Suchergebnisse

Discusses the book by A. Shtromas, Political Change and Social Development: The Case of the Soviet Union (1981). Shtromas, an emigrant from the USSR, not only predicted the collapse of the USSR, but also offered a perceptive theoretical model of how it would occur. His argument that "political change in the USSR required a second pivot which, by its struggle against the first pivot, would bring the whole system down," accurately describes the roles played by the Congress of People's Deputies & the Russian Republic. A critique of five theses asserted by Shtromas notes that his discussion of the USSR's illegitimacy appears one-sided; he failed to anticipate changes that caused global military conflicts & deterioration; & he inaccurately predicted the role played by the Soviet army. Shtromas's book was poorly received when it was first published & is still neglected by most Sovietologists. The impact on Soviet studies of both Shtromas's book & the collapse of the USSR is discussed. 5 References. J. Lindroth

An overview of the life and work of the Soviet politician Anastas Mikoian (1895-1978) based on his recently published memoirs, this essay draws attention to the additional knowledge about Soviet politics that can be found in these memoirs. This includes the name of Vladimir Lenin's candidate to succeed Iosif Stalin as general secretary (Ian Rudzutak), the workings of the Politburo from 1937 to 1953, and details concerning the planned evacuation of Moscow in October 1941. In addition, there is information about the circumstances surrounding the creation of the Pospelov committee in 1955, the failure of the CPSU in 1956 to rehabilitate the victims of the open trials of Old Bolsheviks in 1936-1938, and the attempt by Aleksandr Shelepin to replace Leonid Brezhnev in 1967. Memoirs are an imperfect source, and their assertions must be checked against other sources. Overall Ellman concludes that the verdict on Mikoian's life "can only be a shade of grey."