Khrushchev's Double Bind: International Pressures and Domestic Coalition Politics

Front Cover
Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994 - Biography & Autobiography - 263 pages
How do world leaders manage the competing priorities of maintaining support at home and credibility in the international arena? In Khrushchev's Double Bind James Richter explores this conflict by examining the case of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Richter argues that in order to hold power and pursue his political agenda at home, Khrushchev needed to maintain his standing as an effective world leader. His successes--especially in winning concessions from the United States--contributed to his power base and ability to grant favors and effect change in the Soviet Union. Likewise, the more support he gained from Soviet colleagues, the better he could influence international affairs and increase the U.S.S.R.'s prestige.

Richter explores ways in which certain images of the international environment became entrenched in the U.S.S.R.'s domestic institutions, furnished the backdrop for international actions meant to gain domestic support, and provided the standards by which the success or failure of competing strategies would be judged. The first book to make use of recent disclosures in the Russian archives, Khrushchev's Double Bind offers new perspectives on the interaction of international events and domestic bargaining in Soviet foreign policymaking during the 1950s and early 1960s.

"Richter presents a very important reinterpretation of Khrushchev's 1958 Berlin ultimatum. Khrushchev's purpose was to show Politburo conservatives that the correlation of forces' had shifted sufficiently in the favor of socialism to allow international successes simultaneously with unilateral defense cuts. Richter marshalls impressive evidence in support of this interpretation. The work is systematic, persuasive, and larded with new information from archives, memoirs and other new sources."--Jack Snyder, Columbia University

From inside the book

 

Contents

Chapter
2
The Stalin Succession and the Fall of Malenkov
30
The Rise of Khrushchev
53
Copyright

5 other sections not shown

Other editions - View all

Khrushchev's Double Bind: International Pressures and Domestic Coalition ...
James G. Richter
Snippet view - 1994

Common terms and phrases

accepted actions aggressive agreement American argued argument arms authority Berlin Brezhnev called camp Central claims coalition commitment Communist competition Congress continued countries created crisis debate decision defense demands deterrent discussion domestic early East East German economic environment Europe evidence example existing expressed external fact favor Finally forces further Furthermore gain German ideological imperialist implementation important increase influence initiative institutions interests international pressures issue July June Kennedy Khrushchev leaders leadership less limited Malenkov means meeting military minister missile Molotov Moscow needed negotiations nuclear offered particularly Party peace period political position possible Pravda Presidium Press prevent question regarding relations remained response rhetoric role ruling Russian social socialist society Soviet foreign policy Soviet Union speech strategic model strategy strength struggle success suggests tasks tensions threat tion treaty United University vision weapons West Western

References to this book

Bibliographic information

TitleKhrushchev's Double Bind: International Pressures and Domestic Coalition Politics
Cornell Studies in the Philosophy of Religion
Perspectives on security
AuthorJames G. Richter
PublisherJohns Hopkins University Press, 1994
Original fromthe University of Michigan
DigitizedJul 2, 2008
ISBN0801848148, 9780801848148
Length263 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Biography & Autobiography / Presidents & Heads of State
History / Russia / Soviet Era
Political Science / Comparative Politics
Political Science / International Relations / General
  
Export CitationBiBTeX EndNote RefMan