This book explores the role of coercion in the relationship between the citizens and regimes of communist Eastern Europe. Looking in detail at Soviet collectivisation in 1928-34, the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 and the Polish Solidarity Movement of 1980-84, it shows how the system excluded channels to enable popular grievances to be translated into collective opposition; how this lessened the amount of popular protest, affected the nature of such protest as did occur and entrenched the dominance of state over society.

J.C.Sharman is a Lecturer in Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney, working in the area of Communist-era politics as well as the political impact of economic reforms in post-Communist Candidates for European Union accession.

Contents 1. Introduction 2. Theories of State-Societal Relations 3. Soviet Collectivization 4. The Hungarian Uprising 5. Poland and Solidarity 6. Conclusion