Forward and Forget

Title: Forward and Forgotten

Author: Liesbeth van de Grift

Binding: Paperback

EAN: 9789026322808

Condition: Good

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Condition descriptions:
- As New: Hardly any signs of use, almost as new.
- Good: May show minor signs of use, such as some discoloration or a name on the endpapers, but generally no underlining or notes in the text.
- Fair: Book in fair condition. May show signs of use, such as discoloration, reading creases in spine, underlinings, notes, light soiling at edges, dog-ears, or a crooked spine.
- New: Book is new.

Description:
Communist parties in Central and Eastern Europe saw their chance with the arrival of the Red Army in 1944-1945. They seized government power within a short time, eliminated political opponents and rid the state apparatus of 'undesirable elements'. But who exactly were these 'undesirable elements'? Did the communists really fire all the old staff, as is often claimed? Where did they find new and suitable people so quickly? In other words, was there really a radical personnel split after 1945? Liesbeth van de Grift sought the answer to these questions in the communist archives in Berlin and Bucharest. In this book she shows that German and Romanian communists considered political reliability to be of great importance, but that at the same time they realised that the deployment of former fascists and old staff members was indispensable. Only in this way could they secure the communist takeover. The personnel split after 1945 was therefore not nearly as total as is often thought.