This is a pioneering volume destined to meet the growing demand for informative in-depth analysis of social changes in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. The book introduces and elaborates upon such significant concepts as: civil society, dissent, non-violence, post-Stalinism, conscientious objection and human rights. Dealing with present history, the book captures both its hidden and visible meanings. The principal author is a recognised authority on the entirety of the region called Eastern Europe. Uniquely familiar with both the official and dissident movements and personalities in the region, the author has invited a number of distinguished scholars and/or dissidents to contribute case-studies on Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and the Soviet Union; case-studies which interpret the magnitude and significance of the peace movement in Eastern Europe.

Author Biography

Vladimir Tismaneanu is Resident Scholar at the Foreign Policy Institute of Philadelphia and Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania.