Modern nationalism in northeastern Europe has often led to violence and then reconciliation between nations with bloody pasts. In this fascinating book, Timothy Snyder traces the emergence of Polish, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, and Belarusian nationhood over four centuries, discusses various atrocities (including the first account of the massive Ukrainian-Polish ethnic cleansings of the 1940s), and examines Poland's recent successful negotiations with its newly independent Eastern neighbors, as it has channeled national interest toward peace.
About the Author
Timothy Snyder is assistant professor of history at Yale University.
Reviews
Winner of the 2003 George Louis Beer Prize given by the American Historical Association
Winner of the 2003 Eastern Review Prize
Winner of the 2004 American Association for Ukrainian Studies Book Award
"This is an excellent book. The research is impressive. Snyder asks the right questions and then delivers" – John Micgiel, executive director, East Central European Center, Columbia University
"'The Reconstruction of Nations' is a brilliant and fascinating analysis of the subtleties, complexities, and paradoxes of the evolution of nations in Eastern Europe. Snyder highlights the success of contemporary leaders of Poland in bringing an end to the centuries of war, conquest, and ethnic cleansing, which have plagued that part of the world. His study has major implications for all of us who want to understand the processes of state collapse and nation-building in the world" – Samuel P. Huntington, Chairman, Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies
"This book is a work of profound scholarship and considerable importance. It represents a highly original approach to a neglected area of Europe – but also has wider implications for all those interested in questions of nationalism and state-building" – Timothy Garton Ash, Director, European Studies Centre, St Antony's College, Oxford, author of "The Polish Revolution"
"An outstanding read" – John-Paul Himka, American Historical Review
"A valuable study of how the four nations of the subtitle have arisen, how ethnic cleansing has shaped their histories, and how they now try to make regional peace. Effective charts, well-chosen illustrations, and helpful maps ensure the accessibility of the volume to a wide audience. Highly recommended" – Choice
"Ambitiously conceived and superbly executed... 'The Reconstruction of Nations' is distinguished by its clear structure, lucid prose, uncompromising judgements, and cogent argument. It marks the debut of a hugely talented historian" – Richard Butterwick, English History Review
"[A] fresh and stimulating look at the path to nationhood" – Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs
"This is one of those rare books that challenges conventional wisdom in a way that is accessible to those most likely to be conventionally wise... Masterfully woven together and presented in a way that will make this book an invaluable resource for students scholars in other fields, and the general public – not to mention a provocative and enjoyable read for east European historians" – Brian Porter, Slavic Review
"Utterly remarkable research and sagacious historical insights" – Carlin Romano, The Philadelphia Inquirer
"An engaging, sophisticated, and highly readable study that we will be arguing with and against for many years to come... An ambitious and sophisticated work deserving a broad readership... Few works provide such a compelling portrait of the complexity of modern national identity, its greatness, and its crimes. For anyone interested in the – lands between – Germany and Russia, ethnic relations, or the history of modern nationalism, this book is required reading" – Theodore R. Weeks, The Russian Review
"Charting the passages to nationhood and to national reconciliation in this impossibly complex region is the aim of Timothy Snyder's erudite and engrossing book... An illuminating historical essay... This important book is also elegantly written" – Charles King, Times Literary Supplement
"[A] pioneering book" – George O. Liber, Harvard Ukrainian Studies
"[Snyder] utilizes poetry, monuments, symbols, and mini-biography, and family-and village-centred micro-history to make his points, and he succeeds in integrating a common-sense, democratic, and tolerant morality into a set of essentially objective, parallel story-lines... A great book for the professional, scholar, student, and curious reader" – David Goldfrank, The International History Review
"The book challenges popular assumptions about the ways that ethnic nations arise, why ethnic cleansing takes place, and how nations can reconcile... This book is a tremendous piece of scholarship... It would be ideal for an academic setting, such as a graduate or advanced undergraduate survey of Polish or Eastern European history. The broad time frame covered makes it appropriate for a variety of topical courses. In addition, Snyder's clear, engaging, and often witty writing style would make this book a good piece of reading for a casual enthusiast of Polish, Soviet, or European history" – Abby Drwecki, Sarmatian Review
