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The Grooves of Change: Eastern Europe at the Turn of the Millennium
The Grooves of Change is the culmination of J. F. Brown’s esteemed career as an analyst of Eastern Europe. He traces events in this diverse and disruption-riddled region from the communist era to the years of transition after the fall of the Berlin Wall to the present. Brown also provides specific analyses of the development of liberal democratic culture in the former communist countries of Eastern Europe—Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the successor states of Yugoslavia.
While acknowledging that the term “Eastern Europe” began to fall into disuse with the end of the cold war, Brown uses it as a framework for discussing the enduring features of the modern history of this its basic continuity, the prominence of ethnic and national factors, and its dependence on great powers or combinations of powers outside it. He explains the significance of the growing gulf between East Central Europe and South Eastern Europe, the overall political and economic deprivation and its effect on the people, the urgency of change, and the complex dynamics within Eastern Europe that have defied definitions and generalization. Finally, Brown points to the need for continuing assistance by the United States and the West and suggests what the twenty-first century may bring to this constantly changing part of the world.
Those seeking a clear overview of events in Eastern Europe during the recent psat and the state of these nations now will benefit from this incisive study by J. F. Brown.
While acknowledging that the term “Eastern Europe” began to fall into disuse with the end of the cold war, Brown uses it as a framework for discussing the enduring features of the modern history of this its basic continuity, the prominence of ethnic and national factors, and its dependence on great powers or combinations of powers outside it. He explains the significance of the growing gulf between East Central Europe and South Eastern Europe, the overall political and economic deprivation and its effect on the people, the urgency of change, and the complex dynamics within Eastern Europe that have defied definitions and generalization. Finally, Brown points to the need for continuing assistance by the United States and the West and suggests what the twenty-first century may bring to this constantly changing part of the world.
Those seeking a clear overview of events in Eastern Europe during the recent psat and the state of these nations now will benefit from this incisive study by J. F. Brown.
- GenresHistory
296 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 22, 2013
A fine book written by a fine man and an excellent teacher. Some years ago, I had the pleasure of taking two classes with J. F. Brown, both of which were more or less based on the material covered in the book. It presents a substantial and thorough analysis of the dynamics currently in process in Eastern Europe; written in a lucid and easy to comprehend wording, this masterpiece of post-Soviet East-European studies is also the most readable work on this region that I have so far encountered.
The bulk of the book is focused on the 20th century developments in Eastern Europe after the breakup of the Habsburg and the Ottoman Empires. Carefully assessing all factors playing part in the political and socio-economic processes in the region, and following them closely but without lapsing into too much boring detail, Brown has managed to determine the exact balance between factology and analysis to make "Grooves of Change" both a pleasant and an educational reading.
An interesting concept is developed in the section of the book devoted to the relations of Eastern Europe with the Soviet Union in the aftermath of WW II. Analyzing Communist rule in the region and reflecting on the reasons for the ultimate failure of Kremlin to establish effective and lasting domestic regimes, Brown develops the concept of "cohesion and viability" as the two Soviet objectives in the region. For him, the reason underlying the ousting of Communist governments in Eastern Europe was grounded in the failure of the Soviet leaders to find the exact balance between these two while trying to come up with a consistent East European policy.
The book also gives the readers a close look into the development of democracy in the region, discussing the obstacles hindering its progress, its interrelation with the globalizing forces on the one hand, and the omnipresent ethnic factor on the other as a major challenge to its survival. An instructive discussion of the Yugoslav wars as an indicator that something was obviously going wrong with the transition in the region adds to the value of the book. The minority issue is given due significance and a coverage that it rightfully deserves. In view of the bloody conflicts that have taken place subsequent to the fall of Communism, I find it admirable that authors like J.F.Brown have devoted their professional careers to untangling these complicated matters.
The bulk of the book is focused on the 20th century developments in Eastern Europe after the breakup of the Habsburg and the Ottoman Empires. Carefully assessing all factors playing part in the political and socio-economic processes in the region, and following them closely but without lapsing into too much boring detail, Brown has managed to determine the exact balance between factology and analysis to make "Grooves of Change" both a pleasant and an educational reading.
An interesting concept is developed in the section of the book devoted to the relations of Eastern Europe with the Soviet Union in the aftermath of WW II. Analyzing Communist rule in the region and reflecting on the reasons for the ultimate failure of Kremlin to establish effective and lasting domestic regimes, Brown develops the concept of "cohesion and viability" as the two Soviet objectives in the region. For him, the reason underlying the ousting of Communist governments in Eastern Europe was grounded in the failure of the Soviet leaders to find the exact balance between these two while trying to come up with a consistent East European policy.
The book also gives the readers a close look into the development of democracy in the region, discussing the obstacles hindering its progress, its interrelation with the globalizing forces on the one hand, and the omnipresent ethnic factor on the other as a major challenge to its survival. An instructive discussion of the Yugoslav wars as an indicator that something was obviously going wrong with the transition in the region adds to the value of the book. The minority issue is given due significance and a coverage that it rightfully deserves. In view of the bloody conflicts that have taken place subsequent to the fall of Communism, I find it admirable that authors like J.F.Brown have devoted their professional careers to untangling these complicated matters.
October 4, 2017
Excellent analysis of Eastern Europe of some of the factors that lead to the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe and the subsequent developments in the region throughout the 1990s.
November 18, 2017
I had to read parts of this for my Eastern Europe class and it is one of the best "textbook" type books I have seen on the subject.
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January 22, 2013I like more stories about people mixed in with the history - this book didn't have enough of that. It went back to the library.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews