An excellent companion volume to the successful A History of Eastern Europe, this is a country-by-country treatment of the contemporary history of each of the Balkan states: Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosova. With a distinctive conceptual framework for explaining divergent patterns of historical change, the book shifts the emphasis away from traditional cultural explanations and concentrates on the pervasive influence of strongly entrenched vertical power-structures and power-relations. Focusing on political and economic continuities and changes since the 1980s, The Balkans includes brief overviews of the history of each state prior to the 1980s to provide the background to enable all students of Eastern European history to make sense of the more recent developments.
Author(s): Robert Bideleux and Ian Jeffries
Year: 2006
Language: English
Pages: 640
Tags: Международные отношения;Международные отношения;
Book Cover......Page 1
Half-Title......Page 2
Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Dedication......Page 6
Contents......Page 8
Tables......Page 9
Preface......Page 11
Abbreviations......Page 16
1. Conceptual frameworks: ‘The Balkans’ and the nature of post-Communist democratization and economic transformations......Page 22
2. Albania: Between a rock and a hard place......Page 43
3. Bulgaria: The Devil has all the best tunes......Page 94
4. Romania: The road to the EU is paved with good intentions......Page 146
5. Croatia: Paying a price......Page 204
6. Serbia: From Serbdom to pariahdom......Page 254
7. Bosnia and Herzegovina: The travails of coexistence......Page 350
8. Macedonia: Towards a bi-national state?......Page 426
9. Montenegro: To be or not to be?......Page 492
10. Kosova: The forging of a nation and a state......Page 533
11. The post-Communist Balkans, the West and the EU: Major challenges and contradictions between rhetoric and reality......Page 602
Bibliography......Page 616
Index......Page 630
