What separates Europe’s eastern half from the west? Why did communism take root in the East? How did the Soviet Union dominate there in the aftermath of World War II, and how did societies view the transformation and adapt?
Anne Applebaum has mined newly-opened archives to craft a vivid picture of how people believed in or struggled against the new system. Iron Curtain, which was a finalist for the 2012 National Book Award, is, in the words of The Guardian, “a masterly synthesis” of the horrors and small-scale suffering that reshaped Europe.
