The Rebirth of East Europe

This book is used as a part of an undergraduate class on Eastern European Politics at the university I attend taught by a prominent Serbian professor. With his endorsement, I'm confident that the material in this book is accurate. I found this short book to be an excellent and fairly easy to follow introduction to the convoluted political history of Eastern/Central Europe. It was mentioned by another reviewer that Roskin attributes much of the conflict the region has seen over the past 20 years to the dueling Ottoman and Hungarian Empires. He also pointed out that much of world has been ruled under empire over history which is true. But the Ottoman and Hungarian Empires were occupants of the region, and as opposed to the empires that flourished during the 19th and 20th centuries, did little to nurture the concept of nation-state. That the people who lived within the borders of France were able to identify with the French flag with little regard to the concept of historical ethnicity is one of the reasons that France has flourished as a multi-ethnic state in the modern era. In the case of Eastern Europe, it seems that fighting often breaks out along ethnic and sectarian lines. Or so, Roskin theorizes.

The Rebirth of East Europe is a wonderful text for teaching an introductory, undergraduate course in the politics of the region. I used it for the first time in summer 2004 to teach a course at the Anglo-American College in Prague, and the students (half of them Czech) really took to it. Now in its fourth edition, it is the only text I have found that comprehensively covers the history, politics, economics, and societies of the region in a lively manner. Granted, the author has definite opinions and makes some strong assertions about communism, which may be disconcerting to those on the extreme left of the political spectrum. Yet having lived and taught for many years in the Czech and Slovak Republics, I found his comments largely on target, especially his assessments of the former regimes, the problems facing the new ones, and public attitudes towards both. This was re-confirmed by my Czech colleagues. The book is also extremely well organized, having a logical flow making it easy to follow. Throughout, boxes highlight special topics, which proved extremely useful in generating class discussions. In short, The Rebirth of East Europe is an excellent introductory text to the region, and one that will most definitely not bore your students!

The Rebirth of East Europe is a very good text for teaching an introductory, undergraduate course in the politics of the region. It is one of the only texts that covers the history, politics, economics, and societies of the region in a lively and succinct manner. The book is well organized, having a logical flow making it easy for undergraduates to follow. Throughout, boxes highlight special topics, which proved useful in generating class discussions. Granted, the author inserts some rather un-academically blunt assertions about communism. However, I actually found these helpful in generating classroom discussion. In addition, having taught for many years in the region, I found his observations largely on track, especially his assessments of the former regimes, the problems facing the new ones, and public attitudes towards both. So long as the book is supplemented with a more detailed text or scholarly readings, it should work out well for your course (additional readings would be necessary in any case as the book is relatively old now - 2001). In short, The Rebirth of East Europe is a fine introductory text to the region, and one that will most definitely not bore your students!