Synopses & Reviews
Current work on the transition from communism in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union has emphasized the "polity" and the "economy"; this book treats four basic areas: ethnic issues, deviance and health, social cleavages, and labor and elitism.
Review
"This fine volume hopefully will be the first in a series of studies on the social consequences of communism....Some of the findings are truly outstanding." Foreign Affairs"This carefully researched collection is based on scores of primary and secondary sources: newspaper articles, opinion poles, surveys, and a host of available relevant statistical data. Almost superseding its value as a source of information is its statement on the state of the discipline. The methodological diversity is simply breathtaking." The Historian"The volume contains matters of interest..." Canadian Journal of History"This fine volume hopefully will be the first in a series of studies on the social consequences of communism....Some of the findings are truly outstanding... These findings make clear how seriously communism was misjudged and are invaluable to understanding how civil society can reconstruct itself in the East." Foreign Affairs"...The Social Legacy of Communism successfully analyzes the effects of communism on Eastern Europe and the successor states of the Soviet Union...the book is a useful work area scholars and students of postcommunist Eastern Europe and the CIS." Canadian Slavonic Papers"This carefully researched collection is based on scores of primary and secondary sources: newspaper articles, opinion polls, surveys, and a host of available relevant statistical data. Almost superseding its value as a source of information is its statment on the state of the discipline. The methodological diversity is simply breathtaking." Alice-Catherine Carls, The Historian
Table of Contents
1. Introduction - social legacies and the aftermath of communism James R. Millar; Part I. Ethnic Issues; 2. Making up for lost choice: the shaping of ethnic identity in post-sovietia Peter Juviler; 3. From ethnicity to nationalism: turmoil in the Russian mini-empire Marjorie Mandelstam Balzer; 4. Ethnicity, nationalism and the communist legacy in eastern Europe Maria N. Todorova; Part II. Deviance and Health; 5. The social construction of deviance and the transition from communist rule Andrea Stevenson Sanjian; 6. Crime and the collapse of the soviet state Louise Shelley; 7. Drug abuse in eastern Europe John M. Kramer; 8. Post-communist medicine: morbidity, mortality and the deteriorating health Situation Mark G. Field; 9. Health and mortality in eastern Europe: retrospect and prospect Nicholas Eberstadt; Part III. Social Cleavages; 10. Communism's legacy and Russian youth Richard B. Dobson; 11. The social legacy of communism: women, children, and the feminization of poverty Gail Kligman; Part IV. Labor and Elitism; 12. Elitism in post-communist Russia Mervyn Matthews; 13. Labour politics in post-communist Russia: a preliminary assessment Walter D. Connor; 14. Unemployment in the former Soviet Union William Moskoff; Part V. Conclusion; 15. Reflections on the social legacy of communism Joseph S. Berliner.