<p>"In a fascinating and original study that blends ecology and politics, Arvid Nelson uses East Germany's landscape, its mismanagement of its forests, and the Party's ‘war on the land’ as a window to help us understand the still-astounding collapse of communism. In so doing, he also makes clear why environmental devastation is one of the truly lasting legacies of communism and its ‘scientific socialism.’"—Daniel Yergin, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning<i> The Prize</i> and of<i> The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy </i></p><p> </p>

- Daniel Yergin,

<p>"Nelson directly addresses how bankrupt political systems and inept political leaders can destroy the health of forests and the communities that depend on them. A lucid and invigorating book."—Paul V. Ellefson, University of Minnesota</p>

- Paul V. Ellefson,

<p>"This is a truly remarkable book, one that provides an insightful view through a forest/forestry lens of one of the fatal flaws within East German communist economic policy—the failure to take either environment or natural resource management into account."—Thomas E. Lovejoy, president, The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment</p>

- Thomas E. Lovejoy,