The Last Dictatorship in Europe: Belarus Under Lukashenko - Rilegato

Bennett, Brian

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 1849041679 ISBN 13: 9781849041676

Casa editrice: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd, 2012

Riassunto

Belarus is an isolated country dominated by one man. Few tourists go there despite its fascinating, cultured past and beautiful countryside. Belarussians are friendly and hospitable yet they rarely have the chance to speak their minds and are deprived of access to unbiased information. They have been removed from the flow of European history by a tyrannical regime described by Condoleezza Rice, the former US Secretary of State, as 'the last dictatorship in Europe'. The people of Belarus were not ready for independence in 1991 and were misled into believing that the young, unsophisticated Alexander Lukashenko would lead them into a bright future. Instead he foisted upon them a dictatorship little different from what they had known before. Bennett's book tracks the history of Belarus from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the eventual establishment of dictatorship in 2006. It takes the reader through the excitement and mistakes of the first presidential election in 1994, undemocratic referenda and elections, suspicious disappearances of critics of the regime and the suppression of opposition. It ends with a close look at the enigmatic Alexander Lukashenko and hazards a guess as to how his regime will end. Belarus deserves to be better known; this book pulls back the curtain

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Recensione:

'Gives a blow-by-blow account of how Lukashenko went from crusader against corruption to owner of most of the country; from champion of the common man to boss of a repressive state apparatus; from popularly elected president to dictator for life. . . .Bennett's take on Lukashenko's character is perceptive.' --Times Literary Supplement

'A clear and well-documented history of social, cultural, economic, and political change during the autocratic rule of Alexander Lukashenko, a welcome addition for scholars and students of the history and politics of post-Soviet Belarus. ... Lukashenko's victory in December 2010 will ensure a sustained interest in this book in the coming years.' --Professor Christian W. Haerpfer, University of Aberdeen

'Brian Bennett s lucid and judicious account of the rise of Lukashenko is based on his diplomatic work as British representative in Minsk during this bleak period. This unique, factually detailed book is a readable, authentic and shocking cautionary tale for modern times.' --Arnold McMillin, Professor of Russian Literature, University College London

L'autore:

Brian Bennett was born in Portsmouth in 1948. After Sheffield University, where he read Russian, he joined the Diplomatic Service and served in Central, Northern, Western and Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and North Africa. His last posting was as Ambassador to Belarus 2003-2007. He is married with three children.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
• Data di pubblicazione: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1849041679
• ISBN 13: 9781849041676
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 372