Review of "Moments of Revolution: Eastern Europe," photographs by David and Peter Turnley, text by Mort Rosenblum

Review of

Moments of Revolution: Eastern Europe, photographs by David and Peter Turnley, text by Mort 

Rosenblum ISBN 1556701683

Five out of five stars

Most of the time political change comes in increments, in general, dramatic political change only occurs as a consequence of a major war. Yet, there was a time when there was a seismic political shift in the world and to the amazement of all, few shots were fired when the old order died. The mighty Soviet Union, a state that murdered millions of its own citizens and held tight control over several countries for forty years, vanished with little more than a whimper. It was a time of great happiness in Eastern Europe, at the time few lamented the collapse of the Soviet order.

 That momentary ecstasy is captured in these photos of Eastern Europeans celebrating the collapse of communist rule. The photos are generally organized by country, yet there is a constant theme to all of the images. In looking through this book, it is easy to understand why the photographers won awards for their work.

 History moved at light speed in 1989 and the human tsunami that made it happen is captured in these photos.