Extraordinary. . . . Abrams's superb work can be read with profit by generalists as well as by historians of Central and Eastern Europe. Highly recommended.
CHOICE
Abrams work will certainly set the standard on this subject for years to come.
Melissa Feinberg, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Habsburg, March 2005
An important part ... Read moreof the scholarly reexamination of the cold war since the fall of European communism is the questioning of traditionally accepted verities. One of the most hallowed of these is the notion that the establishment of communism in Central and Eastern Europe was purely a function of Soviet military occupation. That this was not the case in Czechoslovakia, and perhaps, by analogy, not nearly as much as we once believed to have been the case in other countries, is the theme of Bradley Abrams'sexcellent book.... [T]he period from 1945 to 1948...is minutely and superbly studied. We are all indebted to Abrams for so beautifully reminding us that history really does have something to teach us, even when it is about an episode that most of the world would rather forget..
East European Politics and Societies
Overall, this is an excellent book, meticulously researched and well organized, it succeeds in setting a new agenda for Czechoslovak history in the Cold War-free world.
Sam Johnson, University of Sheffield
Seer
Abram's work is well researched. It would be a very useful read for undergraduates in history, Czech culture courses or for those readying themselves for study abroad in Prague.
Cynthia A. Klima, SUNY: College at Geneso
Slavic and East European Journal
The communist seizure of power in Czechoslovakia, a country known for its democratic exceptionalism during the interwar era, has long attracted the interest of historians of the region. With this intellectual history of Czechoslovakia's postwar political culture, Bradley F. Abrams makes a valuable addition to the historiography of the topic. By carefully reconstructing the development of postwar political culture in Czechoslovakia, Abrams lays to rest any remaining notion of a top-down imposition of communism by Soviet outsiders who together with a few domestic fellow travelers subverted Czechoslovakia in 1948. As he demonstrates, the Communist Party had broad popular support in Czechoslovakia. Clearly written and well argued, this volume should be of interest to modern European historians as well as to those involved in Cold War and communist/postcommunist studies.
Nancy M. Wingfield, Northern Illinois University
American Historical Review
An important part of the scholarly reexamination of the cold war since the fall of European communism is the questioning of traditionally accepted verities. One of the most hallowed of these is the notion that the establishment of communism in Central and Eastern Europe was purely a function of Soviet military occupation. That this was not the case in Czechoslovakia, and perhaps, by analogy, not nearly as much as we once believed to have been the case in other countries, is the theme of Bradley Abrams's excellent book.... [T]he period from 1945 to 1948...is minutely and superbly studied. We are all indebted to Abrams for so beautifully reminding us that history really does have something to teach us, even when it is about an episode that most of the world would rather forget.
East European Politics and Societies
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