When I was in college, I was required to read this book. I was struck then by the insights that Tismaneanu had. This text gave me the greatest understanding of why Bulgaria kept the communists while the Czech Republic has put its arms around a market economy. Recently, I went back a re-read this book, and was struck at how timely the analysis still is. I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone looking to understand what has and will occur in Eastern Europe.