The year 1989 marks an upheaval in Central and Eastern Europe and stands for a radical change in such spheres as society, economy, politics and culture in this region. This volume presents a collection of articles and analyses exploring a broad range of aspects of post-1989 developments ranging from historical legacies and politics of history, changing values and mentality, old and new inequalities, elites and European integration, written by recognised social scientists from both Eastern and Western Europe. The chapters included in the volume present not only recent advances and findings, but also state-of-the-art of research and emerging trends and future challenges in the above-mentioned areas.

Two decades on from the start of the ‘Singing Revolution’, and five years on from the Baltic States’ entry to the European Union, the time is ripe to take stock of Estonia’s remarkable transition from Soviet Republic to EU member state and address the challenges - some new, some ongoing - and uncertainties that have arisen following the country’s entry to the EU. This book locates the post-accession period within the broader sweep of post-communist transition and diagnoses the problems facing Estonia as the global economic downturn takes hold and a new mood of pessimism reigns in Central and Eastern Europe. Until recently, Estonia enjoyed an international reputation as an emerging high-growth ‘tiger economy’ and reform pioneer, not least in the sphere of IT. This economic success story, however, masked the continued problematic political and social legacies of the Soviet period, including the issue of ethnic integration, which again hit the headlines following riots in Tallinn in April 2007. This fully up-to-date appraisal - the first in English - covers all of the key issues, and will appeal to specialists in Baltic and Central and Eastern European politics and society, as well as to anyone with an interest in European integration more generally. This book was published as a special issue of the Journal of Baltic Studies.

Why isn't the Baltic region like the Balkans? Why have the Baltic republics not experienced ethnic cleansing, border wars, authoritarian rule, and social chaos? Instead, peace, democracy, and market economies have taken root since the fall of communism. Walter C. Clemens, Jr. here uses complexity theory, which analyzes the role of self-organization in complex adaptive systems, to explain the "Baltic miracle." He argues that the theory is a vital tool for understanding the remarkable strides made by Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania since 1991 in coping with the transition to partnership with the new Europe. The Baltic peoples have adapted well to the demands of democracy, a market economy, and a constructive role in world affairs. The achievements of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in the past decade are the more amazing when considered against the hundreds of years they were dominated by Teutonic knights, Hanseatic merchants, Sweden, Russia, and the USSR. Clemens uses this history as a springboard to analyze how Balts self-organize today to meet the challenges of transition. One of the first books to apply complexity theory to a major sphere of world politics, The Baltic Transformed will provoke constructive debate with its ambitious and well-grounded analysis of not only Baltic developments but European security more generally. Despite its theoretical foundation, the book is written in a clear and accessible style that will make it invaluable for courses on comparative politics, political development, international relations, security, or transition studies.

From a historical perspective, the period between the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) until the Wall Street crash of 2008 was brief, but the social changes were far-reaching and resulted in the profound alteration of institutional frameworks of post-socialist societies in Central and East European countries, e.g. Estonia. This book examines the transformation of Estonian society, concentrating on changes in the stratification order. The (re)distribution of the risks and opportunities between different groups in Estonian society, the 'most neoliberal' in the European Union, and the perceptions about fairness of the most radical changes in post-socialist world are the main issues of this volume.

'The Baltic States After Independence is an excellent and informative account of how the Baltic republics have failed. . . . This excellent book is indispensable for any scholar studying the former Soviet Union. Although this book will be a definitive reference for transition scholars, it deserves a wider audience. I would encourage every economics major to read it, or at least parts of it. Too often the economics curriculum, tainted by orthodoxy, ignores the interdependence of economics, politics, and international relations. The authors superbly demonstrate that markets do not develop independently and ahistorically, rather their development is path dependent and guided by a qualified and efficient state apparatus. I can think of no better book that disparages neoclassical orthodoxy almost to the point of irrelevancy, while at the same time vindicating the central tenets of institutionalism.' - Jack Reardon, Journal of Economic Issues Acclaim for the first edition: 'The book is of great help in understanding the Baltic states, in particular the survival of what has been referred to as the civil society and the (re)-establishment of democracy.' - Ulf Hansson, Initiative on Conflict Resolution and Ethnicity The second edition of this widely acclaimed book considers the extent to which the Baltic states have succeeded politically and economically in their aspirations to emulate Western institutions since independence. The book has been completely revised since the first edition to account for the rapid changes in the countries themselves, and in the theories that attempt to generalize the patterns of development in post-communist countries.