Extreme politics : nationalism, violence, and the end of Eastern Europe /

The collapse of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe in 1989-91 seemed to give way to extreme forms of politics that pitted violent individuals, ethnic groups, and even entire nations against each other. However, the last 20 years have demonstrated that some violent conflicts endure across time, while others are only dimly remembered as ancient struggles with little significance for the present. In a remarkable series of elegantly written essays that skillfully link nationalist ideology, social violence, and political transformation in the post-Communist world, King (Georgetown Univ.) cautions readers that history is generally an unreliable guide to the present but that, at the same time, political scientists working on Eastern Europe should be more attentive to the relevance of historical details and historical arguments for present post-Communist politics. As the volume's nine chapters amply suggest, much theoretical mileage and practical insight is to be gained from blending historical analysis and social science inquiry. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, and research collections. L. Stan St. Francis Xavier University