The Dynamics of Soviet Politics

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“This substantial volume was written and compiled by former students of the late Merle Fainsod, and is dedicated to his memory. The range of approaches to Soviet politics embodied in this collection do indeed reflect Fainsod’s own approach: a combination of eclecticism, common sense, attention to history, assiduous compilation of data, and a willingness to entertain behavioral strategies in certain limited areas where they offer hope of meaningful insights… [This volume contains] examples of the cutting edge of new research.”—Robert J. Osborn, Russian Review

“In between these stimulating essays [by Adam Ulam and Zbigniew Brzezinski] we find articles tracing the historical evolution of concepts, fields, and policies…and a second group of articles offering close analyses of narrower aspects of Soviet policy (party membership, Virgin Lands, youth, succession and leadership, and so forth). The essays are generally of superior quality, and this anthology will be of considerable interest and use to both students and scholars.”—Zvi Gitelman, Slavic Review