the Talmud; you need a well-versed teacher. Its many wanderings off the topic make it difficult to follow. It may seem disorganized to the reader trained in Greek-style logic; even though; in fact; it follows its own version of Greek logic. Boyarin; however; is brilliant; and his characterization of the Talmud as a "homeland" for those without a safe home anywhere is totally apt.0 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy arielBook is in excellent condition; hard-back; no markings.
