This classic, inexpensive, brief text is perfect for colleges organized on the quarter system or for professors who want to assign supplemental reading. The organization of the text was revised for greater clarity, and this edition includes a chapter on "The Collapse of Communism and New Realities." The coverage of social and cultural history has been increased without sacrificing the text's distinctive balance. The eighth edition contains a thorough map program, and a boxed feature highlighting primary sources.