International Policy Formation in the USSR: Factional "Debates" During the Zhdanovschina

260 Pages·1983·4.77 MB·English

by  Gavriel Ra'anan, Robert Conquest

I P F
nternational olicy ormation
USSR
in the
By the same author
Yugoslavia after Tito (Boulder, Colorado, Westwood, 1977)
The Evolution of the Soviet Use of Surrogates in Military Relations
with the Third World (Rand Paper P-6420)
“Cyprus, 1974 to 1978” (in Ethnic Resurgence, Elmsford, N.Y.,
Pergamon, 1980)
“Surrogate Forces and Power Projection” (in Projection of Power,
Hamden, Connecticut, Archon Books, 1982)
I P F
n tern a tio n a l olicy orm ation
USSR
in th e
Factional “Debates”
during the Zhdanovschina
Gavriel D. Ra’anan
With a Foreword by
Robert Conquest
Archon Books
1983
° 1983 Gavriel D. Ra’anan. All rights reserved.
First published 1983 as an Archon Book,
an imprint of The Shoe String Press, Inc.,
Hamden, Connecticut 06514
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Ra’anan, Gavriel D.
International policy formation in the USSR.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Soviet Union—Foreign relations—
1945- . 2. Soviet Union—Foreign
relations—Yugoslavia. 3. Yugoslavia-
Foreign relations—Soviet Union. 4. Zhdanov,
Andrei Aleksandrovich, 1896-1948. I. Title.
II. Title. Zhdanovshchina.
DK267.R28 1983 327.47 83-6064
ISBN 0-208-01976-6
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for
permanence and durability of the Committee on Production
Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.
For my lovely wife, Holly;
my parents, for their efforts;
and for Michael, my brother and my friend

C o n t e n t s
Foreword ix
Preface xi
Introduction 1
1. Soviet Factions and Decision Making: The Modalities 8
2. The Zhdanov-Malenkov Struggle: Antecedents 12
3. The Zhdanov Group: Attitudes and Personalities 25
4. The Belgrade Connection: Balkan Jacobinism 42
5. The Zhdanovshchina 54
6. The Varga-Voznesenskii “Debate” 62
7. The Yugoslav Factor: Further Considerations 75
8. The Principal Adversary: Focus on the Middle East 80
9. The Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany: Factional
Rivalry 85
10. The Founding Meeting of the Cominform 101
11. Calcutta, 1948, and Belgrade’s Global Role 111
12. Stalin’s Political Predilections; Other “Actors” 116
13. The “Crown Prince” 132
14. Decline and Fall 135
15. Post-Zhdanov “Zhdanovism” 153
16. Finale 161
17. Postcript: The Batde Revived, 1952-53 164
Appendix A: The Beria-Zhdanov Rivalry 171
Appendix B: The Evolution of the Political Relationship between G.F.
Aleksandrov and A.A. Zhdanov 173
Appendix C: B. M. Kedrov 177
Appendix D: Stalin—Possible Limitations on His Activities; His Appear­
ances, Statements, and Publications, 1945-52 179
Appendix E: Varga’s Publications After Zhdanov’s Death 181
Notes 185
Bibliography 215
Index 239
Fo r ew o r d
Dr. Ra’anan’s investigation into the factional struggle in the Soviet
Communist Party during the late 1940s brings us to grips with the true
nature of Soviet politics, and the way in which policy is thrashed out.
It therefore has profound implications not merely for the period it covers,
but also for the events of a later epoch.
It is a difficult and laborious task to unravel the detail of the
struggle, and above all to interpret the position of particular personali­
ties. Yet this is vital work, for political life in the USSR, then as now,
was confined to a few hundred people, with only a few dozen playing
any important role. Much of this sort of work is interpretative, and
cannot claim finality; I find myself in disagreement on certain points,
as is inevitable in such studies. For example, I feel that Dr. Ra’anan’s
listings in chapter three give, not so much in themselves as by cumulative
effect, an impression of the overwhelming ascendancy of the Zhdanov
faction, which slightly overstates the case. And on individuals, I do not
agree with his characterization of Patolichev as owing allegiance to
Zhdanov. But these are minor points, and the general sweep of the story,
and the evidence brought together, gives us a splendid general picture
of the time.
In saying that the study is directly relevant to present-day matters,
I do not wish to give the impression that this is a question of simple
immediacy. To unravel any major section of the Soviet past, still kept
so obscure and secret in official sources, is itself necessary to a clear
understanding of the whole Soviet experience, and so required for any
proper view of the USSR past and present. Nevertheless, these events
of the 1940s still have a direct connection with Andropov, and in the
most striking fashion. For Andropov was made second secretary of
the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Karelian Soviet
Socialist Republic in 1947, and this republic was always regarded as an
appanage of Zhdanovite Leningrad. In 1949, when the Leningrad Case
purge struck the Zhdanov apparatus in the city, Karelia too suffered.
The local First Secretary G.N. Kupryanov was arrested, tortured, and
sent to prison; and his successor, A.A. Kondakov, was almost at once
also removed (and shot). That Andropov survived, and was indeed short­
ly afterwards brought to Moscow to serve as one of Stalin’s new
IX
X International Policy Formation in the USSR
“inspectors” of the Central Committee, a highly trusted group designed
to implement the new planned purge of the dictator’s last days, indicates
that he himself was directly involved (as of course he must have been
in his capacity as organizational secretary), and gave satisfaction, in the
events recounted in this book. Thus they are part of the present Soviet
background in a very intimate sense.
This is a striking illustration of the value of the study of Soviet
political history in the sense of Dr. Ra’anan’s valuable contribution to
our knowledge—of which it might also be said that to increase our
understanding of the Soviet leadership and its motivations is in our
present circumstances a true public service.
Robert Conquest