Background
George Urban was born on 12 April 1921 in Miskolc, Hungary.
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- Works
book
Radio Free Europe and the Pursuit of Democracy: My War Within the Cold War
(From the 1950s to the aftermath of communist rule, two Am...)
From the 1950s to the aftermath of communist rule, two American-funded international broadcasting organizations - Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty - engaged in a prolonged battle of ideas. With persistence, the Radios fought against the spread of communist ideology. This book is a personal account of Cold War combat over the air waves, of psychological battles that succeeded in eroding the international appeal of the Soviet system and ultimately in helping to bring about the implosion of the Soviet empire. George R. Urban offers an insider's perspective on the history of Radio Free Europe, drawing on his service during the 1960s and his term as overall director in the 1980s. In detail Urban describes how the Radios promoted the case of liberal democracy and the free market economy for more than four decades, standing up against a Soviet system with its clandestine offshoots and fifth columns in all the countries of the west. Urban contends that a second opponent was less visible but more powerful: influential members of the American and west European left who believed the Soviet superpower should not be thwarted. The author explores the often controversial strategies and tactics employed by the staff and administrators of the Radios, shed light on their role in the tragic 1956 Hungarian Revolution, examines the ideas and convictions of key figures, and reveals how communism was intellectually unmasked in a psychological contests that also made possible reconciliation between nations and individuals.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300069219/?tag=2022091-20
Euro-communism: Its roots and future in Italy and elsewhere
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0851171540/?tag=2022091-20
End of Empire: The Demise of the Soviet Union
(Seven distinguished scholars in dialogue with G.R. Urban ...)
Seven distinguished scholars in dialogue with G.R. Urban discuss the momentous events leading up to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the consequences that may follow. In his introduction, Urban explores the hesitations and misconceptions of Western policy-makers in dealing with the Soviet empire over the last 75 years. Contributors include Sidney Hook, Hugh Trevor-Roper, Elie Kedourie, Otto von Habsburg, Adam Ulam, Milovan Djilas, and Sir Karl Popper.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/187938311X/?tag=2022091-20
Radio Free Europe and the Pursuit of Democracy: My War Within the Cold War by George R. Urban (1997-12-22)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FKWVIEE/?tag=2022091-20
George Urban
Edit ProfileEducation
He attended Budapest University and left Hungary for the United Kingdom in 1948, where he took up further studies at London University.
Career
Urban began work for the British Broadcasting Corporation Hungarian service. He was a radio broadcaster for a number of years for the British Broadcasting Corporation World Service, leaving and joining RFE in 1960, and becoming its director for a period in the 1980s. Urban is known also for his writing for Encounter magazine.
His journalism and book writing drew heavily on long dialogues, in effect extended interviews, from his work at RFE, involving major intellectual and political figures who were prepared to engage with the Cold War.
He also published a study of the Georgekreis, an early enthusiasm, and continuing shaper of his attitudes.
Works
book
-
Radio Free Europe and the Pursuit of Democracy: My War Within the Cold War
(From the 1950s to the aftermath of communist rule, two Am...)
-
End of Empire: The Demise of the Soviet Union
(Seven distinguished scholars in dialogue with G.R. Urban ...)
- End of Empire the Demise of the Soviet Union
- Euro-communism: Its roots and future in Italy and elsewhere
- Radio Free Europe and the Pursuit of Democracy: My War Within the Cold War by George R. Urban (1997-12-22)
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Radio Free Europe and the Pursuit of Democracy: My War Within the Cold War
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Born
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Died
October 3, 1997 (aged 76) -
Nationality
Hungary