Introduction; Part I. The Rise and Decline of Communism: An Overview: 1. From pre-war Russia to the fall of Communism; 2. The obsession with growth; Part II. Transition: 1990-2000: 3. Transition: the job; 4. Transition: ten years later; 5. Transition: unfinished business; Part III: Extreme Cases for Reform: Scope for Disagreements: 6. German unification: an example of big-bang reform; 7. The disintegration of the Soviet Union; 8. Russia: after a lost decade Phoenix rises from the ashes?; Part IV. The New Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals: 9. Eastern enlargement; 10. Saving the Balkans; 11. The outlook; Bibliography.