Course Details
972: Eastern Europe’s Transition from Communism (1989-1991)—Successes, Failures, and Lasting Effects
July 9-10
11:45 AM -
1:15 PM
In-Person
This seminar will discuss the end of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe, with its dramatic, sudden changes in economic and political systems and in the world geopolitical balance. Then the seminar will discuss the region’s lengthy transition to free market economies, its successes and failures, and the lasting effects which are still relevant today.
Class Type: Lecture and Discussion
Class Format: In-Person
Hours of Reading: No reading
Study Group Leader(s):
Stephen StraussStephen Strauss lived and worked in Eastern Europe from 1992 to 2023, playing an active role in the region’s post-Communist financial transition. He served with the U.S. Treasury Department in Prague and Sofia, held senior bank management positions, and led USAID and World Bank financial sector projects. He now advises on energy project financing. Earlier in his career, he was a vice president at Citibank in Western Europe and New York and worked in international trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce. He studied political science and economics at Williams College (BA), Princeton (MPA), and the Political Studies Institute in Paris (CEP).