Revolution From Above: The Demise of the Soviet System

by David M. Kotz and Fred Weir

Book Overview

Controversially this book argues that the ruling party-state elite in the USSR itself moved to dismantle the old system. Topics discussed include:
* the beginnings of economic decline in 1975
* Gorbachev's efforts to democratize and decentralize
* the complex political battle through which the coalition favouring capitalism took power
* the flaws in economic policies intended to rapidly build capitalism
* the surprising resurgence...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0415143160
• ISBN13: 9780415143165
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

best of its kind

I have looked through a lot of books on the former Soviet Union and its collapse. Very often, Western authors show clear misunderstanding of the process and how it evolved. I was pleasantly surprised to find a very good analysis in this book. Being a Russian citizen, I discover that it truthfully depicts the history of my country and gives a very thorough picture of what has happened in it before, during, and after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The authors go to great lengths in order to convey their knowledge to the reader and I very much appreciate their work and effort.

class is a misnomer

review by illinois reader missed the main points of the book in my opinion. 1-gorbachev tried to reform system thru democratizing(he succeeded)the system and retaining some aspects of socialism(he failed) 2-Democatization allowed the option for a return to capitalism,formerly outlawed,to be considered as an option. 3-The elite opposed early moves toward perostroika because they feared loss of priveleges when decentralization was attempted 4-The elite then embraced the move to capitalism, despite the opposition of 60+percent of the citizenry,hence the title "Revolution From Above" 5-The USSR did not collapse because it was moribund,but because the elite felt that they could enrich themselves more under capitalism than they already had under the soviets. 6-Socialism may not be dead because it failed in the USSR.The author considers that as a first attempt from which future generation can learn. 7-This is well documented academic work well written and with an unconventional view point.

Class Intrigue in Contemporary Russia

Kotz and Weir start this book with a long detour through Soviet economic history, which is worthy on its own in explaining an often mythologized subject, but really pays off when it explains how the Soviet Union had a very distinct class structure that laid the grounds for the current era. With intelligent sociological analysis they show how the coordinators and bureaucrats who inhabited an allegedly "socialist" system did so for predominantly personal gain, and how they eventually sought and found even more gain in ending that system altogether. Crucial reading for understanding class conflict in Russia today.