Communism Versus Democracy

Book excerpt: Written by the acclaimed Bulgarian journalist and writer Nassya Kralevska-Owens, with introduction by Professor Mark Kramer, Director of the Project for Cold War Studies at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, this is a brilliant, eye-opening chronicle of Bulgaria's history during the second half of the 20th century. The book is the first in a series of monographs published by the American Research Center in Sofia which deal with Bulgarian history from prehistory through the modern age; these volumes are currently in preparation. Praise for the book: Communism versus Democracy illustrates with brilliant clarity that communist rhetoric about the good of mankind only meant "the masses" as an impersonal abstraction, while in fact the communists preached and practiced profound disregard for the individual. Those who wish to know about the Cold War, Eastern Europe, and Bulgaria in the second half of the 20th century will profit enormously from reading this book. - Prof. Kevin Clinton, Cornell University; President and Co-founder, American Research Center in Sofia (ARCS).