The Reconstruction of Nations

From the bestselling author of On Tyranny comes a revealing history of the four modern national ideas that arose from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
 
“[A] fresh and stimulating look at the path to nationhood.”—Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs
 
“Erudite and engrossing.”—Charles King, Times Literary Supplement
 
Modern nationalism in northeastern Europe has often led to violence and then reconciliation between nations with bloody pasts. In this fascinating book, Timothy Snyder traces the emergence of Polish, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, and Belarusian nationhood over four centuries, discusses various atrocities (including the first account of the massive Ukrainian-Polish ethnic cleansings of the 1940s), and examines Poland’s recent successful negotiations with its newly independent Eastern neighbors, as it has channeled national interest toward peace.

“"The Reconstruction of Nations is a brilliant and fascinating analysis of the subtleties, complexities, and paradoxes of the evolution of nations in Eastern Europe. Snyder highlights the success of contemporary leaders of Poland in bringing an end to the centuries of war, conquest, and ethnic cleansing, which have plagued that part of the world. His study has major implications for all of us who want to understand the processes of state collapse and nation-building in the world."-Samuel P. Huntington, Chairman, Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies”

"Timothy Snyder's style is a welcome reminder that history writing can be - indeed, ought to be - a literary pursuit." - Charles King, Times Literary Supplement"

Timothy Snyder is assistant professor of history at Yale University.

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