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.

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

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.