Since the death of Stalin, the supposedly monolithic character of the Socialist states of East Central Europe has been subjected to serious and major challenges: from Yugoslavia in the late 1940s, from East Germany, Poland, and Hungary in the '50s, from Albania, Romania, and Czechoslovakia in the '60s, from Poland in the '70s and early '80s. Written by one of the world's foremost authorities on East Central Europe, this informative study examines these challenges and their consequences in all their complexity, providing an extensive political history of the area from World War II to the present. A sequel to Rothschild's highly acclaimed East Central Europe Between the Two World Wars, this volume provides an insightful discussion of the Solidarity movement in Poland, a lucid analysis of Titoism in Yugoslavia, and a thorough review of Soviet policy toward the area under all leaders since World War II. In addition, Rothschild examines acute or impending crises in countries such as Poland and Romania and assesses the problems that Gorbachev faces in managing the increasingly restive Soviet bloc nations. Unsurpassed in scope, in depth of analysis, and in fairness and objectivity, Return to Diversity is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in this vital bloc of nations.