The Demise of Marxism-Leninism in Russia

In The Demise of Marxism-Leninism in Russia , distinguished specialists chart the rise of new thinking on the Soviet system and the decline and fall of Marxism-Leninism in the late Soviet period. They also discuss the failure of Marxism-Leninism to make a comeback in post-Soviet Russia. This book makes a significant contribution to understanding the independent importance of ideas in politics and provides clear analyses of the rise of liberal and social democratic thought about the political system, the economy, international Communism, nationalism and federalism.

Autorentext

The late ALEXANDER DALLIN GAIL W. LAPIDUS Senior Fellow, Stanford Institute for International Studies and Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Califormia, Berkeley, USA The late ALEC NOVE T. H. RIGBY Professor Emeritus and Visiting Fellow, Research School of Social Science, Australian National University, Australia IGOR V. TIMOFEYEV Associate Legal Officer

Zusammenfassung
The work of some of the world's leading specialists on the former Soviet Union and on post-Soviet Russian politics is brought together in this volume. The authors discuss the decline and fall of Marxism-Leninism as a ruling ideology in the Soviet Union and its failure to make a significant comeback in post-Soviet Russia. They analyse the rise of liberal and social democratic thought in Russia and examine the conceptual revolution of the Gorbachev era. Particular attention is paid to radically new ideas on the political and economic systems, on foreign policy, and on nationalism, sovereignty and federalism. In chapters that carefully complement each other, the authors make a major contribution to understanding the nature and sources of change in Russia over the past two decades. They not only show how an ideological system was turned on its head in the former USSR but also throw light on the independent role that can be played in politics generally by ideational change.

Inhalt

Preface Notes on the Contributors Introduction: The Decline and Fall of Marxism-Leninism in Russia; A.Brown The Rise of Non-Leninist Thinking About the Political System; A.Brown The Rise of Non-Leninist Thinking on the Economy; A.Nove The Development of Russian Liberal Thought since 1985; I.V.Timofeyev Transforming the 'National Question': New Approaches to Nationalism, Federalism and Sovereignty; G.W.Lapidus The Rise of New Thinking on Soviet Foreign Policy; A.Dallin The Development of New Thinking about World Communism; A.Dallin Some Concluding Observations; T.H.Rigby Index