Though often misconstrued as a vanished successor to the classical world, Byzantium belongs in the mainstream history of Europe and the Mediterranean; its impact is still felt throughout the Balkans, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
The tension between change and continuity in Byzantine society is one of the main themes explored in this book.
In this lavishly illustrated and arresting study, Warwick Ball reveals Rome's fascination with the East and the dramatic influence of Near Eastern culture on the Roman world. He explains Rome's obsession with the Eastern world as a desire for the new over the old, of the mundane over the exotic; a love affair that even took literal form in the story of Antony and Cleopatra.
Part of a non-fiction series written and designed in a magazine-style
format for today's learner. Each dossier offers a range of language
styles, subject matters and visual impact and includes short stories,
articles and interviews, maps, cartoons and fact-files. This book looks
at Europe, a continent changing rapidly. It examines European history,
life in Eastern Europe, the EC and the "super Europe" of the future.
There are also reports on European life in general, focusing on
language, cities, culture and great Europeans.
Travel to Eastern Europe is booming-international arrivals to Eastern
Europe have increased by an average of 3.9 percent each year since 2004
Destinations covered in this guide are Bulgaria, the Czech Republic,
Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Moscow & St. Petersburg,
Slovakia, Slovenia,and Kaliningrad
According to a May 2006 Euromonitor article, Poland has the most visitors (15 million in 2005), with Hungary close behind
The fastest growing destination in Europe is Bulgaria; inbound tourists increased 17 percent between 2004 and 2005
Low cost airlines continue to add more routes to and within Eastern Europe
The Dynamics of the Breakthrough in Eastern Europe: The Polish Experience (Societies and Culture in East-Central Europe)
Understanding the dramatic political, social, and economic changes that have taken place in Poland in the mid-1980s is one key to predicting the future of the communist bloc. Jadwiga Staniszkis, an influential, internationally known expert on contemporary trends in Eastern Europe, provides an insider's analysis that deserves the attention of all scholars interested in the region.
Staniszkis presents the breakthrough of 1989 as a consequence not only of systemic contradictions within socialism but also of a series of chance events. These events include unique historical circumstances such as the emergence of the "globalist" faction in Mosow, with its new, world-system perception of crisis, and the discovery of the round-table technique as a productive ritual of communication, imitated all over Eastern Europe. After describing the development, collapse, and reorganization of a "new center" in Poland in 1989-1990, she discusses the first attempt at privatizing the economy. Her analysis of the dilemmas accompanying breakthrough and transition is an invaluable guide to the challenges that face both capitalism and democracy in Eastern Europe.
