Intro -- Foreword and Acknowledgments -- Introduction. Images, Concepts and History of a Borderland -- Chapter One. The Making of a Borderland -- 1. European neighborhoods and Eurasian borderlands Belarus and the Baltic States -- 2. An unfinished prelude to a modern nation: Belarus and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania -- 3. On the threshold of modernity: Belarus, as defined by Poles and Russians -- Chapter Two. Ex Oriente Lux: the Belarusian National State and the Soviet Union -- 1. A discordant overture to nationhood (1914-1921) -- 2. Soviet Belarus between the wars: birth of a nation -- 3. Belarusians in inter-war Poland: hostages to history -- 4. The war of 1941-1945 and the consecration of the national myth -- 5. The enduring charm of real socialism: Belarus 1945-1991 -- Chapter Three. Borderland Forever: Modern Belarus -- 1. See no evil: Belarus in the twilight of the Soviet era -- 2. Paradise lost: Belarus and the disintegration of Soviet economy -- 3. Back to the future: populist Belarus under Alyaksandar Lukashenka -- 4. Political economy of institutional symbiosis: Belarus and Russia building the future together -- Conclusion. Whither Belarus? -- Bibliography -- Index.

The book explains Belarus's adherence to Soviet social, political and economic institutions. Comparative historical analysis spans the period from the 16th century to the present. Discussion concentrates on development of Belarus's national institutions in interaction with Russia and other neighbors.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2018. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.