How the Soviet Union is Governed, Volume 10

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Harvard University Press, 1979 - History - 679 pages

This is a new and thorough revision of a recognized classic whose first edition was hailed as the most authoritative account in English of the governing of the Soviet Union. Now, with historical material rearranged in chronological order, and with seven new chapters covering most of the last fifteen years, this edition brings the Soviet Union fully into the light of modern history and political science.

The purposes of Fainsod's earlier editions were threefold: to explain the techniques used by the Bolsheviks and Stalin to gain control of the Russian political system; to describe the methods they employed to maintain command; and to speculate upon the likelihood oftheir continued control in the future. This new edition increases very substantially the attention paid to another aspect of the political process--how policy is formed, how the Soviet Union is governed. Whenever possible, Mr. Hough attempts to analyze the alignments and interrelationships between Soviet policy institutions. Moreover, he constantly moves beyond a description of these institutions to probe the way they work. Two chapters are devoted to the questions of individual political participation. Other chapters examine the internal organization of institutions and explore the ways in which the backgrounds of their officials influence their policy positions and alliances. The picture that emerges is an unprecedented account of the distribution of power in the Soviet Union.

 

Contents

The Origins of Bolshevism
3
The Road to Power
38
The Establishment of the Soviet Regime
74
The Choices and Struggles of the 1920s
110
Members of the Politburo April 1922
123
The Years of Transformation and Petrification
147
Grain marketings and exports 19281940
154
Members of the Politburo February 1934
157
Occupational background of youthful participants in rural politicalsocial activities
308
Percent of rural youth in politicalsocial activities by occupational group
309
The Individual and the Party
320
Party representation among various population groups January 1927
325
Occupation of recruits to candidate membership 19241933
326
Population in 2430 age group and party admission 19461975 by sex
332
Attrition among party members 19621975 by social composition
337
Party representation among age groups 1977
339

19341939 deaths among Soviet citizens born in 1906
176
The Revitalization of the System
192
Members of the Presidium March 1953
197
Members of the Presidium December 1957
220
Members of the Presidium December 1962
230
The Return to Normalcy
237
Members of the Politburo March 1966
239
Members of the Politburo January 1978
270
The Policy Process
275
The Individual and the Policy Process
277
Size of edition of Soviet books discussing American political system 19651979
296
Political participation in the USSR 19541976
306
Party representation among men and women over
343
The Institutional Actors
362
The Central Committee Secretariat
408
Apparatus
409
The Leading Party Organs
449
Provincial and Local Politics
480
The Distribution of Power
518
The Future of the Soviet System
556
Notes
577
Index
661
Copyright

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About the author (1979)

Jerry F. Hough is the James B. Duke Professor of Political Science at Duke University.

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