Socialist Escapes

<p> During much of the Cold War physical escape from countries in the Eastern Bloc was a nearly impossible act. There remained however possibilities for other socialist escapes particularly time spent free from party ideology and the mundane routines of everyday life. The essays in this volume examine sites of socialist escapes such as beaches campgrounds nightclubs concerts castles cars and soccer matches. The chapters explore the effectiveness of state efforts to engineer society through leisure entertainment and related forms of cultural programming and consumption. They lead to a deeper understanding of state-society relations in the Soviet sphere where the state did not simply dictate from above and inhabitants had some opportunities to shape solidarities identities and meaning.</p>