Routledge The Fall: A Comparative Study of the End of Communism in Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary and Poland

Product Description With a foreword by Seymour Lipset, Hoover Institution and George Mason University, USA The Fall examines one of the twentieth century's great historical puzzles: why did the communist-led regimes in Eastern Europe collapse so quickly and why was the process of collapse so different from country to country? This major study explains why the impetus for change in Poland and Hungary came from the regimes themselves, while in Czechoslovakia and East Germany it was mass movements which led to the downfall of the regimes. Review 'The Fall is highy original, synthesizing neo-institutionalism, Marxism, and political psychology. Saxonberg presents a highly ambitious and complex analysis of the downfall of communism in Eastern Europe that is well worth our reading' - Seymore Martin Lipset, George Mason University and The Hoover Institution, USA 'Steven Saxonberg has provided us with a unique insight into the dynamics that led to the collapse of the four communist regimes in Central Europe ... The book is a must for anyone interested in democratic transitions' - Ole Norgaard, Aarhus University, Denmark This major work sheds new light on the events of 1989 and should replace several of the established and now much-dated texts. This book should become compulsory reading... 'With logic, rigor, and great particularity, Saxonberg develops a model of the relationship of interests to politics that should provoke considerable debate in the years to come,' - David Ost, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, USA The best comparative analysis of the collapse of Communism to date...[A] must read for anyone interested in Eastern Europe or comparative politics." " The best comparative analysis of the collapse of Communism to date...[A] must read for anyone interested in Eastern Europe or comparative politics. Steven Saxonberg has provided us with a unique insight into the dynamics that led to the collapse of the four communist regimes in Central Europe. ... The book is a must for anyone interested in democratic transitions. "Saxonberg's study of the similarities and differences in the democratic transitions of the four communist regimes is equally guided by meticulous field research and by a strong analytical apparatus. His treatment of the legitimacy question is especially enlightening."