• Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • About
  • Contact

Cold War

Before, During, and After the Cold War

  • Podcast
  • Red Scare
  • Cuba
  • Iran
  • Urbanization
  • Spy
  • Afghanistan
  • Taiwan
  • Vietnam
  • Timelines

CAN THE ‘ARAB SPRING’ LEARN FROM THE COLD WAR’S PRAGUE SPRING?

February 24, 2011 by Lisa Reynolds Wolfe

Like many of the rest of you, I’m totally ready for spring. It starts on March 20 this year by the way. So I just went to the bookstore — Borders is in bankruptcy and is having a great sale — and bought The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. I’ve actually read the book once before but then I was only looking for romance. Now I want to learn about the Prague Spring. Can it tell us anything about the Arab Spring that’s getting so much media hype right now?

I’m hoping that many of you will join me in discussing the book sometime the end of March. (If you want to cheat, I guess you can watch the movie instead.) By then we’ll know more about what’s happening in the Middle East. We can make some comparisons — or decide that everything is so different that the two ‘Springs’ are just not comparable.

I’m going to go out on a limb here too, and list some other — more academic sources that have to do with the Cold War in Eastern Europe.

As you’ve probably guessed if you’ve visited Cold War Studies before, my specialities are the Cold War in the Third World — especially Cuba, Iran, and Taiwan. So I’m going to be taking a look at these sources with you.

Please let me — and Cold War Studies readers — know what you think. What you like and what you don’t like. If you have other readings that you think are important, please pass them along.

As always, the links send you to Amazon, a Cold War Studies affiliate. You help support us when you buy from them. The list is below in no particular order — happy reading!

Garton Ash, Timothy. The Magic Lantern: the revolution of ’89 witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin and Prague. New York: Vintage, 1993. (also available as an e-book)

Kovaly, Heda Margolius. Under a Cruel Star: a Life in Prague 1941-1968. New York: Holmes and Meier, 1997. (also available as an e-book)

Held, Joseph, ed. The Columbia History of Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century. Columbia University Press, 1996.

Okey, Robin. Eastern Europe 1740-1985. Feudalism to Communism. University of Minnesota Press, 1986.

Stokes, Gale, ed. From Stalinism to Pluralism: A Documentary History of Eastern Europe since 1945. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.

Rothschild, Joseph. Return to Diversity. A Political History of East Central Europe since World War II. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.

Kovrig, Bennet. Of Walls and Bridges. The United States and Eastern Europe. New York: Twentieth Century Fund Books,  1991.


Filed Under: Eastern Europe

About Lisa Reynolds Wolfe

Widely published, Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Politics from New York University and a Master of Science in Policy Analysis and Public Management from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Areas of particular interest and expertise include Cold War Studies, sustainable development, heritage, and the environment.

Follow Us On Twitter

Cold War Studies Follow

A Cold War historian, Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Politics from New York University and a MS in Policy Analysis and Public Management from SUNY Stony Brook.

Avatar
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
17h

Check out this article from @nytimes. Because I'm a subscriber, you can read it through this gift link without a subscription. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/27/opinion/sunday/knitting-fabric-michelle-obama.html?unlocked_article_code=1ew_IOkoQKL6pwCvaRQwqw7kaWYxQwBmX4RM8ZwtFdZYqpOghTnXUxbK7NmSwILpgVkTsehpl3Au4GhqUs1-dQP4onemJRdEVXYlONemCl8eqaGxUhfyGFeV0mwhRgrGJBllB6l7bc09s40JuyYDCn-Pzj_QRnzJRPcBVqRfaOwmRVceyoxIxg3hjSG4aJC0jFK7rVqZ3d-HPGkCAInMKNtJNaRye6_h-msXKJWjY1ipfpuF4gvQQjACg6r618EQKLx4kY3mXwdfk4DYZAbtqtAoHTE9btePy6OljFN7QC_ZDdcEA_0JCp2Cqwlnrht_EQUuLBsVhjEs-doVEvBw0WJ9hFHqwu9kVp9GTguk1Q&smid=tw-share

Reply on Twitter 1619318960922714113 Retweet on Twitter 1619318960922714113 Like on Twitter 1619318960922714113 Twitter 1619318960922714113
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
25 Jan

Cold War Nuclear Bunker Lures Tourists Worried About New Threats https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/world/canada/diefenbunker-museum-ottawa.html?smid=tw-share

Reply on Twitter 1618235296033943554 Retweet on Twitter 1618235296033943554 Like on Twitter 1618235296033943554 Twitter 1618235296033943554
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
13 Jan

UWS Has Grown More Than Any Manhattan Nabe Since Pandemic: Study https://patch.com/new-york/upper-west-side-nyc/uws-has-grown-more-any-manhattan-nabe-pandemic-study?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=share

Reply on Twitter 1613907759782858752 Retweet on Twitter 1613907759782858752 Like on Twitter 1613907759782858752 Twitter 1613907759782858752
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
13 Jan

In Captain America Cold War: Steve and Sam https://www.theworkprint.com/in-captain-america-cold-war-steve-and-sam/123

Reply on Twitter 1613905207896772608 Retweet on Twitter 1613905207896772608 Like on Twitter 1613905207896772608 Twitter 1613905207896772608
Load More

Affiliate Disclosure

Cold War Studies is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn a small commission by advertising and linking to amazon.com. You never pay more if you puchase your Amazon product from one of our links. Thanks for supporting Cold War Studies!

 

How Much Do You Know About the Cold War?

Want to find out how much you really know about the Cold War. Click here to take our quiz. 

 

Most Popular Posts

Cold War Fashion: The Early Years (1950s-1960s)

History of Colonization in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA): Precursor to Cold War Conflict

Cold War Chile

The Rise of Fast Fashion: Globalization and Waste

The Red Scare

10 Little Known Facts About the Peace Sign

Immigration to the US During the Cold War

The First Red Scare: A Timeline

Korean War Music

Cold War Argentina: The Dirty War

The Cold War: Decolonization and Conflict in the Third World

Check Out Our Red Scare White Paper

Read all about the Red Scare. Just click on the cover below.

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in