Socialism in Practice

The Transformation of East Europe

First published in 1962, this book is a study by author Scott Nearing on Communism in Eastern Europe, where he spent three months during the winter of 1961-1962. Together with his wife Helen, he visited Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Yugoslavia.

As self-proclaimed socialists, Nearing’s report “is neither objective nor is it neutral”, but rather seeks to “present to the American people the frightening lack of information in North America concerning [current] developments in East Europe.”

Based on his personal observation during his travels through Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Yugoslavia, the author stands firm that “news of socialist construction in East Europe should be immensely valuable to Western peoples who want to see order, decency, peace and improvement in the world.”