The Political History of Eastern Europe in the 20th Century presents a fresh, up-to-date introduction to the struggle between democracy and dictatorship in Eastern Europe since 1900.The book is broken down into three different parts focusing on those time periods when experiments with democracy threatened to change the established order: the inter-war period, the democratic or semi- democratic interlude in the wake of the Second World War until 1949 and the current experience with the new democracies. In discussing the struggle between democracy and dictatorship, the authors argue that the experience of Eastern Europe reveals the challenges which threaten democracy and the conditions necessary for the survival of democratic government.

The book will be essential reading for students of Eastern Europe, comparative politics, and European history.