This collection of Cold War essays and reflections enthralls any reader seeking a pointed dissection of the Soviet style of government and thinking.

In an engaging style, not lacking in irony and detachment, Milan Šimečka describes the process of restoring order and its result—so-called real socialism—in a brilliant analysis of the “normalization” regime in Czechoslovakia that came to power after the Soviet-led invasion that crushed the Prague Spring of 1968. These poignant reflections and essays coincided with Šimečka’s first-hand experience of the consequences of the time’s political and cultural purges. 

This second edition of Cold War classics, first written between 1975 and 1977, with a new preface from Martin Šimečka and afterword from Jonathan Bolton, highlights chilling parallels with contemporary political developments and current civic and ethical questions.