»exceptionally interesting and unquestionably well-written«
»I find Bennich-Björkman’s monograph to be both exceptionally interesting and unquestionably well-written. Her knowledge about Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine is nothing less than impressive, and she skillfully guides the reader through the modern history of these countries in a scholarly, personal, and loving way.«
Christina Douglas recenserar Li Bennich-Björkmans bok Bakom och bortom järnridån – De sovjetiska åren och frigörelsen i Baltikum och Ukraina i H-Soz-Kult.
I den utförliga artikeln diskuterar Douglas olika förklaringsmodeller till varför de fyra ländernas utveckling har sett olika ut och menar att boken ger betydelsefulla insikter om demokratins förutsättningar:
»Bennich-Björkman’s monograph therefore provides not only a solid historically-based explanation as to why Estonia’s, Latvia’s, Lithuania’s, and Ukraine’s roads to democracy differed, it also provides us with insights about what conditions promote or undermine the development towards democracy. This, I believe, should serve as a lesson also for older democracies; that democratic rule is not a given, it is something that continuously needs to be won.«