Book excerpt: This collection examines the forces and factors affecting rhetoric, writing, and communication expectations in the nations of the former Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc. The entries in this collection focus on four interconnected topics or contexts influencing rhetorical expectations and writing practices in these countries. The four contexts are (1) the dynamics of the educational settings in which students learn about the relationships between rhetoric and writing; (2) the professional environments in which students will apply their knowledge of rhetoric and writing upon completing their formal studies; (3) the greater global context that affects the teaching of rhetoric and writing as connected to educational institutions becoming part of a larger and more integrated global community; and (4) the factors and perceptions that affect how students apply and/or expand their foundations in rhetoric and writing to communicate effectively across different forms of media. By approaching ideas of rhetoric, writing, and communication from the perspective of these four areas, this collection provides readers with a broad foundation for understanding the various overarching and interlocking contexts that affect perceptions of and practices involving communication practices and expectations in the former Eastern Bloc. Additionally, this approach provides researchers, teachers, and students with ideas and approaches that can be used to more effectively engage both with this topic area and with individuals from these nations.