Czechoslovakia, once considered Central Europe's model democracy, has been a Soviet satellite since 1948. The Communists now boast that "socialism" has defeated capitalism politically and has surpassed it in production, in living standards, and in social justice. How realistic is this picture of conditions in a country once oriented to the West? This question is the focus of Professor Taborsky's book. In attempting to answer it, the author first reviews the history of the Communist Party's rise to power and then examines in detail the economic, social, political, and cultural programs of their twelve-year regime, comparing stated plans with actual results through 1960. His final assessment of the Party's successes and failures measures both effort and result against the human cost.
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