The Gorbachev Phenomenon

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.

Moshe Lewin is Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of several books on Soviet history.

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