This volume presents case studies of media under socialist and fascist dictatorial regimes covering the period from the 1930s till the early Cold War. The regional focus is on Central and Eastern Europe. Fourteen authors from nine countries – among them historians, social scientists and media specialists – explore this interesting chapter in European media history. Media in dictatorships should construct an ‘image of the enemy’, transfer the propaganda of the regime, compete with alternative sources of information such as foreign radio broadcasting, deliver information, mobilise the population and, last but not least, entertain the audience. How media was controlled and how efficient this control was, were both important issues in this context.

Olaf Mertelsmann is Associate Professor in Contemporary History at the University of Tartu (Estonia). He holds a doctorate from the University of Hamburg and has taught in Hamburg, Novosibirsk, and Tartu. He has published various monographs, edited volumes and articles.

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