Taking Stock of Shock

After the Cold War ended, more than 400 million people found themselves in the transition from state socialism and central planning to liberal democracy (in most cases) and free markets. Residents'' evaluations of the transition are sharply divided, echoing the contradictory images presented by different social science disciplines. Taking Stock of the Shock presents an interdisciplinary view of the transition process. Kristen Ghodsee and Mitchell A. Orenstein blend the empirical data with lived experiences to produce a robust picture of who has won and who has lost in the post-socialist system, contextualizing the rise of populism in Eastern Europe. After the Cold War ended, more than 400 million people found themselves in the transition from state socialism and central planning to liberal democracy (in most cases) and free markets. Residents'' evaluations of the transition are sharply divided, echoing the contradictory images presented by different social science disciplines. Taking Stock of the Shock presents an interdisciplinary view of the transition process. Kristen Ghodsee and Mitchell A. Orenstein blend the empirical data with lived experiences to produce a robust picture of who has won and who has lost in the post-socialist system, contextualizing the rise of populism in Eastern Europe.