Soviet socialism: social and political essays

Soviet Socialism is based on the author's specialized knowledge of many aspects of Soviet politics, including local government, the Communist Party and the Soviet intelligentsia. Written originally after the death of Brezhnev, in the Andropov-Chernenko interregnum, the essays have been revised to take account of the accession to power of Mikhail Gorbachev, and they cover a selection of interrelated themes drawn from Soviet politics and society. Dr Churchward's perspective on Soviet development differs from the conventional 'western' one, and the more detached view he takes of the Soviet state presents a new and stimulating approach to Soviet studies.

The 'Social Essays' deal with the Soviet approach to socialism (and with some Marxist critics of that approach), with the social structure of the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s, with the Soviet elite, with the intelligentsia and with social mobility. The first two 'Political Essays' provide an account of the approaches taken by political scientists for the analysis of Soviet politics. These are followed by essays on Stalinism and on De-Stalinization. The final essay is a reconsideration of the democratic elements in Soviet politics and the limits to further democratization. Throughout the book Dr Churchward examines the contradiction between Soviet democracy and Soviet bureaucracy.