The "Gorbachev phenomenon" is seen as the product of complex developments during the last seventy years—developments that changed the Soviet Union from a primarily agrarian society into an urban, industrial one. Here, for the first time, a noted authority on Soviet society identifies the crucial historical events and social forces that explain Glasnost and political and economic life in the Soviet Union today.
The Gorbachev Phenomenon A Historical Interpretation, Expanded edition
About the Book
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Contents
PART ONE From Village to Megacity-A Country in a Hurry
1. The Rural Dimension, from the Tsars to Stalin
2. The Rise of the Cities
3. Urban Society, a New Labor Force
4. The Intelligentsia
5. The Urban Microworlds and Their Power
6. Underpinnings of Public Opinion
PART TWO The New Course
7. The Social Sciences: A New Ideology
8. "Planned Imbalances," the Making of a Crisis
9. The Way Out: A New Line
10. Gorbachev's Challenge
11. The Political Program: A One-Party Democracy?
12. The Economic Hurdle: Planning and Markets
Conclusion
PART THREE The End of the Gorbachev Phenomenon?
13. Perestroika: The Genie Out of the Bottle
14. In Search of Clues in the Past
Bibliography
Index