Author: Snyder, Timothy
Edition: Illustrated
Format: Illustrated
Number Of Pages: 367
PartNumber: Illustrated
Release Date: 07-09-2004
Details: Product Description From the bestselling author of On Tyranny comes a revealing history of the four modern national ideas that arose from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth “[A] fresh and stimulating look at the path to nationhood.”―Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs “Erudite and engrossing.”―Charles King, Times Literary Supplement Modern nationalism in northeastern Europe has often led to violence and then reconciliation between nations with bloody pasts. In this fascinating book, Timothy Snyder traces the emergence of Polish, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, and Belarusian nationhood over four centuries, discusses various atrocities (including the first account of the massive Ukrainian-Polish ethnic cleansings of the 1940s), and examines Poland’s recent successful negotiations with its newly independent Eastern neighbors, as it has channeled national interest toward peace. Review "Charting the passages to nationhood and to national reconciliation in this impossibly complex region is the aim of Timothy Snyder's erudite and engrossing book. . . . An illuminating historical essay. . . . This important book is also elegantly written."--Charles King, Times Literary Supplement "[A] fresh and stimulating look at the path to nationhood."--Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs "[Snyder] utilizes poetry, monuments, symbols, and mini-biography, and family-and village-centered micro-history to make his points, and he succeeds in integrating a common-sense, democratic, and tolerant morality into a set of essentially objective, parallel story-lines. . . . A great book for the professional, scholar, student, and curious reader."--David Goldfrank, The International History Review "An outstanding read."--John-Paul Himka, American Historical Review "A valuable study of how the four nations of the subtitle have arisen, how ethnic cleansing has shaped their histories, and how they now try to make regional peace. Effective charts, well-chosen illustrations, and helpful maps ensure the accessibility of the volume to a wide audience. Highly recommended."--Choice "Amid heaps of historical detail, Snyder voices core truths of political theory largely absent from media commentary . . . [his] fastidious historical detail should make all of us more open-minded about which borders in trouble spots are best for living in a future, peaceful world . . ."--Chronicle of Higher Education "[A] pioneering book."--George O. Liber, Harvard Ukrainian Studies "This is one of those rare books that challenges conventional wisdom in a way that is accessible to those most likely to be conventionally wise. . . . Masterfully woven together and presented in a way that will make this book an invaluable resource for students scholars in other fields, and the general public--not to mention a provocative and enjoyable read for east European historians."--Brian Porter, Slavic Review "An engaging, sophisticated, and highly readable study that we will be arguing with and against for many years to come. . . . An ambitious and sophisticated work deserving a broad readership. . . . Few works provide such a compelling portrait of the complexity of modern national identity, its greatness, and its crimes. For anyone interested in the 'lands between' Germany and Russia, ethnic relations, or the history of modern nationalism, this book is required reading."--Theodore R. Weeks, The Russian Review The book challenges popular assumptions about the ways that ethnic nations arise, why ethnic cleansing takes place, and how nations can reconcile. . . . This book is a tremendous piece of scholarship. . . . It would be ideal for an academic setting, such as a graduate or advanced undergraduate survey of Polish or Eastern European history. The broad time frame covered makes it appropriate for a variety of topical courses. In addition, Snyder's clear, engaging, and often witty writing style would make this book a good piece of reading for a casual enthusiast of Polish, Soviet, or European history.--Abby Dr
EAN: 8601234570264
Model: Illustrated
Languages: English
Binding: Paperback
Item Condition: New