The Routledge Companion to Central and Eastern Europe since 1919

Contemporary Review, Summer, 2009

The Routledge Companion to Central and Eastern Europe since 1919. Adrian Webb. Routledge. [pounds sterling]65.00. xviii 363 pages. ISBN 978-0-415-44563-4. By 'Eastern Europe' the author means the 1945-1990 Soviet empire along with Albania. Yugoslavia, the Baltic States. Moldova and the Ukraine.

The text is divided into eight sections: the 1919 re-ordering of Europe, a survey history from 1919 to 1990; an historical chronology of key events (a most useful section); "thematic chronology', i.e. a history of the various ideologies that swept over Europe and of foreign affairs between 1919 and 1990; the nation states (the rise and fall of countries and the growth of the latest empire, the EU); 'special topics' which includes the economy, the environment, human statistics and culture; people - a listing of heads of stales and governments, judicial murders, potted biographies and so on; a glossary of specialist terms; and. finally, 'historiography' which is really a list of further reading. Even with the spread of Wikipedia and other 'on-line' sources of information, reference titles such as this one serve a most useful purpose and can still be heartily recommended. (A.C.T.)