europe, central

Documents the collapse of the Soviet Union's European empire (East Germany, Poland, Czechoslvakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria) and the transition of each to independent states, drawing on interviews and newly uncovered archival material to offer insight into 1989's rapid changes and the USSR's minimal resistance.

Presents regional essays, country reports, statistical summaries, and world press articles that provide information about Russia, the Eurasian Republics, and Central/Eastern Europe; and includes a glossary, a bibliography, and an index.

Discusses the history, culture, and politics of the countries of Eastern Europe, including Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, and the former Yugoslavia; and includes maps, flags, and a chronology.

Addresses the developments, changes, and issues that have affected the countries of Central and Eastern Europe which, at the beginning of 1995, were independent, sovereign, and diplomatically recognized states with membership in the United Nations and other international organizations.