A Carnival of Revolution: Central Europe 1989

(Paperback)

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Description

This history of the revolutions that toppled communism in Europe, looks behind the scenes at the grassroots movements that made those revolutions happen. It looks for answers not in the salons of power brokers, not in decrepit economies - but in the whirlwind of activity of musicians, artists and guerrilla theatre collectives subverting traditions and state power. Melding his experience in Solidarity-era Poland with the sensibility of a historian, Padraic Kenney argues that these movements were active well before glasnost. Some protested military or environmental policy. Others sought to revive national traditions. Many crossed forbidden borders to meet their counterparts in neighbouring countries. They all conquered fear and apathy to bring people out into the streets.

Reviews

"Seminal and indispensable. Using his first-hand acquaintance with many of the key participants in the movements ... Kenney has given us a pioneering oral history... Strikingly well written, A Carnival of Revolution weaves personal narratives of protest into an illuminating historical analysis of the changing environment in which a new kind of politics developed."--John Gray, Times Literary Supplement "In wondering at the overnight collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, Western observers have often focused on Gorbachev, Vaclav Havel, the storied opposition in Poland, and the measures of regime failure. These accounts have missed something. Kenney goes back and uncovers the more complex bubbling of events--that helped prepare the way for democracy."--Foreign Affairs "Using oral history techniques and underground literature, Kenney has woven together stories of many individuals... This new approach is a valuable contribution to the topic and will appeal to both historians and political scientists."--Library Journal "A Carnival of Revolution acts as a potent corrective to the simplistic and often self-serving accounts of the fall of the Iron Curtain currently in vogue... Padraic Kenney's careful account returns history to its rightful owners, the thousands who risked what little security they had to sneak a little joy into their lives."--Mother Jones "Assiduous in searching out sources in several countries and languages ... [Kenney] has gathered together information that no one else has or will. As a result, he has written an account that is essential reading for a full understanding of the revolutions of 1989 and of the younger generations that haunted the last days of Communism."--John J. Kulczycki, International History Review "I know of no other book telling of so many lesser-known groups and activists involved in a social movement wave across so many countries (not to mention languages). Kenney cobbles their stories together like a master sleuth writing a whodunit, culminating with a series of sketches putting the pieces together as 1989 approaches. It ... will be a crucial reference for a long time to come."--David Ost, American Historical Review "Essential reading for a full understanding of the revolution of 1989 and of the younger generation that haunted the last days on Communism."--John J. Kulczycki, International History Review

Author Bio

Padraic Kenney is Professor of European History at the University of Colorado. He is the author of "Rebuilding Poland: Workers and Communists, 1945-1950".