Review by Choice Review
Based on a conference by the Professors World Peace Academy held in December 1987. The aim of the proceedings was to assess the changes associated with the Gorbachev era and to evaluate the prospects for reform in the countries of Eastern Europe. The resulting volume is less a scholarly discussion of the subject than a basic overview of the reforms and their impact on the political, economic, and social realities in the region. The contributors, well-known specialists in the field, take the view that the East European states were subjected to long-standing problems left largely unattended by the Communist regimes. The authors, however, hold that the latest round of reforms offers some prospects for change. The reasons are the severity of the current economic and political conditions of East Europe, and the overt commitment of the Gorbachev leadership to reform in the Communist world. The possible changes are examined in both their domestic and international aspects. The internal scene is analyzed in separate chapters concerning the political implications of the reformist course, the challenge of reform to the ideology of communism, the economic conditions contributing to the need for restructuring, and the implications of reform for human rights. The potential effects of reform on international relations relate to the Soviet-East European relationship, the military balance between the Warsaw Pact and NATO, the historical record of US policies toward Eastern Europe, and contemporary Western policy options in the region. The editors provide an introduction on the diversity of East Europe and a conclusion on the prospects and limits of change in the East European countries. The volume includes a bibliography of suggested readings and an index of country and proper names. Recommended primarily for the general reader and lower-level undergraduate students. J. Bielasiak Indiana University--Bloomington
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
