First published in 1989,
A History of Czechoslovakia Since 1945
is a comprehensive account of Czechoslovakia under Communist rule, tracing events from 1945 to 1990. The author focuses on the last twenty years in particular, when the Prague Spring offered a brief period of liberalization, but was followed by harder times, with the hope of change fading, and society becoming paralyzed. Dr. Renner describes vividly the country’s fortunes under the Soviet rule of Stalin and Brezhnev, and how it pioneered the policy of
glasnost
during the Prague Spring of 1968. The book concludes with a special look at the influence of Gorbachev’s
on the regime of Czechoslovakia. Dr. Renner combines a chronological overview with a passionate yet scholarly discussion of underlying political, economic, and cultural issues and developments, making this book invaluable as an authoritative and lucid account of Czechoslovak history, as well as an explanation of the role this country and in events played in the shaping of modern Europe.