“This is a rare example of a successful, rigorous comparative history.”
—English Historical Review

“Hroch’s work remains impressive for the sweep of the comparative discussion and significant for what he uncovers about the dynamics of emergent national movements by analysing the similarities as well as differences among them.”
—Journal of Modern History

“He offers a masterly survey of the various theoretical approaches to nation formation, also paying attention to major works that are generally ignored in Western literature … An outstanding achievement, providing the best introduction to date of the processes of nation formation.”
—Archiv für Sozialgeschichte

“Hroch’s work has now influenced several generations of scholars interested in many different parts of the world … [they] have generalized Hroch’s insights to other parts of the world. Nothing more persuasively demonstrates the usefulness of a scholarly idea than its applicability to unforeseen circumstances.”
—Nationalities Papers