Since the collapse of the communist regimes of Eastern Europe, the Balkans have been more prominent in world affairs than at any time since before the First World War. Crises in the areas have led to NATO firing its first ever shots in anger, whilst international forces have been deployed on a scale and in a manner unprecedented in Europe since the Second World War. An understanding of why this happened is impossible without some knowledge of the history of the area before the fall of communism, of how the communists came to power and how they wielded their authority thereafter. This book is the only comprehensive survey of the history of the region since 1945. It deals with the communist states of Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and Yugoslavia, but it also covers Greece, 'the one that got away'. It is an introduction to a complicated area and a complicated history. It will provide a definitive guide to all who are interested in this region: student, journalist, politician, lawyer, business person and tourist. R. J. Crampton is Professor of East European History and Fellow of St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford. He is the author of many books on Central and Eastern Europe, including 'Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century - And After' (1997).