“[A] provocative study of post-Communist politics in Slovakia. The author asks important questions and addresses significant approaches to the politics of transition.” — Martha Lampland , CSSH Notes
“[A] thoughtful and well laid out study of postcommunist Slovakia . . . . Although it is primarily a case study of Slovakia, Cohen’s findings have much greater significance for all the former Leninist states of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. . . . Readers with an interest in Eastern European history, political science, or nationalism in general will find this book a quick and valuable read.” — Jonathan Grant , The Historian
“[A] welcome contribution towards the understanding of political developments in the early years of postcommunism in Central Europe. Particularly impressive is her treatment of socio-psychological effects that communism bequeathed on the populations of these countries.” — Erika Harris , Extremism and Democracy Newsletter
“Cohen has written what is essentially an accessible student text of considerable detail. It is well worth reading as it signals the predicaments and uncertainties of leaders struggling to adapt new political structures to the demands of the post-Soviet world. The book is well documented and, for anyone interested in the current travails of eastern Europe in general, and Slovakia in particular, this is a valuable source text.” — Geoff Simons , Morning Star
“The most refreshing aspect of this book is its refusal to explain the Meviar phenomenon as the result of a Slovak rebellion against the federal economic reform programme. Cohen, has an acute sense for the ideological porridge that was both the Prague Spring and the subsequent ‘normalization,’ which indeed left many disoriented and open to the reassuringly centrist synthesis of HZDS. Even better, perhaps the strongest feature of the book, is her account of Ján Carnogursky and his Christian Democratic Movement; she captures marvelously the awkward position and limited electoral prospects of a committed, clerical but non-l’udák nationalist in post-Communist Slovakia.” — Kieran Williams , SEER
"[A] timely study. . . . Hopefully, this interesting and well-written study can read a wider academic community beyond those interested in Slovak history and politics." — Gwendolyn Sasse , Nations and Nationalism
“A pioneering study. This book should be required reading for journalists and diplomats who deal with postcommunist Europe.” — James Felak, University of Washington
“Cohen's deft and ingenious examination of the historical, political, biographical, and moral features of Slovakia's present and recent past, in particular the peculiar and powerful quality and impact of the Leninist legacy, contributes substantially to our grasp of this area's novel political sociology.” — Ken Jowitt, University of California, Berkeley