This is an account of the evolution of Poland from conditions of subjection to its reconstruction in 1918, development in the years between the two World Wars, and reorganisation after 1945. It begins at a time when Poland was still suffering from the legacy of the eighteenth-century Partitions and burdened with problems of sizeable ethnic minorities, inadequate agrarian reforms and sluggish industrial development sustained by foreign capital. It traces the history through to independence and then to the transformation of the country in the last thirty years. Although many of the problems of...

This book tells how the Soviet Union fed itself after the invasion by the Germans during World War II. The author argues that central planning became much less important in feeding the population, and civilians were thereby forced to become considerably more self reliant in feeding themselves. A rationing system was instituted soon after the war began, but quickly became irrelevant because of the chronic food shortages. The breakdown in central supplies of food was accompanied by the diminished importance of the ruble, which in many places was replaced by bread and clothing as the medium of...

How do Soviet politicans rise to power? How are conflicting political interests brought together as policies are developed? Historians and political scientists have long been absorbed by these questions, yet none has systematically examined the crucial role played by patron-client relations. In Patronage and Politics in the USSR Professor John Willerton offers major new insights into the patronage networks that have dominated elite mobility, regime formation and governance in the Soviet Union for the past twenty-five years. Using the career details of over two thousand national and regional...

Christoph Bluth presents an original analysis of the buildup of strategic forces from the death of Stalin to the SALT I agreement. The author outlines Soviet strategic arms policy, identifies the principal interest groups involved, and studies a number of critical decisions taken in relation to strategic bombers, ICBMs, strategic nuclear forces based at sea, ballistic missile defense, and the military uses of space. As well as examining external threat assessment and wider foreign policy, the author pays particular attention to the role of domestic factors such as Khrushchev's endeavors to...

In praise of Surge to Freedom: The End of Communist Rule in Eastern Europe
"Nobody has yet produced a more perceptive and inclusive work on the events of what is arguably the most important year of our lifetimes. This book is essential for anyone with an interest in Eastern Europe, radical social change, or post-bipolar global politics." Joel M. Jenswold, Social Science Quarterly

"Brown has been a close observer of the region for decades, and the breadth of his knowledge and the acuity of his judgments are evident throughout." Michael Bernhard, Political Science...