Ranging from the Russian revolution of 1917 to the collapse of Eastern Europe in the 1980s, this study examines the course of Communist rule. By focusing primarily on the USSR and Eastern Europe Stephen White covers the major topics and issues affecting these countries, including:

* communism as a doctrine

* the evolution of Communist rule

* the challenges to Soviet authority in Hungary and Yugoslavia

* the emerging economic fragility of the 1960s

* the complex process of collapse in the 1980s.

Featuring the latest research, Communism and Its Collapse is a thorougly comprehensive account of the rise and fall of communism .

Stephen White is a Professor of Policital Science and a member of The Institute of Central and Eastern European Studies at the University of Glasgow.