To: European Sociologist

Harwood Academic is pleased to announce the publication of a new book

_The Fall: A Comparative Study of the End of Communism in
Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary and Poland_

Brief details are below. For a Paper Flyer please send your postal address
to  [log in to unmask]

Thank you -- Gerard Greenway -- commissioning editor, social sciences

THE FALL
A Comparative Study of the End of Communism in
Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary and Poland

By Steven Saxonberg, Institute for East European Studies, Uppsala
University, Sweden

"_The Fall_ is highly 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

"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

"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."
- Giuseppe Di Palma, University of California at Berkeley, USA

"The best comparative analysis of the collapse of Communism to date... [A]
must read for anyone interested in Eastern Europe or comparative politics."
- Mark Thompson, Erlangen University, Germany

"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."
- Bogdan Szajkowski, University of Exeter, UK


_The Fall_ examines one of the twentieth century's greatest 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, which initiated negotiations with
the opposition, while in Czechoslovakia and East Germany it was mass
movements which led to the downfall of the regimes.

The book is rich in empirical material, with the author drawing
substantially on his interviews with many of the most important participants
in the events of 1989. At the same time, it makes an important theoretical
contribution to the literature. Conventional opinion is opened to scrutiny
on issues such as the role of Gorbachev and the influence of civil society.
In addition, the book develops a critique of the two main traditions of
research on political change: those of transition and revolution. The former
concentrates on negotiated change while neglecting change caused by mass
uprisings; the latter emphasises change caused by mass movements at the
expense of negotiated change. Saxonberg here develops a model which
incorporates the fruits of both these paradigms.

CONTENTS: Part I: Theory <> The Collapse <> The Main Framework  <> Part II:
The Underlying Causes of the Collapse <> The Economic Situation <>
Implementing Economic Reforms <> The Rise of Gorbachev and the Fall of
Legitimacy <> Part III: Differences in the Process of Collapse <> Regime
Policy Before 1988 <> Civil Society and the Degree of Liberalism <> Social
Movements Before 1988 <> Institutional Compromise <> Non-Violent Revolutions
<> Summary of the Model <> Epilogue: The Rightwing Shift after 1989 <>
Appendix: Notes on the Interviews and Documentation <> References <> Index

January 2001 <> 434 + xvii pp
Cloth * ISBN 90-5823-097-X
US$54 / £34 / EUR54

Harwood Academic Publishers
is an part of the Gordon and Breach Publishing Group
http://www.gbhap.com




Gerard Greenway
commissioning editor, social sciences
Harwood Academic
[log in to unmask]
Tel: +44 (0)118 952 0314 (direct line)
http://www.gbhap.com