Belarus is known as the last dictatorship of Europe, yet its president enjoys public support. Its economy remains largely Soviet, yet exhibits high growth rates. Belarus styles itself as a European country yet clings to Russia as the only ally. The book explains these paradoxes by delving into history of Belarusian national institutions, including civil society, and the state. The book starts with an analysis of Belarusian national development from the time of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to the short-lived Belarusian People s Republic of 1918. The discussion turns to the crucial interwar period, when all national institutions of modern Belarus had taken shape. Belarus s surprising ability to cope with post-Soviet economic and geopolitical changes is discussed in the final chapter.

Andrew Savchenko received a Ph.D. from Brown University. His publications include a book on post-communist transformations in Belarus, Poland and the Baltic States. More recently he co-edited a volume on intellectual legacy of Talcott Parsons. Andrew Savchenko teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design.