Current work on the transition from communism in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union has emphasized the "polity" and the "economy"; this book treats four basic areas: ethnic issues, deviance and health, social cleavages, and labor and elitism.

1. Introduction - social legacies and the aftermath of communism James R. Millar; Part I. Ethnic Issues; 2. Making up for lost choice: the shaping of ethnic identity in post-sovietia Peter Juviler; 3. From ethnicity to nationalism: turmoil in the Russian mini-empire Marjorie Mandelstam Balzer; 4. Ethnicity, nationalism and the communist legacy in eastern Europe Maria N. Todorova; Part II. Deviance and Health; 5. The social construction of deviance and the transition from communist rule Andrea Stevenson Sanjian; 6. Crime and the collapse of the soviet state Louise Shelley; 7. Drug abuse in eastern Europe John M. Kramer; 8. Post-communist medicine: morbidity, mortality and the deteriorating health situation Mark G. Field; 9. Health and mortality in eastern Europe: retrospect and prospect Nicholas Eberstadt; Part III. Social Cleavages; 10. Communism's legacy and Russian youth Richard B. Dobson; 11. The social legacy of communism: women, children, and the feminization of poverty Gail Kligman; Part IV. Labor and Elitism; 12. Elitism in post-communist Russia Mervyn Matthews; 13. Labour politics in post-communist Russia: a preliminary assessment Walter D. Connor; 14. Unemployment in the former Soviet Union William Moskoff; Part V. Conclusion; 15. Reflections on the social legacy of communism Joseph S. Berliner.