From the Soviet Bloc to the European Union. The Economic and Social Transformation of Central and Eastern Europe since 1973

摘要

The fall of the Berlin Wall and the tearing down of the Iron Curtain in 1989 is probably the most remarkable lifetime event for the current generation of European citizens. It ended the hostile and ugly division between East and West, set free millions of human lives and aspirations, opened up borders, and created a 'new world order'. In retrospect, the high expectations of a worldwide expansion of liberal democracy, free-market economy and international cooperation for the protection of peace and human rights may seem somewhat naieve.